Second highest defense budget in the world

[Buzzer]

... and the poor(and i include american and our troops) get shot,blown up,robbed by a junkie or die of an overdose.

f*** me, how unlucky can being poor get?

 

[Rangdo]

So in 2 years, we have overtaken China, India and Russia in military spending? Yeah...right.

I've no idea. I was just saying that the data represented on the graph is two years out of date. Which it is.

 

[Eastleigh Seagull]

China and Russia are both increasing their defence spending at double digit rates - we have actually decreased ours in real terms. The gap is growing and the french will overtake us either this year or next. The biggest disgrace is that we dont even have a proper Minister for Defence as was stated - he does it part time - the lads and ladies getting their rears shot at must really appreciate the level of respect that our dear PM gives them. Never before have so many serving and recently retired senior officers called into question the commitment of teh government to the military.

 

[NMH]

A "right" to get in there? And why exactly? The Taliban have never threatened us. We may not like the way they operate, but that's a problem for Afghanistan, not for us. As for Al Queda, if we had minded our own business and stayed out of Iraq I somehow don't think they would be a threat to us. Are they threatening New Zealand? Or Canada?

Historians reckon that Hitler never actually threatened us, Chamberlain was well out of order, and declared war on Germany! He had no "right" doing that, why should Poland be anything to do with us anyway?
The Americans had no right joining in against Hitler either, bloody busybodies

And we had no right taking troops to Yugoslavia - could have just let 'em get on with their genocide in....erm......peace.

 

[Questions]

Historians reckon that Hitler never actually threatened us, Chamberlain was well out of order, and declared war on Germany! He had no "right" doing that, why should Poland be anything to do with us anyway?
The Americans had no right joining in against Hitler either, bloody busybodies

And we had no right taking troops to Yugoslavia - could have just let 'em get on with their genocide in....erm......peace.

Oh you like Americans now do you ?

 

[NMH]

Oh you like Americans now do you ?

Er.....how would you get that, or otherwise, from what I said?

Fishing a bit slow lately?

 

[Eggmundo]

As long as we spend more than the French that's fine by me.

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

NMH is in fact correct

 

[Porky]

Shouldn't it be stated as per capita. think Israel would probably be well towards the top. How about Russia
I would say it's a very questionable chart.

 

[perth seagull]

I'd rather see us slash the defence budget and spend the money on more important things.

Like a national football academy.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

9/11 ? nothing to do with us guv, "

Nothing to do with Iraq either

 

[BigGully]

So said Des Brown, Defense Minister on the Today programme this morning.

As a taxpayer I absolutely do not support such a policy.

The obvious question is "Why?".

So that we can wage war in countries where we have no business poking our noses such as Iraq and Afghanistan?

We should stay the hell out of other people's business and leave other countries to sort out their own problems. Sure we need a reasonable sized military for defense purposes, but defense means just that, defense, not waging war around the world under the mistaken assumption that other countries need to be forced to adopt our form of democracy.

Rant, rant, rant.

P.S. I'm looking forward to a great game tomorrow and a Seagulls victory.

So when any of our interests are threatened we run to the good ole' USA.........

 

[BigGully]

Historians reckon that Hitler never actually threatened us, Chamberlain was well out of order, and declared war on Germany! He had no "right" doing that, why should Poland be anything to do with us anyway?
The Americans had no right joining in against Hitler either, bloody busybodies

And we had no right taking troops to Yugoslavia - could have just let 'em get on with their genocide in....erm......peace.

Yep, spot on.......................

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Yep, spot on.......................

I heard it was cos Chamberlain's neighbour tipped him off that all those shiny new green volkswagens were being driven by nonces

 

[Tom Bombadil]

Anyway back to the real story. Buzzers graph is very nice but there's one key proviso -the figures are for purchasing power parity,. I think, looking back at the story the government is claiming second based on unadjusted spend.
IMO the government should also be judged on GDP% spent on defence, which I suspect would push us way down the list.

 

[twickers]

I must have read this wrong, I thought it was Chelsea that had the highest defense budget, followed by Real Madrid.

 

[goldstone]

Anyway back to the real story. Buzzers graph is very nice but there's one key proviso -the figures are for purchasing power parity,. I think, looking back at the story the government is claiming second based on unadjusted spend.
IMO the government should also be judged on GDP% spent on defence, which I suspect would push us way down the list.

Heard Des Brown's statement again on PM on Radio 4 yesterday: "Britain has the second biggest defense budget in the world in real terms after the USA". What "in real terms" means I do not know, but sounds pretty clear to me.

I guess "in real terms" is the opposite of "in unreal terms".

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

Nothing to do with Iraq either

I already said that Tom but everything to do with Afghanistan

 

[Collar Feeler]

A "right" to get in there? And why exactly? The Taliban have never threatened us. We may not like the way they operate, but that's a problem for Afghanistan, not for us. As for Al Queda, if we had minded our own business and stayed out of Iraq I somehow don't think they would be a threat to us. Are they threatening New Zealand? Or Canada?

You might care to research and read up on the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Afghanistan before making such uninformed and glib statements. Wikipedia would be a good start to get some basic facts.

Based on your narrow minded logic I guess we really should just have left that nice man Hitler alone to conquer mainland Europe, I mean after all he wasn't a threat to us and tried to get us on his side at one point before it all kicked off, I'm sure we would have been alright if we'd just let him get on with it.

You sir are a cock, go and hug some trees.

 

[goldstone]

You might care to research and read up on the Taliban, Al Qaeda and Afghanistan before making such uninformed and glib statements. Wikipedia would be a good start to get some basic facts.

Based on your narrow minded logic I guess we really should just have left that nice man Hitler alone to conquer mainland Europe, I mean after all he wasn't a threat to us and tried to get us on his side at one point before it all kicked off, I'm sure we would have been alright if we'd just let him get on with it.

You sir are a cock, go and hug some trees.

And you, sir, are talking garbage.

That nice Mr Hitler was invading neighbouring countries and therefore was a potential threat to the (not very far away) UK.

The Taleban have never invaded another country. Al Qaeda has never invaded a country. These two groups would not be a threat to us if we mind our own business and quit interfering in their part of the world.