“T(h)anks a few billion …maybe”
“T(h)anks a few billion …maybe”
The news recently contained at frightening statistic about the growth in armament budgets globally, numbers up in all major hemispheres apart from Africa and South America. Everywhere else, business in bullets is booming.
Here is a UK sorry tale! About a decade ago the Government sanctioned the building of a new tank to be called “Ajax”. Well, we have had a cleaning powder named after a Greek mythological hero so why not a tank! Sad to say it’s still not ready for active service for in “demo”, it failed all reasonable tests and indeed a few that had not been imagined. Well up to this date it has cost we the tax providers £3.2 billion.
We all know that the provision for our security and defence is a fundamental part of a government’s duty, but £3.2 billion for one failed model. Amongst its many failures it caused problems for the test crew suffering from hearing loss, nausea and swollen joints. Not perhaps a good idea when in combat!
So burdened with a tank that disables the crew, I wondered whether the money spent on this particular budget might go elsewhere. It would have covered the real loss of income suffered by the junior doctors, hereby helping the 300 personnel injured in the process of testing Ajax! You do the maths, especially if you can add £3.2 billion to the next chunk of £2.3 billion.
David Evans MBE
Founder – Matilda’s Planet and other things
