Any walk around a Cumbrian town or cemetery and you will find numerous monuments commemorating those who fell in “the war to end all wars”.
Of course, it wasn’t the war to end all wars but the post-1918 political settlement set a train of events that led to the rise of Hitler and yet another ‘war to end all wars’.
Since then, thanks to politicians of all shades, we have rarely had a time without some war raging somewhere across the world – Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Falklands, and now Ukraine.
And who pays the price of these wars? It isn’t the politicians, its usually young men and women, while the rest of us pay through increased taxes.
So, here we have our current crop of politicians, spurred on by the army/navy/air force top brass (hardly unbiased), wanting to raise taxes to pay for more armaments as the Prime Minister insists we need to be ‘ready to go to war’.
Okay, some of that money will funnel back into Cumbria with his announcement that ‘up to’ 12 nuclear submarines are to be built.
Barrow-in-Furness is handily placed to build these, being the only place in the UK that has the experience, knowledge and skills to do so, but note the ‘up to’.
And also note that this Prime Minister wants to raise our defence spend to 3% of GDP by 2034, ie: Five years AFTER the next General Election when he is likely to have his backside kicked out.
So, what is the alternative?
How about putting Putin and Zelensky into the ring and have them battle it out over 12 rounds? Get TNT/SKY/Premier Sports to buy up the rights and flog viewings to their subscribers.
How about not spending gazillions on defence? Yes, that will mean less money spent on lots of things we make in the UK and flog to countries that then use them to bomb anyone they feel like – but spend the money on things that benefit humanity? Surely, we have the national brains to come up with useful products?
Yes, this is an opinion that will not be universally welcomed, but do we really want to spend our hard earned tax pounds on things that kill? Or, as John Lennon once said: Let’s give peace a chance.
About Cumbria Cat
Born in Cumberland and, now, back living in Cumberland, having spent most of the past 50 years in some place called Cumbria, this cat has used up all nine lives as well as a few others.
Always happy to curl up on a friendly lap, the preference is for a local lap and not a lap that wants to descend on the county to change it into something it isn’t.
After all, you might think Cumbria/Cumberland/Westmorland is a land forged by nature – the glaciers, the rivers, breaking down the volcanic rocks or the sedimentary layers – but, in reality, the Cumbria we know today was forged by generations of local people, farmers, miners, quarriers, and foresters.
This cat is a local moggy, not a Burmese, Ocicat or Persian, and although I have been around the block a few times, whenever I jump, I end up on my feet back in my home county.
I am passionate about the area, its people, past, present and future, and those who come to admire what we hold dear, be it lakes and mountains, wild sea shores, vibrant communities or the history as rich and diverse as anywhere in the world.
