By
Richard North -
3 July 2026
Looking at the train-wreck proposals for the Army in the Defence Investment Plan (DIP), as I was doing yesterday, it is hard to credit that the MoD would have the capacity to make a similar mess for the other services. However, in respect of the Royal Navy, they seem to have excelled themselves, producing a… View Article ...Read full story
By
Richard North -
2 July 2026
All too quickly, the defence “debate” – such that it is – has narrowed in the legacy media to become another soap opera episode, this one centred on Starmer dumping the cost of the DIP on The Replacement – who will have to find the money by making unpopular cuts elsewhere (or by increasing taxation)…. View Article ...Read full story
By
Richard North -
1 July 2026
Well, the long-awaited Defence Investment Plan (DIP) has been published, bringing the defence “community” out of their holes to dissect it. Generally, I find this specialist commentariat a bit cliquish, over-fond of jargon, and not entirely lacking in pomposity and self-importance. And while they do occasionally provide some entertainment, their reviews and analyses of this… View Article ...Read full story
By
Richard North -
30 June 2026
Call me old-fashioned but I prefer politicians, when making formal speeches, to wear suits, with shirt and tie. I don’t go for this casual “Zelensky” look and intensely dislike the crew-neck T-shirt. It is totally unbecoming for a senior politician. Sadly, though, with Burnham, that is probably the lowest order of my dislikes which, with… View Article ...Read full story
By
Richard North -
29 June 2026
It’s quite rare these days that I can read a story in the newspapers and say “I was there” – well, almost. The Telegraph has published a report headlined: “Rare Messerschmitt flies with Spitfire for first time this century”, with the sub-head: “Legendary Battle of Britain adversaries are reunited at air show”. This was the… View Article ...Read full story
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