Events in Egypt have blown neoconservatism apart, and that was clear on Any Questions, when Liam Fox, Luke Coffey's man in the Cabinet, definitively parted company with those who place any allegiance to Britain no higher than third, behind allegiance to America and allegiance to Israel, not necessarily in that order. Fox left no doubt that his position was America First, Britain Second, Israel Third (If At All). A very, very, very major shift.
Attributable to whom? To the people with whom the far more traditionally Tory David Cameron and William Hague have encircled Fox at the MoD? Apart from the Lib Dem Eurosceptic Nick Harvey, more than on record against Trident, I do not know about Peter Luff, but Gerald Howarth is late of the European Arab Bank, Andrew Robathan has been on his travels courtesy of CMEC (Nicholas Soames, Hugo Swire, Crispin Blunt, Alan Duncan, Commons receptions to celebrate Norouz, you get the idea), and Lord Astor is actually CMEC's Vice-Chairman. Or attributable to Coffey, and thus indicative of the realist renaissance and resurgence within American intelligence? Both, one trusts.
Still, be in no doubt. Fox and and his CIA SpAd have a much-trailed scheme to abolish all three Armed Forces in favour of something like the United States Marine Corps, except in no sense an elite force, as part of the single EU defence "capability" under overall American command. It should never be forgotten that an absolute ban on Germany's having an Air Force was written into the Treaty of Versailles. To be deprived of this right by one's vanquishers is one of the great historic indicators that defeat has tipped over into humiliation.
But back in the days when New Labour was led by Tony Blair and the other lot by Michael Howard, deeply disillusioned former Cabinet Ministers from both sides implored me not to write, even in jest, that our most unaccomplished 16-year-olds should be conscripted directly into the IDF, on the grounds that "if the wrong person reads that, then it will happen". They were not joking. That, at least, will not happen under Liam Fox. Progress of a sort, perhaps.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As your correspondents undoubtedly informed you at the time, something very near to that IDF scheme was seriously considered within the Blair inner circle. That was how far beyond satire things had moved by the last days of Tony Blair.
ReplyDeleteThank God for Durham.
ReplyDeleteThe Labour one was presumably Hilary, it sounds like her in private and of course you and she go back a long way. The Tory one? You have always got about, could be anyone.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't Hilary, but I know what you mean. When earnest tutees tell em that they opposed the Iraq War, I rarely have the heart to point out that they were only about 12 in 2003, whereas I was on the then Chief Whip's Constituency Executive, and had been for some time, from which platform I and many others rapidly ended up in no doubt that she didn't really believe a word of it. By no means the only such issue, of course. And by no means the only such Minister under Blair.
ReplyDeleteAs for the Tory, I'm not telling you that, either. Thereby hangs a tale... But it is notable that the Major Government was loathed by "liberal interventionists", and that Michael Howard was pretty much the only key Major ally to support the Iraq War. William Hague was a junior member of Major's Cabinet, and David Cameron, who now openly regrets having voted for war, was around it.
I was very surprised that either of them read this or any other blog, but there we are.
The problem with David Lindsay is that he does not really understand anyone who does not know former Cabinet ministers from both parties, and other people like that. He thinks that everyone does.
ReplyDeletePeople forget that he comes from a fairly exalted background and became politically active at a very early age. He also looks much younger than he really is, which tends to throw people. Check out the picture, not yet two years old, on his profile. Then tell me how old you think he is. If you knew the truth, you would be extremely surprised. With his life story, he should look older than he is. But somehow he looks younger instead.
ReplyDeleteHe still looks exactly the same as he did at school, although he gives his true age on Facebook if anyone wants to check. I don't know how he does it, as somebody said he hs had a very full life. He should look 10 years older, not 10 years younger. Lucky sod.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I have succeeded in pickling myself?
ReplyDeleteBut on topic, please.