There was meant to be a debate on Thursday in the Lords on national security and civil preparedness for war. I put in to speak. It was cancelled as votes delayed the progress of business and the government decided to defer the debate.
As it is topical let me make some of the points here. Our country is not properly defended if we rely too heavily on imports for our food and civilian necessities, and for the raw materials, components and whole systems for weapons. The bitter experiences of the last two big wars reminds us that our more modest reliance on imports then was a dangerous vulnerability leading to atrocious losses of commercial shipping under fire from submarines and aircraft.
Our long years in the Common Agricultural Policy, stopped us producing enough milk and butter by restricted quotas, crippled our beef industry following disease, paid us to grub up our orchards and grabbed market share for imports in vegetables. Our industry now only delivers 62% of our food, compared to 78% in 1984 and higher in 1972.
In 1939 there was plenty of capacity to produce the steel and chemicals we needed for weapons. Factories were turned over to making planes, guns and ships as we had the know how and skills.
Today there are just two steel blast furnaces left. The government will probably close them after paying a fortune for losses in the meantime. The government’s refusal to get more of our own oil and gas out is helping a collapse in our petro chemical industry. 2 of our 6 refineries have closed under this government, an olefins plant, a bioethanol plant, a big fibreglass plant and others. Ineos has announced withdrawal from UK investment. Huntsman has threatened closure of its chemicals business.
Modern weapons systems also require plenty of computing power. The UK does not have the capacity to make more complex semi conductors, and the UK is very reliant on US technology in general.
Farming grants policy needs to be reoriented away from wilding and solar farms to rewarding and fostering more food production. There needs to be a big change of energy policy, and a removal of emissions trading and carbon tax schemes, to rebuild are high energy using and gas feedstock industries. We need to restore our abilities to feed ourselves, to supply our energy, and to have the ability to make a lot of weapons in a hurry if our islands come under threat again.
March 28, 2026
Indeed – the government policies especially Miliband’s energy lunacy, the open door to low skilled and often dangerous and criminal immigration, the doom loop Reeves agenda, DEI… are all a total disaster for the economy, for crime rates, social cohesion, living standards and for national security. Three plus more years of this lunacy and their scorched earth agenda to go.
Who will want to sign up to fight to defend a country with open borders and the above suicidal policies?
March 28, 2026
We had a pandemic plan yet we could not even make simple plastic PPE equipment locally what chance of making sophisticated weapons quickly when at war!
March 28, 2026
My Lord,
You are absolutely correct in your points. We do need to be more self sufficient in power, military capability, food and industry.
We should also note that our population has grown since WW2 from forty five million to around seventy million today.
During the last World War, those of German, Italian and Japanese nationality were put into secure camps for the duration of the war. Could we or would we do that today? We’d need a camp the size of the Isle of Wight and who would we lock away? Would the purple haired, lanyard wearing lefties accept that or would there be marches every week?
I think the key to our future, if we as a nation actually have one, will be down to us being self sufficient in power generation and supply.
The other thing that I can’t understand is this…. If we are going to war with a country because the great and good have decided to do so, why would that country wait for us to rearm? The world has gone mad.
March 28, 2026
If we were to mine our own coal and make our own steel, certainly under current environmental legislation, it would be, deliberately, more expensive than say, Chinese coal or steel. They would claim unfair competition and put tariffs on our goods and services. This would have a knock-on effect when it comes to trade.
March 28, 2026
Good Morning,
The question to be answere is why does this government, even when armed conflict and existential threat is staring them in the face, not want to make the nation as strong and prepared as it could be. Starmer and his ‘international law’ pals seem to think everyone accepts laws and obeys them, this is cloud cukoo land but it is accepted in Parliament. Poland, I understand, is moving to war preparations, why not go visit them for some inspiration.
March 28, 2026
Since Thatcher the uniparty has been enamoured by the EU, slavishly following every dictat to the letter.
The Large Combustion Directive was responsible for shutting down our coal fired power stations which politicians of all stripes were filmed attending their destruction.
Treacherous May put Net Stupid into law and signed up to the UN migration pact. Milibrain is just continuing the destruction.
A stonking majority given to Boris was wasted on a botched removal from the EU, ceding Northern Ireland to Brussels in the process.
As we have the same idiots in Parliament are you seriously saying they will change policy.
Remember Badenough wouldn’t get rid of EU laws as she said she’s not an arsonist.
We really do need to clear out the stables.
March 28, 2026
+1
Finally someone else who understands that pointing the finger at others is not the solution. Our problems are here at home.
March 28, 2026
Since we were dragged into the EEC, which was then morphed into the EU with no mandate, the Establishment appears to have deliberately been making it impossible for us to defend these islands.
There was a brief respite during Mrs Thatcher’s premiership but when she made it clear she did not intend to permit EU Socialism to be imposed on the UK, the Tory Wets got rid of her and it was back to the Establishment policy of deliberately deconstructing the nation under John Major, Blair/Brown, Cameron, May, Johnson, Sunak and now Two-Tier.
We are highly vulnerable and that’s exactly how they want it. It’s the means by which they intend to force us to rejoin the EU…..by making us entirely dependent on them for energy, food and defence.
March 28, 2026
Good morning.
2026 is a world away from 1939 when Britain had a closed market in the form of the British Empire. Back then we access to all the raw materials we needed and the markets we can sell those goods into. Today we are what we have always been – a small cold, damp, lonely island on the fringes of Europe. It is well overdue that people like our kind host got over the past. It is what is holding us back.
And as for threats ? We all know who the main threat to the people of these islands is. We are just not allowed to say or do anything about it.