Topic: £16bn increase in UK defence spending

[Fambo Number Mive]

Boris Johnson has agreed a four-year £16.5bn surge in defence spending at a time when Britain’s public finances have been stretched by the pandemic and a day after it emerged that billions of pounds could be cut from the foreign aid budget.

Experts said the windfall represents the largest real-terms increase in the defence budget since Margaret Thatcher’s premiership and will be partly spent on a National Cyber Force of hackers and a new Space Command designed to protect orbiting satellites and launch its own rockets.

It comes weeks after ministers resisted spending extra money to fund free school meals in the holidays, and days after it emerged that the overseas aid budget is set to be cut by billions, from 0.7% of of gross national income to 0.5%, triggering criticism from senior Tories.

Johnson said he had taken the decision to boost spending on the armed forces “in the teeth of the pandemic” because “the defence of the realm must come first”. The prime minister is also keen to show new US president-elect Joe Biden that the UK wants a strong military capability after Brexit...

Why do we need to spend money on a "National Cyber Force of hackers"?

Worth remembering when they say "there is no money left" and bring in Austerity 2. If the government can find money for hackers or space rockets it can find money for furlough, UBI, keeping people fed and international aid. But it doesn't care about the latter, so it won't. Someone should tell Johnson you can't eat space missiles.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/nov/18/boris-johnson-agrees-16bn-rise-in-defence-spending

[Inspector Norse]

Why do we need to spend money on a "National Cyber Force of hackers"?

To find new employment for all the ballerinas.

[Neomod]

Made me laugh when the news illustrated the cyber force with some grunt scrolling through Twitter.

[Fambo Number Mive]

Maybe Johnson is trying to keep the armed forces happy ahead of announcing martial law in 2021.

[Buelligan]

To find new employment for all the ballerinas.

Heheh.  Also I understand there's a vile baldy geek looking for work at the mo.  Maybe he could head it up?  Dunno, just a guess.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/11/budget-2020-uk-800m-blue-skies-research-agency
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/we-must-be-told-what-cummings-and-palantir-are-doing-nhs-data/

[imitationleather]

Heheh.  Also I understand there's a vile baldy geek looking for work at the mo.

More than one. That could describe pretty much every poster on here!

[Buelligan]

Lustrous full fine head of hair on this vile geek, matey.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Why do we need to spend money on a "National Cyber Force of hackers"?

Two reasons:
We've pissed off our friends in the European security services and police so are less likely to see sharing of info here (I wonder if we'd have been given the encrochat stuff for example?).
Tories (and Labour) are authoritarian technocrats who have a boner over surveilling us.

[jobotic]

We need to hack emails to keep an eye on trade union activities.

[dissolute ocelot]

In fairness they are going to get rid of all their tanks. Great COVID-era vehicles, also ideal for Glastonbury.

(Still, how much does a hacker cost? Crate of RELENTLESS and high speed internet.)

[Dr Trouser]

SPACE COMMAND! duh duh duh SPACE COMMAND! dah dah dah.

Can't wait.

[Buelligan]

In fairness they are going to get rid of all their tanks. Great COVID-era vehicles, also ideal for Glastonbury.

(Still, how much does a hacker cost? Crate of RELENTLESS and high speed internet.)

Not when the taxpayer's picking up the tab.

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/national-audit-office-investigating-uk-government-covid-contracts-after-cronyism-accusations/

[DistressedArea]

Army should be privatised. I’m gonna save up for a missile.

[Buelligan]

Yeah?  You do that.  I'm going annex your fucking en suite, take that missile and fire it up your mum's automatic bread machine.  Yeeehah.

Or might just stay at home this afternoon.

[touchingcloth]

I’d quite happily spend 16bn of tax payers’ money blowing up are brave boys. All of them - past, present, future #delimbthearmy

[DistressedArea]

Yeah?  You do that.  I'm going annex your fucking en suite, take that missile and fire it up your mum's automatic bread machine.  Yeeehah.

Or might just stay at home this afternoon.

My missile is a deterrent, so you’d better watch out.

[Buelligan]

As I said, probably just stay home.  Drizzling a bit.

[Sin Agog]

Bet we'll still let in loads of goals.

[Buelligan]

Well, we wouldn't need a goalie if there weren't any goals.

Where would BAE Systems be then?

[Sebastian Cobb]

Nobody is going to invade us anyway, it's all willy waving. Shove the useful (mechanics, engineering, comms etc) into civil defence for rebuilding after floods and repairing bridges, reduce the army to a brass band for boomers to pretend to enjoy. Simple as.

[Buelligan]

The boomers don't all enjoy them Cobb, that's the problem.

[Sebastian Cobb]

I have no problem with brass bands in general, aside from the orange cunts that march past my gaff early some weekends. I just assume army brass bands are a thing poppy shaggers like the idea of and never listen to.

[Buelligan]

It was a joke about boomers' favourite, horrible Rachel Riley.

[Blumf]

Army should be privatised. I’m gonna save up for a missile.

Been thinking for ages that we should hire out the army. It's win-win, we get money for the upkeep and the troops get some real world experience.

[DistressedArea]

We need a modern brass band equipped to deal with the realities of 21st century brass band music.

[DistressedArea]

Been thinking for ages that we should hire out the army. It's win-win, we get money for the upkeep and the troops get some real world experience.

Hire the SBS out for your kids 11th birthday party, that sort of thing?

[Sebastian Cobb]

Been thinking for ages that we should hire out the army. It's win-win, we get money for the upkeep and the troops get some real world experience.

It kind-of already is... they get ex-army 'private security' contractors through the usual agencies to do the war crimes.

[Blumf]

We need a modern brass band equipped to deal with the realities of 21st century brass band music.

21st Electro Division, known as 'The Royal Moogs'

[poo]

Agree with this increase in defence spending.

[Thomas]

poo did a Keir Starmer