True Brit Part Two

No shortage of nonsense

If nothing else, Brexit has provided endless opportunities for examining the concept of True Brit.

For those with short memories let me explain. The True Brit believers hold these truths to be self-evident: Britain is the greatest country in the world; the rest of the world is both envious of Britain and at the same time plotting our downfall (Johnny Foreigner can not be trusted and WOGS begin at Calais); the British system of Parliamentary democracy (I'll say democracy though it is really an autocracy) is the best form of government and the envy of the world; British justice is far better than any other (only in the USA would the people elect their judges and in the EU the Court of Human Rights is to be mistrusted – if not downright dismissed as a plot to foil British ambitions); The NHS is the nearest thing to a national religion and provides not only universal healthcare but also the force that unifies the nation; and Britain’ s armed forces are the envy of the world and far superior to those of any other nation.

There’s a good place to start. Britain does have an enviable historical record on the military front. But, the key word here is “historical”. The fact is: not since about 1943 has Britain been able to hold its own against another world power. And that was chiefly because of the finance provided by the USA. Unfortunately, no-one in Britain believes this and politicians and population cling hysterically to the notion of Britain’s military might. Except in the realm of nuclear warheads, Britain is a third or fourth rate military force. Were it not for the stubbornness of the UK establishment this fact would be more widely accepted and some tangible benefits could be accrued on the defence front which might go a long way to solving some other, more pressing problems.

Take Trident for example. Governments of all persuasions have clung dogmatically to the idea of a British independent nuclear deterrent. This is in spite of the fact that it is a myth. Firstly is there a scenario where the UK could launch a nuclear strike on its own against an aggressor? Beyond unlikely!

Secondly, whilst the warheads may indeed be British, the submarine’s missiles are not. They are American. Would the US stand by and allow its missiles to be used against its wishes? Sorry, it’s Suez all over again! Conclusion: there is no real independent UK nuclear deterrent. So, why persist with the myth? Simples – it just reinforces the True Brit myth.

What about the conventional forces? Again it soothes the British psyche to imagine that they have the best Army, Navy and Air Force. True Brit is alive and well as long as the politicians can con the public into believing this for it makes the public happy to cough up billions on the wasted and useless defence mechanism that is Trident. (Actually, more and more mainstream politicians and commentators are beginning to see this and speak publicly about this waste of national resources. )

Just this week we find that the Royal Marines, current size 7020, is set to shrink by another 2000 marines.. The current size of the Army is about 80 000. The RAF has about 35 000 personnel. The Navy has 33 000 with 20 of the commissioned vessels being major surface combatants (six guided missile destroyers, 13 frigates and one aircraft carrier) and 10 are nuclear-powered submarines (four ballistic missile submarines and six fleet submarines). The fact is the UK has forces totally inadequate for the very small tasks they might be expected to do.

The really interesting part of this sorry saga is that the newspapers are full of stories like this. The one they particularly “like” is the “plan” by the EU to form a European Army. The media, politicians and the public are aghast and horrified! Why? True Brit strikes again. Pointing out that the UK has been co-operating with other EU counties in NATO for a very long time does nothing to assuage True Brit. Equating this long-standing co-operation with the foundation of an EU Army brings gasps of incredulity.

Moving on to another True Brit maxim: the NHS, of course, even causes Donald Trump to get in the news – and he doesn’t need much of an excuse to seek news opportunities I hear you say! The Donald jumped on the bandwagon by insisting the problems in the NHS are caused by the ideological wedding of a socialistic healthcare system to the failing British economy.

Notwithstanding the usual hyperbolic balderdash pedalled by the Donald, there is no doubt that the NHS is the nearest thing the UK has to a national religion any more (even though there is a real national religion in the Church of England). It is a True Brit maxim that the NHS is the envy of the world.

Then we have to add gun control to the list. The UK in general and the media in particular are obsessed by guns and gun control. They have no real understanding of the issues involved and the difficulties which need to be overcome. So, when POTUS finally moves a bit towards some rational, achievable measures to help, the outcry barely abates. It’s the truth that everyone says they like to mind their own business but no-one really means it. They would much rather everyone simply adopt their prejudices. True Brit loves to tell everyone else what to do. True Brit has all the answers. Blah. Blah, blah!