You can always tell armed conflict's in the offing when you see economic illiterate

[redgunamo]

True. Perhaps I should just sit on here and use these examples every time you pour scorn on people for expressing views that are slightly less silly than those we are presented with by our politicians.

In a sense, by the way, it IS how economies work. When you have a taxation ceiling, precipitated by a post THatcher consensus on the basic rate of income tax and an unwillingness to enforce corporation tax, public spending has a ceiling as well. With finite resources each area of expenditure constitutes a choice- a pound spent here is a pound less available there.

Guns and butter, b. Was always thus.

Not at all, because smart people are always able to come up with totally new revenue streams.

For instance, long ago, my hounds trained my young sons to open the big outdoor larder we use for smoking various meats, so they could help themselves. Of course, it's forbidden for children to enter but they weren't to know, were they; they're just kids. Thus, at a stroke, the swindling, brutish canines were able to almost double their daily intake of food until their villainy was discovered after some weeks.

[World's End Stella]

Not at all, because smart people are always able to come up with totally new revenue streams.

For instance, long ago, my hounds trained my young sons to open the big outdoor larder we use for smoking various meats, so they could help themselves. Of course, it's forbidden for children to enter but they weren't to know, were they; they're just kids. Thus, at a stroke, the swindling, brutish canines were able to almost double their daily intake of food until their villainy was discovered after some weeks.

So your hounds are smarter than your sons, eh red?

[Rich]

The alternative is giving Putin and Iran a free hand to do what they want in the region. There seems little point in the US being the world's only military and economic superpower if it's going to pussy out every time Vlad waves his little willy.

I imagine it's quite big, actually. Not sure why.

[Rich]

Yes, everyone does appear to have assumed the Donald was on about American missiles ..

Can't we use our shiny new Destroyers to do something? Might as well even include this exercise as part of HMS QEII's sea trials.

[Burney]

I imagine it's quite big, actually. Not sure why.

I would argue that a man who feels the need to project himself as that manly is almost certainly hung like a Chinese mouse, r.

[Peter]

Not at all, because smart people are always able to come up with totally new revenue streams.

For instance, long ago, my hounds trained my young sons to open the big outdoor larder we use for smoking various meats, so they could help themselves. Of course, it's forbidden for children to enter but they weren't to know, were they; they're just kids. Thus, at a stroke, the swindling, brutish canines were able to almost double their daily intake of food until their villainy was discovered after some weeks.

Right, but we are not talking about smart people. We are talking about government.

[redgunamo]

So your hounds are smarter than your sons, eh red?

This is not about intelligence. People, especially children, enjoy feeding animals and animals, especially dogs, enjoy, indeed rely on, being fed.

[Burney]

Possibly. The alternative is that the missile is being built anyway, the people employed anyway and if we didnt buy it the company would sell it abroad thus helping with exports. We could then spend the money we saved on hostels for winos, or crystal healing centres for gypsies- or to replace Britain's ageing collection of traffic cones, some of which have been in service since the 80s.

So you're suggesting we ought to not bother, slash defence spending and outsource our defence to the US as if we were Portugal or Ireland, p? This seems an interesting strategy in terms of our international standing, I must say.

[redgunamo]

Can't we use our shiny new Destroyers to do something? Might as well even include this exercise as part of HMS QEII's sea trials.

I think we've pretty much decided it's not really our business anymore; these foreign military engagements are a tougher sell nowadays and the Donald was elected, in part, to do an awful lot less of it.

I reckon we let the locals handle things. For example, today's Saudi military man is completely unrecognisable from the spoiled, lazy, feckless bunch I dealt with in Desert Storm. They're ready.

[Burney]

I think we've pretty much decided it's not really our business anymore; these foreign military engagements are a tougher sell nowadays and the Donald was elected, in part, to do an awful lot less of it.

I reckon we let the locals handle things. For example, today's Saudi military man is completely unrecognisable from the spoiled, lazy, feckless bunch I dealt with in Desert Storm. They're ready.

And that way, they'll need us to sell them lots of lovely replacement kit.