Lions, Donkeys and Dinosaurs

From my influenza-ridden deathbed, I watched Blair's speech on Friday from HMS Albion moored in Plymouth.

Despite mounting in his highly personal speech, an unrepentant defence of what he sees as enlightened interventionism, nonetheless, Blair called for a 'real debate' on both the future of foreign and defence spending.

Anyone interested in the subject could read could read Lewis Page's excellent book 'Lions, Donkeys and Dinosaurs' which details the massive waste and blundering in our armed forces, especially in the field of defence procurement. I bought the book over Christmas and found it to be very readable. As he attacks virtually the entire British military establishment — apart from the benighted minority of men and women who actually do the fighting, I certainly did not agree with everything he had to say but the attacks he makes on MoD Defence Procurement and BAe systems certainly had legitimacy, while the standard of kit issued to our troops has long been a cause of concern to everyone apart from seemingly our New Labour government.

At the end of the book Mr Page asks his readers to contact their local MP; I sent a copy of the book to John Denham. I hope he reads it.