Category Archives: Government

Britain, Defence, Government, Politics, United States

Defence: MPs say a spending boost of 50% is needed

MILITARY EXPENDITURE

DEFENCE spending must increase by 50 per cent to protect the special relationship with the U.S., according to a report by MPs.

Military expenditure, currently around 2 per cent of national income, must also rise for the UK to maintain its influence in NATO, they said.

The MPs reiterated calls for spending to go up to 3 per cent of GDP – which would be equivalent to an extra £2billion a year.

Without this, UK forces would struggle to maintain their ability to work alongside the US military, diminishing their usefulness as allies, the Commons defence select committee said.

The report added some in the US believe Britain’s defence capabilities have “slipped” and that concerns have been raised about the UK’s ability to operate independently.

The report reveals US defence secretary James Mattis had been referring to Britain when he said recently one of America’s allies had cut capacity “to the point where it could no longer speak with strength”.

Conservative MP Julian Lewis, the committee chairman, warned anything less than an investment of 3 per cent of GDP “endangers us and our allies”.

It comes as Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson is locked in a battle with Theresa May over defence spending.

Dozens of Tory MPs could vote to block the Budget unless the Prime Minister increases military spending. It follows reports that Mr Williamson had told military chiefs he could bring down Mrs May if she refuses to back him in his fight to get an extra £2billion a year from the Treasury.

The report, published ahead of next month’s NATO summit in Brussels, also warned the UK military risks becoming “irrelevant” because of the time it would take to deploy forces. Currently, it would take 20 days to deploy a mechanised brigade and 90 for a division.

It suggested Britain should take the lead in defending the North Atlantic, bolstering its anti-submarine warfare capability to defend against a ten-fold increase in Russian submarine activity in the area.

The report said: “If the UK wishes to maintain its leadership position within NATO and continue such fruitful defence relations with the US, then it will have to invest more in its armed forces. Diminished capacity reduces the UK’s usefulness to the US and our influence within NATO. The Government must not allow this to happen.”

Mr Lewis said: “An increased commitment, in the face of new and intensified threats, means further investment is essential. Where percentage of GDP for defence is concerned, our mantra must be: ‘We need 3 to keep us free’.

“Anything less is simply rhetoric which endangers us and our allies.”

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Government, Health, Medical, Science, Society

Cannabis: Drug closely linked to psychosis

CANNABIS DEBATE

As debate in Britain is renewed over the legalising of cannabis, a leading academic has claimed that the drug is linked to psychosis.

THERE has been renewed debate in Britain over the legislation of cannabis. Last week, for the first time ever, the NHS prescribed cannabis oil for 12-year-old Billy Caldwell to treat his epilepsy.

But a psychiatric expert, Professor Robin Murray, an authority on schizophrenia at King’s College London, has claimed that one in six people with psychosis in the UK would never have developed it if they had not smoked the drug. The leading academic said about 50,000 people were now diagnosed as psychotic solely because they used the substance while teenagers. Many had no family history of psychosis and would have had no risk of developing the disease if they had not smoked ‘high-strength cannabis’, he claimed.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists has also spoken out to warn that cannabis use ‘doubles the risk’ of someone becoming psychotic. The warning was given following comments made by former Tory leader William Hague who said the drug should be decriminalised for recreational use.

Professor Murray said: ‘If you smoke heavy, high-potency cannabis, your risk of psychosis increases about five times.

‘A quarter of cases of psychosis we see in south London would not have happened without use of high-potency cannabis. It is more prevalent in that area, but the figure for Britain would be one in six – or approximately 50,000 people.’

Cannabis can make users feel paranoid, experience panic attacks and hallucinations, and it is also linked to depression and anxiety. Many experts claim it is only people who are predisposed to psychosis who develop it after smoking cannabis. However, Professor Murray added: ‘It is true there are some people with a family history of it who are pushed into psychosis more easily by smoking cannabis. But most have no family history, there is no evidence they are predisposed to schizophrenia or psychosis. The problems start only when they are 14 and 15 and start using cannabis.’

It is believed the drug disrupts dopamine, a brain chemical which helps people predict what is going to happen and respond rationally. In developing brains, cannabis can skew this so that people become paranoid and deluded.

Dr Adrian James, Registrar at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said: ‘As mental health doctors, we can say with absolute certainty that cannabis carries severe risks. The average cannabis user is around twice as likely as a non-user to develop a psychotic disorder.’

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Britain, Defence, Government

The Royal Navy’s £6bn fleet that hardly ever went to sea

DEFENCE

BRITAIN’S six Type 45 destroyers, described as the backbone of the Royal Navy, spent 80 per cent of last year in dock.

The ships, costing £1billion each, need a multi-million-pound refit after repeatedly breaking down in the Persian Gulf. But the work is not due to start until 2020.

Two of the cutting-edge warships, HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender, did not go to sea at all during 2017 – which had been hailed by officials and ministers as “the year of the Navy”.

All six warships, which entered service from 2008, were made with an engine system which cuts out in warm seas, leaving sailors stranded for hours in total darkness. This led to fears that these key vessels – designed to shield the rest of the fleet from air or missile attacks – had become “sitting ducks”. HMS Dragon spent 309 days in Portsmouth last year, followed by HMS Daring with 232 days and HMS Diamond with 203.

HMS Duncan spent the most time at sea, but was still in dock for 197 days.

From January to March this year, HMS Daring, HMS Dauntless and HMS Defender have not left port.

Shockingly, engine-makers Rolls-Royce claim the Ministry of Defence did not tell them the 8,000-ton vessels would spend long periods in warm waters, so they were not designed to operate in the heat.

Insiders say a shortage of manpower, leave for sailors and routine maintenance had also been factors that kept the ships docked at Portsmouth.

Lord West, former head of the Navy, said: “It is a disgrace that work on these ships has not been done as a matter of urgency. We have so few frigates and destroyers that we should have moved heaven and earth to get the work done.

“If there was a national emergency we can’t rely on them.”

Whitehall sources, who blame the delays on cuts in maintenance contracts, say Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has since ordered deployments and four of the ships are currently at sea. However, last December Britain had no major warships on operations anywhere in the world for the first time in living memory. The absence of any of the Navy’s 19 frigates and destroyers overseas was described as a “strategic embarrassment for the country.”

Defence ministers and service chiefs are pushing for more spending after years of cuts and a budget review is now underway. The problem first became public knowledge in 2016 when it emerged that two Rolls-Royce turbines on each ship slow down in warm waters and the engine fails to generate enough power.

The system does not recognise this and “trips out” the ship’s generators, resulting in total electricity failure.

The problem does not occur in the North Sea because the engine can generate more power in colder temperatures. The MoD has set aside £160million to correct the problem by installing extra diesel generators to enhance the power and propulsion systems.

This could involve cutting a giant hole in the side of each ship but work on the first one is not due to start until 2020, followed by sea trials a year later.

A spokesperson for the MoD said: “The Royal Navy has a truly global presence with 25 ships and submarines currently at sea.

“Since 2016, our Type 45 destroyers have proved indispensable on global missions to protect commercial shipping in the Gulf, support coalition attacks on Daesh, prevent the smuggling of weapons into Libya, and lead the NATO maritime task force in the Black Sea and Mediterranean.”

See also UK commits to defence spending of 2 per cent of GDP for next five years…

. MPs Demand £20bn Boost for Defence

THE Armed Forces need more cash to meet the resurgent threat from states like Russia, an MP’s report has warned.

The Commons defence committee called on the Government to start the process of moving the level of defence spending from 2 per cent to 3 per cent of total GDP.

That would mean additional funding of around £20billion a year, bringing investment in defence to levels similar to those seen between the end of the Cold War and the mid-90s.

The report said failure to finance the military on a sustainable basis makes it “very difficult” to implement a long-term strategy for defence needs. Financial stability is the “only solution” at a time when the UK faces a renewed threat from Russia, as well as increasing challenges from terrorism and cyber-warfare, MPs said.

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