Spin me right round baby, right round

One of the few legitimate functions of government must surely be defence of the nation, or what is the point of it at all?

No it seems the UK State is reneging on even that basic duty. The coalition Government is attempting to spin a poorly though out attempt to save money as only an 8% cut in defence spending.

This is not really the case of course, but why did we ever expect honest dealing from politicians. When all is taken into account it is at least a 15% cut.

This after years of sustained, one can't help but suspect, essentially ideologically driven government neglect - and despite spin to the contrary, continuous real cuts in defence spending, even in a time of actual war thanks to the previous government.

It was to be hoped that things might have changed with the removal of the incompetent Labour administration but no.

These reductions from a government that is for some insane reason ring-fencing foreign aid budgets in preference to maintaining a credible defence capability, a government that seems to be surrendering the UK's ability to project any credible force globally.

One might be tempted to wonder if this is part of some cunning backdoor pro EU defence force thinking - but alas suspects it is more just simple lack of foresight, incompetence and a lazy hope that the US can take care of the bad guys out there for us (that seems prevalent in so many governments throughout the world) - whilst of course looking down their noses at the US for being willing to actually grasp the nettle.

It isn't as if the UK is unable (despite successive governments discouragement and denigration of them) to produce brave men and women ready to fight and chance dieing in the nation's interests.

Nor is it there is not the know-how and skills to equip them.

Or even as if there isn't the will within the population.

As usual it is politicians who fail to actually reflect the will and desires of the people.

So tell me - How does this 'democracy' stuff work exactly?

NICE advise alcohol ban for expectant mothers

NICE (the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence) who withhold life saving treatments to save the Government money are changing the advice they give to pregnant women concerning alcohol. Up ‘till now they have advised that small daily amounts were fine, a unit of alcohol a day.

Now the health facists are insisting women should not drink any alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy.

When pressed NICE conceded the change was not on the basis of any actual evidence – but, for puritanical political social control reasons. It seems they just feel people are drinking too much these days so arbitrarily decided to change the advice.

Typically New Labour’s Chief Medical Office, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, was enthusiastic about the change.

The advice is of course largely useless, as it is likely many women will not actually initially be aware they are pregnant. So, even if they are inclined to be dragooned by the State, who clearly think they know better than the rest of us lower orders, they will be unable to obey these instructions without going permanently tee total.

NICE’s Dr Gillian Leng said people - particularly women, were drinking more and they wanted to send a "clear message"; "Women should be advised not to drink."

So what it boils down to, is that these people, who make life or death decisions, about whether we can have treatments or not, just don’t fee that the average woman is actually up to making a sensible, informed decision, based on actual evidence, for themselves.

NUT suggests pupils 'lured' into UK armed forces

It is their conference week - and the UK National Union of teachers (NUT) in the form of Catherine Brennan, have raised their skirts and are showing their anti military unmentionables in public.

They are attacking the Ministry of Defence (MOD) for giving careers advice in schools, alongside banks and the local council, marching in the opposite direction to the current New-Lab stance claiming pupils are being 'lured' into joining.

Mealy mouthed Steve Sinnott, the NUT general secretary briefed that he was ‘concerned’ youngsters from ‘poorer backgrounds’ were being targeted.

"Youngsters from the most disadvantaged backgrounds have more limited opportunities in life than youngsters from better off backgrounds.

"It's simply a fact. I am not saying that youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds cannot get something from a career in the military."

There is an apparent subtext here that one might suspect may indicate a certain masked antagonism and contempt.

He rather betrays his prejudices in that he seems absolutely unconcerned about those ‘youngsters’ from what he presumably feels are probably ‘better off backgrounds’ enticed into Sandhurst… I don’t suppose he is suggesting that they can’t get something from a career in the military either.