After yesterdays post I thought that I was going to spend some time thinking about whether I wanted to continue blogging at the present. However, my reaction to the idea of stopping - at least temporarily - was such that I know that it is something that I want to do. And once the decision is made...
It has been fun sharing with you all, but for the time being, as Jimmy Young (Jeremy Vine to you younger types) used to say on the JY prog TTFN.
One parting thought! If George Osborne wants to know where to start cutting then he could try the MoD - why do we need the 4th largest military spend in the world, why do we need nuclear, even if we just paid the soldiers and military contractors to sit at home we would save the hardware costs. And shouldn't matters of war now be a UN issue?
Boo.. I'm sad, for a start many of my best posts have been inspired by coming here (including the one that the Bishop read during his charge)
ReplyDeleteBut if it isn't helping you then I understand.. just have to listen to your rants in person, I suppose
Oh and I was just getting to know you.
ReplyDeleteWhat is it with the Crawleys? First the Beaker Folk, now Revd Alan...
ReplyDeletesad, but wish you well. sometimes you just know when things have to change. :)
ReplyDeletered x
Thanks for the comments, I might be back one day, but it still feels right to stop for now. Still tweeting @revdalan for those who do and want to follow.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness you have stopped blogging if that is your view of the military.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously were never in London during the height of the IRA bombing campaigns, cordoned off from where your mother and sister had just gone after a bomb scare; or stuck on an underground train while above you Emergency services cleared up the aftermath of another IRA atrocity. This is what you will have happening again if UK Forces were not deployed to Afghanistan at this moment.
I would love for HERRICK to finish. It would mean that my heart would no longer skip a beat everytime I get a NOTICAS on my intranet in case I'm the one called upon to support the poor family who have lost their son, daughter, brother, sister, father, mother, loved one in a justified and necessary conflict.
There is far more wastage elsewhere, but it is not in the frontline military. We know that we must save as much as we possibly can to ensure those who are fighting at the front get what they need, including the support of their colleagues. It is further back that cuts need to be made (including Trident)
RevEv - Of course I don't want another IRA like tragedy, but I don't notice places like Switzerland who are not in Afghanistan to the best of my knowledge having these problems.
ReplyDeleteI acknowledge that there would have to be a disengagement process, but surely a UN force would have greater legitimacy?
A UN Force would have its hands tied by inexcusably complex rules of engagement - as occurred in the Balkans. This led to UN units standing around doing nothing while atrocities occurred within earshot. In the situations encountered in Afghanistan the UN would be useless.
ReplyDeleteDo not be bamboozled by images of Toblerone and laughing cows that the Swiss are soft. No-one messes with the Swiss for a reason. Not only does every man and woman between the ages of 18 and 40 have to complete a term of compulsory military service annually, they do so in an environment that is far more secure than at first sight (do you never wonder why the Swiss have so little hydro-electric power... the valleys are so riddled with tunnels they could never be watertight).
Also, as the worlds bankers, they have a far more powerful hold over the backers of insurgents than anywhere else.
Countries such as UK and US are natural targets because, historically, they are or have been colonial powers. Attacking them has far more kudos than attacking poor, 'defenceless' Switzerland.
I will miss you and the blog!
ReplyDeletePlease come back soon!
Thanks Sue - might consider it one day. Too busy right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm rather sorry to hear you will no longer be blogging, Alan; it's only very recently I've come to get to know your blog, and it's a bit of a pity you are ceasing blogging for the time being.
ReplyDeleteWishing you all the very best,
~ Gurdur