The UK has been a great naval power. In the 2 nd World war we still had a large fleet, and rapidly developed aircraft carriers when the war revealed they are crucial to provide air cover for large surface ships.
This century all 3 parties in government ran defence spending down and reduced the number of ships. Conservatives realised it had gone too far and started to rebuild before leaving office. Instead under this government it has become a rout. The Secretary of State removed the last minesweeper from the Gulf and did not keep a frigate in the area,. He allowed most of our modern sophisticated an air attach destroyers be in for deep maintenance at the same tine and failed to prepare Dragon for timely departure to support our Cyprus base. He approved both aircraft carriers being in home ports at the same time, leaving much of the world a long sea voyage away.
It looks as if this government was planning our disengagement from the Middle East and sea routes to India and China without announcing such a dramatic change of policy. Their wish to give Diego Garcia freehold away and to give the EU and Spain considerable control over Gibraltar is symptomatic of their casual wish to end our influence and to undermine the navy.
They talk all the time of stronger links with the EU rather than NATO, oblivious of how we rely on US collaboration for our defence and in ignorance of the poor defences of most western members of the EU. The EU is not going to protect us.
The government pretends to want higher spending on defence without budgeting the money. It needs first to tell us what extra ships, planes, drones, troops we need then go about procuring them. Urgently it needs to ensure many more of our current navaL vessels are at sea or ready to sail. We should be assisting convoys in the Gulf to protect our trade.
March 14, 2026
It is now clear that the political failure to maintain Britain’s defences is about to be completely laid open to view by Mr Trump’s call to other nations, including China interestingly, to help him to re-open the Strait of Hormuz. The French have already sent a major force to the Eastern Mediterranean. The only ship we were able to find is barely out of the Channel, and from what one hears, even if something is cobbled together to show a brave face, the support ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary are in such a poor state as to be mostly unseaworthy, so there will be big problems with supply and maintenance. We are very lucky that Mr Putin is tied up with The Ukraine.
March 15, 2026
So Trump tells us he’s won his war and doesn’t want or need our ships. Then a week later begs us to help him out of the hole he’s dug himself into. I don’t think so. This is not our war
March 15, 2026
It certainly is and the pathetic Starmer will surely comply in defensive areas like mine sweeping not that the pathetic man has much kit or people to offer!
Scum, scum, scum Rayner is still strong favourite to replace him shortly after May 7th I assume!
March 15, 2026
Actually no. It suits Trump to have the Straits closed, it starves China of fuel.
The USA and Israel don’t need the straits open, he said that if other nations need the straits open, they can send a force to open them. Why should the USA help Britain for example when Britain was very unhelpful to the USA?
March 15, 2026
But it is our war. We rely on shipments of gas from Qatar through the Straights.
As for the Navy, it’s shameful. I served 9 years, 6b in nuclear submarines. We had worldwide reach at a moments notice.
Trump had done us a service exposing the sheer stupidity of successive governments in decimating our armed forces.
We need to go back to Cameron and Clegg to see when the damage started.
It doesn’t help recruiting and retention when our SSBNs have to spend 210 days on patrol.
March 15, 2026
Perhaps Two-Tier will try and demonstrate to President Trump that he has a tiny bit of Churchillian “can do” attitude and will put out a call for The Little Ships to sail to the Gulf.
I rather suspect the response will be VERY different 🙂
March 14, 2026
Starmer clearly doesn’t believe in projecting power – or proper defence.
If he had his way we would be a neutered state like Eileen.
The EU could never replace NATO, it’s nothing but a talking shop and is dominated by France’s insistence on being top dog and the leading weapon supplier.
The only solution is for us to spend more money,, more efficiently and build a far bigger defence force.
We have to eliminate inter-service rivalry which has seen our Navy reduced to a shadow, despite having Brown’s two shiny carriers, which could be useful if we only had enough aircraft, and can’t be sent anywhere without the defensive screen being provided by NATO allies. We couldn`t defend the Falklands today because our NATO partners would not allow their destroyers and frigate to go with the task force.
As well as invest much more in kit and manpower,, we could look at re-organising our military along the lines of the US Marine Corp, which alone is now far bigger than our entire three services. A fully integrated force with no Air Marshals and far fewer Admirals and Generals, all wearing the same uniform.
Reply We have 6 destroyers and 7 frigates with new frigates on order so we should be able to put one carrier group to sea at any given time.
March 15, 2026
To reply:- plus two useless, ill specified, aircraft carriers (sitting ducks given the lack of support that they would need to avoid being sunk). Our defence procurement has been a sick joke for very many years. But then so has almost everything else about recent government. The two tier justice, the dire NHS system, a justice and immigration system with no real deterrents, the £600bn spend doing huge net harms during COVID, a bloated state sector, an inability to build houses due to planning obstructions, a mad energy policy (that about 90% plus of the population disagree with)… The Starmer, Reeves, Lammy, Milliband, Philipson government the most evil and appalling yet.
The doom loop politics of envy, suppression of free speech, open border and two tier justice. 40% of new house to go to migrants it seems. Who will pay for them?
Reply A carrier task force can successfully protect people and ships and project power, but not by staying in a home port.
March 15, 2026
Perhaps they think they might not evem make it that distance. One seems to be used mainly for spares!
March 15, 2026
we hsve 4 trident boats, and struggle to keep one of those at sea constantly, and then only with occasional mega long record breaking patrols because the other 3 are not ready. 2 of any ship is not enough to have one constantly ready.
March 15, 2026
And don’t forget Shakespeare’s brilliant partly political play The Tempest. Where Prospero represents the controlling autocrat in us all including in politics. And how this autocracy is more about a deep lust for power (than duty or patriotism – the person might start off with ‘duty’ but becomes overwhelmed with personal lust for power). And that the Prosperos in politics (from left to right and Woke) create all these unintended consequences and monsters – like Caliban. Caliban could be Labour indulging in borrowing we can’t afford or right-wingers forming parties that undermines the Conservative Party and so allows Labour back into power. But the Prospero-Caliban model reflects so many other things in politics (and in the individual too – not just politics).
So please stick to the Conservative Party, and remember Shakespeare’s brilliant The Tempest, and the politics of great leaders such as Queen Elizabeth I who saw herself as a Christian leader to serve her people and country (not a secular leader preocupied with his own secret agenda) and to protect and help flourish our Christian values and heritage and the best of our Greco-Roman values too.
And then we will be far more as a nation – and as individuals – like Ariel in The Tempest:
Where the bee sucks, there lurk I;
In a cowslip’s bell I lie;
There I crouch when owls do cry:
On the bat’s back I do fiy,
After sunset, merrily.
Merrily, merrily shall I live now,
Under the blossom that hangs on the bough.
God bless our wonderful country and those who govern us.
March 15, 2026
(Not say Elizabeth I wasn’t flawed or was a saint but at same time I have a lot of respect and admiration for her – and a lot to learn from her)
March 15, 2026
The left helping to destroy our nation. But some on the right keep running our country down. Lord Redwood here doing the opposite. Thank you sir.
We need to be aware of all the bad things going on, of course, but remain HOPEFUL too and not lose one’s sense of humour! And the only way to fix this country is through the Conservative party! Instead of other right-wing parties that are essentially just weakening the Conservatives and allowing Labour to remain in power. The other right-wing parties have some great ideas but ultimately those ideas should be expressed within the Conservative Party. And we just have to work harder at building up the Tory Party so that it wins more votes but with good policies. There’s no other way to at least to keep Labour and Starmer and Rachel from accounts out of power. If not it’s just immature, self-indulgent fantasy.
So please get behind the Conservative Party.
March 14, 2026
The Bureaucrats are in charge, in some parts of the World they are also called bean counters – either way they miss the point by a wide margin.
The have one Destroyer on station you need 3 Destroyers. One is always being serviced/update, its the complexity of the beast. Another is on work up, training getting ready to relieve. So that the 3rd is on Station. The Navy as with all military personnel, provide 24/7/365 day protection and they are human, they deserve being treated as such. They don’t go home to their families every night they don’t knock off work at 5:00pm or start a 9:00am as such they have to be relieved sometimes.
Parliament takes the, lets be blunt, ‘piss’ at times forcing guys (& girls) to sit at the bottom of the Ocean for more than 200 days at a time without(really without) any outside World contact and getting just £500 per week, even then the MOD forces them to pay for food and lodging while on duty.
Then to dance around what is asked instead of just getting on with things Parliament and its Government to try and fudge their obligations by calling halts and having reviews so as to pause their obligations
March 15, 2026
Indeed the technology changes are vast so we have:- 5 Lawyers and 3 PPE or politics graduates on the National Security Council which allegedly “considers the strategic approach to national security, foreign policy, resilience, international relations, economic security, trade, development, defence and global issues.”
Starmer moronically could net even let the US us our bases initially. All these people joined the Labour Party so daft are they and non seem to know anything about defence, warfare, technology, energy, economics or even real politics!
Its membership is as follows:[18]
Image Member Office(s)
Keir Starmer
(Chair) Prime Minister
First Lord of the Treasury
Minister for the Civil Service
Minister for the Union
David Lammy Deputy Prime Minister
Lord Chancellor
Secretary of State for Justice
Rachel Reeves Chancellor of the Exchequer
Yvette Cooper Foreign Secretary
Shabana Mahmood Home Secretary
Darren Jones Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
John Healey Secretary of State for Defence
The Lord Hermer Attorney General for England and Wales
Advocate General for Northern Ireland
Should go well! I would say God help us! but there obviously isn’t one – can I still say that nowadays or is that a hate crime now!
March 15, 2026
You are trying to cheer me up.
Starmer looks petrified and acts like a hostage.
Who do you really think is in charge?
March 14, 2026
History can be informative but the danger of looking at the modern world through a historical perspective is that the world changes and most of all in the modern world technology changes massively. World War 2 was over 80 years ago and then and in the days when Britain had the best navy in the world there were no accurate long range missiles and no drones. What use is their navy to Iran (sank before it could do anything) or its big Black Sea fleet to Russia (partly sunk and hiding away as too vulnerable to use even against a third rate military power, Ukraine)? Even the Falklands conflict over 40 years ago showed the vulnerability of surface ships – they are only of any use against very weak or very weakened adversaries. We need better defence spending more than we need more defence spending.
March 15, 2026
Well it’s true that the Iranian Navy are all sunk, but the Russian navy is certainly not and is capable of keeping the Black Sea free of all sorts of interference that would aid Ukraine.
Without our fleet we would ah e lost the Falklands. Indeed without a fleet Argentina could not have attacked them.
However you have fallen into the very trap of which you warn.
What expenditure and defence is available to secure the population in the event of an entirely unforeseeable uprising of say 10% of the population armed with very basic and easily obtainable weapons?
March 14, 2026
We need to think about our foreign policy objectives and strategy first and then figure out what sort of armed service would correspond to our needs.
No-one will come to our support unless it fits in with their interests. I don’t believe the US is a friend: we are its vassal state as much as (perhaps more than) the Gulf arabs. The relationship is both demeaning and abusive. We support and join its wars and follow its greater European policy to our disadvantage. I think we need to step back, make wider alliances and create our own nuclear deterrent.
We need to forget our former power. WW2 is ancient history. Post Suez we are at the most a regional power in Europe. The immediate people wanting our resources are our European “neighbours”, not Russia or China. Germany is rearming. The EU block is obviously losing its bet on getting Russian assets, is bankrupting itself and deindustrialising, yet still wants regional dominance.
I think our medium term external threat comes from the EU (ie. France and Germany aligned), and the stranglehold the US has on our nuclear deterrent.
In terms of a navy we want a force that can cut traffic to Europe (much as the Iranians have blocked the straight of Hormuz). For that we don’t need a fleet of big, vulnerable surface ships or the capability to transport ground forces we simply don’t have.
As for our far-flung territories, we had better use diplomacy and trade to defend them. Any determined nation with a few good missiles can defeat anyone these days. Look at the Huthis – they made the US cut and run.
In the end diplomacy is better than war, we ought to remember that.
March 15, 2026
Our immediate threat is the same as the immediate threat to France and Germany,
March 14, 2026
The EU Security & Defence Partnership (2025) seemingly has been created to supplant NATO and the 5 Eyes cooperation. The drum beat echoed from Parliament and its Government it is this agreement above all that will protect the UK.
Protect the UK’s Worldwide supply chain? Not forgetting it is the UK Parliament that cancelled our industrial base, cancelled our own energy supplies. They ‘made’, no forced the UK to be the recipient of everything it needs to survive. This UK Parliament is forcing the UK to become a 3rd World dependant Nation on the back of their political ideology and ego.
This UK Parliament has maliciously cancelled their first rule, their prime purpose, the safety and security of its people.
Who thought 5 year terms were a sane option? The removal of basic democracy has allowed the enemies of the nation free rein to destroy it.
March 15, 2026
There is not a fixed 5 year term. The government can fall or lose a vote of confidence or resign and call an election.
However it woun’t.
March 14, 2026
I’m too depressed and embarrassed for our country to comment, except to note that I have never seen a government policy to unravel so far as Starmer’s proposed give away of the Chagos Islands, now supported by Russia as “decolonisation”.
March 15, 2026
Of course there is much more involvement with AI and drones in today’s security.
March 15, 2026
Good morning.
But JR, did you not get the latest memo ? The MoD now stands for the, Ministry of Diversity. It is more important now that we have a balanced gender, race and LGTBQRS + +1 community. Of course I am being my usual sarcastic self but there is, as I am sure you know, more than a grain of truth in that.
I am given to understand that the MoD, the defence on not the diversity, is headed by a civilian Civil Serpent. This is why we are more interested in making sure that our ships run on carbon neutral fuel (no I am not making this one up) and proudly boasting such, or the RAF not wanting straight white males as fighter pilots. ie The MoD is not being run as a department of defence but as a sort of university common room / ideology chamber.
What trade ? We don’t make anything ! All we will be doing is putting service men’s lives at risk so people can have their Chinese tat.
March 15, 2026
Myself think there as been some back room dealings with the EU to sliver back into there club and start a EU forces, why else would liebour be giving the USA the run around, this bunch of Westminster sitting muppets won’t be satisfied till the EU hold the reins to this country because it’s bloody obvious to the public they are not fit to be in power
March 15, 2026
HMS Lancaster, a Type 23 frigate and 34 years old was retired in Dec 2025, with the Royal Navy stating it would not return to the UK for decommissioning and would instead be prepared for disposal in Bahrain.
The vessel had been inspected by Lloyd’s Register ship surveyors and was deemed to be in such bad condition that it would be unsafe to sail her home
Of the six Type 45 destroyers only HMS Dragon, HMS Duncan and HMS Dauntless are currently operational, with HMS Dragon departing for the Eastern Mediterranean in March 2026. The others are still waiting for power plant upgrades
As of early 2026, the RN is experiencing a severe frigate capability gap, operating only seven active Type 23 frigates. Further reductions are expected, with the total number of operational Type 23s set to drop to six, or possibly fewer, as further vessels (HMS Richmond) are scheduled for decommissioning in 2026
We could not send either of our carriers to the Gulf because of this lack of escorts
Reply We could have made enough frigate and destroyer capacity available to send a carrier group
March 15, 2026
Trump has been advised by the US Navy that it is not currently possible to run the Strait of Hormuz without unacceptable losses. What a surprise, he is now demanding that America’s allies provide the necessary escort ships
The IRGC is not defeated and has not asked for terms. The Ayatollah regime continues to fire missiles and drones at middle eastern countries and this weekend, again using Russian targeting intel, has successfully managed to hit no less than five American KC-135 refuelling tankers on the ground at the massive Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia
Two weeks ago, in an ac imonious telecon with PM Sir Kier Starmer, Trump said that British help would not be necessary “after the war is already won”
I think Starmer is wise to keep us out of this war, beyond defending our military bases in Cyprus and elsewhere in the region. Better the government looks to mitigating the economic consequences of the near doubling of the oil price and works to get us out of our dependence on the fossil fuel cartel completely. Fortunately, in 2026 we no longer import much LNG from the Gulf
Reply The issue that caused the needless rift with the US was Starmer refusing permission for the US to use our joint Diego base. We were nit asked to bomb Iran ourselves.
March 15, 2026
Dragging our feet and keeping out the way looks a sensible plan.
When your enemy is making a mistake it is best not to stop him. In this case Mr Trump is the enemy (we must not say so) and should be left to stew in his own juice. His financiers and election strategists will soon slap him around a bit to see sense. So send a tin tub slowly and do very little is a good plan.
We must remember Iran was no threat to us at all, the nuclear bit pure moonshine. But a useful excuse for a belligerent neighbour to bounce a foolish Trump into getting involved.
Remember Kipling’s line about £2000 pounds of education dropped by a 10 rupee jezail. Ships are sitting ducks.
March 15, 2026
Following another Trump telecon with the war criminal Putin – made at Trump’s request – he has lifted restrictions on countries buying Russian oil. But it’s OK, it only affects Russian crude stranded at sea after the closure of the key shipping route, the Strait of Hormuz
Trump’s bid to cut oil prices will fill Russia’s war chest with $billions. US treasury secretary Scott Bessent claimed – without evidence – that the 30-day waiver would “not provide significant financial benefit to the Russian government”. Is this guy Bessent for real?
On Saturday, following the call with Putin, Trump again criticised Volodymyr Zelensky – saying the Ukrainian leader was “far more difficult to make a deal with” than Vladimir Putin in efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Zelensky replied that Russia was “100% supplying Iran with Shahed-type drones” to use against the US and Israel as well as “considerable” intel on US and allies military dispositions
March 15, 2026
When Cameron/Osborne/Clegg imposed “austerity” (yes, I know) …. never forget that they massively cut the defence budget, by roughly 22%, but ring-fenced International Aid …. alternatively known as bunging money at corrupt foreign Governments, politicised “charities” which pay their senior management six-figure salaries, and wasted on nonsense attempts to influence medieval cultures. Instead of funding defence, Andrew Mitchell prioritised the creation and promotion of an Ethopian Spice Girls, funded by British taxpayers!
Two-Tier’s Labour Party wants to erase every link to colonialism. That is why Chagos is being given away and we are paying to lease Diego Garcia (ie reparations). It is why Lammy is supporting Slavery Reparations. It is why the Party is deliberately destroying the special relationship with Trump’s USA.
Instead of a global maritime nation, Labour wants the UK to be a statelet in the EU, entirely dependent on our continental neighbours for survival and governed by them.
When the Not-a-Conservative-Party was given an instruction to LEAVE the EU and had the opportunity to promote the UK as a global maritime nation, it chose not to do it. We are in the position we are because of 14 years of Tory failure; Labour is simply making it much worse.
March 15, 2026
Mrs Gold is unhappy that we have had to cancel our planned trip to Dubai this month. FCDO now advises against all but essential travel to many countries in the Gulf area
The Dubai Miracle Garden is in full bloom, showcasing over 150 million flowers arranged in various displays, including vertical gardens and themed structures.
There are numerous specialty florists such as those in the Zabeel area, which are offering grand orchid displays and collections. I was personally much looking forward to visiting The Butterfly Garden, located next to the Miracle Garden, which offered an interactive experience with thousands of butterflies.
Under the circumstances it would be unwise to risk our travel insurance being invalidated. Nobody seems to have shot down an airliner full of infidels yet, but it’s probably inevitable
March 15, 2026
Trump wants to bomb Kharg Island for some more Fun – he says America is winning – well I don’t see it – you follow America if you wany but don’t count on me