More harbingers for Canada from the British scene: the Ministry of Defence is trying to pry money out of the “ring-fenced” budgets for health and education to avoid disastrous cuts to their collapsing armed forces. In short, they’re busted financially and intellectually.
British ministries have jeopardized national security by gutting their army, navy and air force to protect social spending vital to winning elections (“ring-fenced” meaning voters get free money no matter what else collapses in the public sector) which they can’t afford no matter how irresponsibly they cut elsewhere. They’re still borrowing over £100 billion a year, or over $150 billion, and so of course interest payments are rising ominously. The whole structure of their government is unsound but voters don’t want to hear it and politicians don’t dare say it.
Oh, and here in Canada they’re cutting at least 10% from an already inadequate defence budget and promising to stop running deficits somewheeeeere over the rainbow…
