Tories` myopic view of defence

Making a "headline investment pledge" of £12bn in a "green recovery package", when "much of it has been announced previously", is typical of Tory political chicanery the country has become accustomed to since 2010 (A green revolution needs more than words to become a reality, 19/11/20). Agreeing at the same time to "a four-year £16.5bn increase in defence spending", days before the chancellor's spending review, when Sunak almost certainly will warn of impending austerity measures, necessary because of extra spending during the Covid crisis, like so many of Johnson's pronouncements, beggars belief (PM finds £16.5bn for defence as foreign aid budget faces huge cut, 19/11/20)! As he says, the "defence of the realm" must indeed "come first", but by equating "defence" with increased military spending, Johnson reveals the limitations of his political understanding. What is the point of increasing the defence capability of the UK against foreign adversaries when far greater threats exist from deadly viruses, killer diseases and global warming? Defending the people from illness and disease must also "come first", as must defending children from food shortages, poverty and lack of education. A population`s security does not depend on military capability, but on a government`s willingness to spend money wisely to create healthy, happy and prosperous communities, to fund public services sufficiently, and provide decent jobs and living accommodation for all. Defence against exploitation from greedy employers and landlords is essential, too. That`s the trouble with having a leader and ministers from privileged backgrounds; their wealth has prevented them from not only ever understanding ordinary people`s need for security, but from seeing defence as anything other than a military requirement!