Britain's Armed Forces Under Threat: A Journalist's Lament
Oct 2005, Vol. 150, No. 5
By Max Hastings
It would be wrong to idealize the historic relationship between the British public, their leaders and those charged with defending them. Throughout British history, there have been periodic surges of enthusiasm for our soldiers, sailors or airmen when the nation felt threatened, or when great victories had been won. Yet today there is one important, and very dangerous, novelty about political and public attitudes to defence which has no precedent: indifference. Even during long past periods of peace, there has been vigorous media and political debate about British security. Today, by contrast, is anyone outside the Armed Forces even aware of the argument about future warship-building policy, far less of its merits? On the credit side, the British people are still conscious of the excellence of their Armed Forces, and take pride in them. This is a great deal more than can be said in most European countries. It should be a source of concern, indeed grave alarm, that all our partners in Europe save France have abandoned any pretension to a serious defence policy. Their politicians, their media, their publics appear to have reached the conclusion that there is absolutely no cause which they can imagine being worth fighting, sacrificing lives, even spending money for. In Britain, we have not yet reached such a pass. But there is a serious danger that we shall do so if we continue upon our present course, influenced by the political indifference mentioned above.
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By Max Hastings
It would be wrong to idealize the historic relationship between the British public, their leaders and those charged with defending them. Throughout British history, there have been periodic surges of enthusiasm for our soldiers, sailors or airmen when the nation felt threatened, or when great victories had been won. Yet today there is one important, and very dangerous, novelty about political and public attitudes to defence which has no precedent: indifference. Even during long past periods of peace, there has been vigorous media and political debate about British security. Today, by contrast, is anyone outside the Armed Forces even aware of the argument about future warship-building policy, far less of its merits? On the credit side, the British people are still conscious of the excellence of their Armed Forces, and take pride in them. This is a great deal more than can be said in most European countries. It should be a source of concern, indeed grave alarm, that all our partners in Europe save France have abandoned any pretension to a serious defence policy. Their politicians, their media, their publics appear to have reached the conclusion that there is absolutely no cause which they can imagine being worth fighting, sacrificing lives, even spending money for. In Britain, we have not yet reached such a pass. But there is a serious danger that we shall do so if we continue upon our present course, influenced by the political indifference mentioned above.
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