You know it makes sense.
Good grief, it is depressing listening to all and sundry pontificate on the need to increase defence spending and how it can only be paid for by cutting the benefits bill.
The level of debate in this country is desperately low and the fact is the right is to blame for that, almost exclusively.
40 years of blaming the poor for being poor, of blaming the unemployed for being lazy and benefit claimants for being leeches has paid off.
But if you look at the facts they paint another picture. Our state pension absorbs huge amounts of those benefit bills and yet OAPs will now fight to the death to keep their completely unearned and unjustified triple lock, they are also now complaining that the pension is one of the worst in Europe (which it is) and that they are paying any tax on it at all; they are quite shameless. More benefits and less tax for us, but fewer benefits and higher taxes for everyone else.
Overall the UK is one of the lowest spenders on social benefits among similar countries. Countries which are increasing defence spending and maintaining benefits too, why? Because they can afford to and are willing to find the money from other sources.
The whole defence debate in this country has been reduced to the poor must starve to pay for weapons. But even a look at our recent history tells you this is a completely false comparison.
Just looking at the two child benefits limit, if re-introducing it will be enough to fund defence why didn’t the Tories boost defence spending when they first introduced it? Why when they spent 14 years making savings on everything did they not have more than enough to spend on larger Armed Forces? Why did they have to massively increase taxes at the same time, because the money raised didn’t go on higher benefits (except for pensioners) and it didn’t go on more tanks; they spent almost a decade and a half telling us that they were cutting benefits to get people back to work.
Why did they slash and burn our defences for so long and long after the war in Ukraine became a real threat? Now they shamelessly boast that they would massively increase defence spending because of new threats, the same threats they ignored for 14 years. It takes 7 years to build a frigate, I am looking forward to dozens of them being launched in 5 years time, because doubtless the Tories ordered dozens of them when in power. No? Oh!
Leaving aside the fact that Brexit cost us so much money we could easily treble defence spending if it had not happened, where did all those cost cuts, the fat cutting, the efficiency drives and the tax rises go?
Because it wasn’t to the Navy, Airforce or Army.
It went on years and years of low growth, low productivity, low wage rises, and low tax revenues, some of which was even caused by cuts in government capacity. It went on Covid which caused borrowing to soar and which means we cannot borrow more now.
It did not go on benefits or immigrants, and so slashing benefits further will not find the money for defence or anything else.
Don’t get me wrong I am all in favour or higher defence spending and willing to pay more tax to make it happen.
But no, let’s just move the spending from the lazy, feckless, indolent, cheating leeches instead.
You know it makes sense, but be honest, only because it is what you want to hear.
From Jonty Bloom Media Ltd
Economics, trade and Brexit, not necessarily in that order but the dog always comes first.
Common sense I think. As I am neither an economist (ike you) nor an expert on defence I would be interested in your observations on Paul Mason's thoughtful piece suggesting an increase in defence expenditure funded by borrowing
One question is why it now takes seven years to build a frigate. According to AI, "During World War II, building a frigate typically took between 5 and 18 months". Of course there was a war on and economies of scale etc, but that was without modern machinery, robots etc. The extraordinary incompetence and corruption of UK defence procurement mean we spend huge amounts on stuff that arrives late, doesn't work, and is no longer required. The other big issue highlighted by the war in Ukraine is the importance of resilient infrastructure - power and water supplies, information networks, cables, manufacturing, shelters etc. I guess we'll have to do without.