Sunday, May 03, 2009

Sigh.

Whatever the cause, and there are those with far more knowledge on that subject than I, the fact is that world economy is going down the shitter. In the west we are collectively rich enough that none of us will REALLY suffer. Yes we'll have to make cut backs and tighten our belts but the fact is that with the exception of a very unfortunate few we will all have a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs and clothes on our back, even in the worst case scenario.

No, the people that will really suffer will inevitably be those in developing nations as individuals cut back what they give to charities and governments cut back on the international aid they give. People will suffer and people will die. So in that context it is all the more infuriating to read stories like this.

Yup, in a world that is running out of money more and more of it is being spent on arms, particularly in the Pacific and Asia. Now I'm not singling out Australia here, the fact is that they are doing this in response to other nations in the region so to single them out would be grossly unfair. However in the same way that armies were built up and alliances forged in Europe in the build up to World War 1 this situation seems to be both dangerous and pointless and most importantly diverts money from where it could surely be better spent, ie in rural China or the slums of Mumbai where people are genuinely going hungry.

It's not just in Asia either, the USA and Europe are also spending huge amounts of money on new ways of killing people, many of which seem to bear little relevance to the threats that we do face. What, I ask you, is the point? In Britain in particular we have seen, in the last few years massive investment in the Navy. The entire amphibious fleet has been replaced, the entire destroyer fleet is in the process of being replaced, Swiftsure submarines are being replaced with Astute class and 2 massive aircraft carriers are about to be built. And yet which country do we probably face the biggest threat from?

Afghanistan. Which is land locked.

I try to stay calm and patient in the face of such utter madness but, at times, it's so fucking difficult.

God, I pray, give me strength!

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