Douglas Carswell's Blog

Triumph of the strategic defence review

Unbelievably, some people seem to think that the strategic defence review was badly handled. 

They seem to disapprove of a decision to building mega expensive aircraft carriers, without any aircraft to put on them.  I'm sure that we did all due diligence before arriving at such a conclusion.  We even checked with the firm due to get £billions from the contract to make certain that we couldn't cancel. They were adamant.  

Others have expressed surprise that we continue to spend £27 million on helicopters that we could have bought for far less.  I'm sure that we did much, much more than simply take the official advice ministers were offered by those civil servants whose careers hinge on the project.

Others have been critical of a Strategic Review paper that mentions national interest many times - but never seems to define it.  I'm sure that in opposition we spent a great deal of time reflecting on such profound questions, never letting the urgent squeeze out the important.

It would be quite wrong to suggest that the defence review consists of a series of ad hoc decisions arrived at by a process of muddled assessments and without much in the way of bold and radical thought.  Completely and utterly wrong.

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