Thursday 16 January 2014

ROBERT SEEMS TO BE CLOSING THE GATES ON SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP

I was amused to hear the interview with the ex Secretary for Defense in America, Robert Gates, telling UKOK that he was disappointed with it for its cuts in military spending. Mind you in fairness he said that he was disappointed in the cuts in military spending in the USA too.

He said that UKOK could always be relied upon to be the US’s stooge, erm partner, in whatever it felt it had to do around the world, but recent cuts meant that it was no longer an all-rounder and was therefore letting the US down.

He was particularly concerned that for the first time since the Great War, UKOK didn’t have an aircraft carrier (although I thought that they had some sort of agreement with the French to borrow one of theirs). He felt too that UKOK should keep its weapons of mass destruction.
 
I can see his concern. If you’ve been used to being able to send a set of foreigners to do your dirty work, at their expense and at their government’s unpopularity, and all you had to do was agree that your president would be seen smiling at, or with his arm around, the client state’s first minister, then it must come as a bit of a shock, especially in these hard times, when that service is no longer available to you.

Mr Gates pointed out that the special relationship would be likely to be damaged by these cuts. So touching! A deep friendship entirely reliant upon UKOK punching way above its weight and doing as it is bid.

I don’t know if Mr Gates has taken into consideration the fact that UKOK’s ministry of warfare is having a hell of a job recruiting people.  Massive recruitment programmes are ongoing at the moment, at the same time as the MoD is paying off people 3 days before their pension becomes mature (leaving them in redundancy with a part paid pension plan). So not only is there a shortage of ships, but there is a shortage of personnel too.

The MoD recently had to write off £6.7 million on an online recruitment scheme and has admitted that it is costing the taxpayer £1 million a month to pay for staff to fill in while new software is sourced…

It’s not that long ago since the long-faced millionaire Hammond, said that an independent Scotland would not be able to recruit anyone for its armed forces, because they would be small, pathetic, and only good for Chinese tourists to snap pictures of, standing outside Edinburgh Castle.
Hammond, it seems, is another failure of a minister who comes to Scotland and blows off about something he knows nothing about and then goes back to his own place to make even more of a mess.

Strangely, there was no one from the MoD, least of all Hammond himself, available for comment this morning for the Today programme. However (and you’ll love this) the department did issue a statement saying that UKOK still had the fourth largest  military spend in the world, and after the USA (of course) its troops continue to be the best trained and the best equipped in the entire universe.

Tell that to the lads who had to buy their own kit, share body armour, and use their own mobile phones for communication.

22 comments:

  1. Aw what a shame, the UK may not be able to plunder and ravage, other asset rich countries along side their buddies the Americans now their military budget isn't up to scratch. I'm sure Maggie Thatcher will be rolling in her grave at the thought of it, and Tony B-Liar will be shaking his head whilst playing golf with G.W. Bush.

    Today at FMQ's Alex Salmond pointed out a quite remarkable fact, that as chancellors of the exchequer Alistair Darling and George Osborne respectively, have borrowed more money than, all the UK's previous chancellors of the exchequers put together.

    No wonder the UK is £1.3 trillion in debt, a debt that will just keep growing and growing.

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    1. I wonder who will be their new best mates. TBH I don't think Mr Obama ever much liked Brown or Cameron. When Sarkozy was president in France they were pretty chummy with the USA...I'm not sure about Hollande.

      Good old Eck... Butter Together with more debt than anyone else in Europe.

      I saw that the other day Mr Cameron was saying that Darling was competent as BT leader, then yesterday he demanded an apology from him for his incompetence in running the economy...

      Blether Together U KOK.


      I wonder what on earth

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  2. tris

    No doubt ids could find the extra cash for the armed forces by squeezing the poor a bit harder, he is the man for the job .

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    1. If he could just kill them off more quickly, Niko.

      I read that the DWP is going to insist that sick folk for whom the prognosis is more than 6 months may have to do work experience. This will then enable them to be work ready by the time they die.

      Clearly Mr Duncan Smith is preparing them for the afterlife.

      Still, being made to work when you are dying should finish people off much more quickly saving vast amounts of money in benefits and in medication.

      This can be spent on perhaps working towards the third largest military spend in the world and a kiss and make up with the USA.

      As you say IDS is just that bast... I mean... man, for that job.

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    2. Tris

      It's better than that. Whilst there is a time limit on how long someone on JSA can be an unpaid slave, there is no time limit for those on ESA. So the lucky ones are the terminally ill because at least they can stop when they've 6 months left. If you are just plain ill, it never ends.

      I'm not sure how to vote in September? What would you suggest?

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    3. The man gets more evil by the day, PP.

      As for voting in September... is there an election or something? I don;t keep up to date with all that sort of stuff.

      As for advising someone on what to vote ...ohhhhh no, not me. I never engage in anything like that.

      I'll probably vote U KIP or U COK or something like that.

      I like parties with catchy names....

      :)

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  3. It's a good job he still has his labour lackeys especially Comical Ali or he'd be known as Nae pals Cammy

    First Putin now the USof A Oh the shame

    Wee Wullie will have been on the phone begging to be told where and when and promising to be there all guns blazing

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    1. These people have no shame.

      Despite no one from the MoD being available, the ever unlovely, and disgraced, ex Defence minister, Mr Fox, was there to put in his twopence worth.

      As he actually makes me physically sick, I was obliged to turn off the radio, and therefore I don't know what lies he told.

      Based on his record, corkers I'll bet.

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  4. Who'd have thunk it, good old US of A getting a wee bit concerned about the 'Big Hitter' that is U.K. not being able to do everything USA tells it to do.

    I am amazed, nay astounded even, no honestly I really am, M.O.D. I.T. recruitment system is useless. Who'd have thunk it. M.O.D. buys a defective I.T. system and it's reported as news! English N.H.S. computer system under Gordon Broon anyone?

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    1. If you want to be allowed into the room with the grown ups, you have to be very good and do exactly as you're told... otherwise you get sent to the nursery with the other sprogs...

      If you are listing the computer mistakes don't forget there's also the tens of millions that Blady Smith has thrown away on his half arsed killing fields of the poor.

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  5. Slightly o/t but I saw my first "U KOK" sticker on the back of a car yesterday. Took me a wee minute to figure out if it was for the (dis)organisation or a description of the driver. Suffice to say, and far be it for me to judge by appearances, but it could as easily have been for either as the driver didn't exactly look like a typical YES supporter!

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    1. I've never seen a U KOK sticker... Imagine the embarrassment of putting something like that on your car.

      I wonder who thought that one up...

      I seriously would be tempted to say it out loud to teh driver!!

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    2. I was tempted to just read it out as the driver walked past us but my 18 year old son was with me and instructed me not to say anything. Poor wee sensitive soul that he is!

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    3. Ha.... just the place to see it.

      The BBC... bless them. They are quite far up the list of crap that I'll not miss.

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  6. LOL... PB

    Well, you gotta behave when you have your lad with you... but one day maybe you'll get out on your own, then imagine the fun you can have.

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  7. Och, ah ken. As soon as I get out to play by myself there'll be nae end to the mischief I can get up to. It's an awfy life when you're getting a telling off from your laddie.

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    1. He musta been well brocht up if he's telling you to behave yourself... You should listen (but he can't be there all teh time!!)

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  8. Maybe if Hammong were to bring some old stringbags (swordfish)out of mothballs
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Swordfish
    he might persuade our lords and masters we can still punch above out weight , and he'll have an aeroplane to put on the shiny new aircraft carrier, beside the Germans laughed at the old bird right up until a torpedo from one disabled the Bismark's steering which led to her sinking. jus sayin sa'll

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    1. Well John... he could do worse, and let's face it, 12/6d is probably within his price range...

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  9. ps at today's money they would cost about 12/6d = 62p

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  10. I'm an American and am really sad to read this or hear of this. Bu I've also been reading through some really harmful remarks of what England actually thinks of this special relationship. I was shocked. Think the people of the USA took it more seriously than you fellows. Well,it still saddens. I wish you and your country the best of luck and God's own blessing. We didn't actually see you as friends, but as "family." I know that the Obama administration was a disaster and I'm sorry. We're in peril here, too. But there seems to be no stopping what happens next. In the end, we'll always be "family" - sort of - but I guess we have not been friends in years. So goodbye England. I'll think of you no more.

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