British Defense Secretary Philip Hammond has publicly demanded that the government agree to yet more cuts to their welfare budget, saying that keeping military spending up should be a “first priority” for the nation.
The coalition government appears to be split on the matter, with Liberal Democrats opposed to any further cuts to the Welfare budget in the near term, and Hammond leading a call for a “Tory agenda” of getting military spending protected by cuts elsewhere.
Hammond may face even more opposition from within his own party, however, as Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne has been an outspoken supporter of cuts in the Afghan war as a way to save money in the overall budget.
Prime Minister David Cameron seems to be looking for a “have your cake and eat it too” solution where the government would pump money into the “foreign aid” budget instead, and then funnel that money into military spending by arguing that an occupation is the best “aid” of all.
But off course.., starve the people.., give them more cardboard to eat and to make houses out of it. Let the old ones to die.., who needs them anyway.., let the majestically planed and orchestrated austerity work for the land of honor.
Yeah. Buying overly expensive American F-35s that don't exist and that no-one needs (after scrapping the Harrier; maybe cheap F/A-18 might have sufficed?), throwing billions into the maw of BAE to build an aircraft carrier that cannot carry the F-35 and needs expensive redesign, building fregates that don't have any weapons, mainting the submarine nuclear deterrence force, fafffing around in several sandy lands with "friends". It's costly, it's costly…
Not military welfare though ….
Military IS welfare. The new version of jobs programs, like building pyramides, only military can discriminate all it wants, and get jobs to political fiends and their families. Then there are also military contractors, and contractors to contractors. Some of the money always finds its way back to politicians. So, yes, cutt the welfare — as politicians do not have any use of them.