Chas Lister

Our financial services were world-beating; Labour taxed them. We are surrounded by oil and gas; Labour banned drilling. Our private schools drew students from every continent; Labour hit them with VAT. We used to attract wealthy businessmen; now we attract illiterates.

@JonA2i @ThreshedThought @MtarfaL I agree entirely with your response. But he clearly failed to answer the questions * as asked * clearly unless obfuscation was the clear aim of the Permanent Secretaries. an example of CS political objectives overriding clear military communication. That’s why he is a VCDS

@chasbite @ThreshedThought @MtarfaL He particularly wasn't speaking in order to please partisan internet users more interested in finding sticks to beat Labour with than in the wider interests of Defence, & who are too thick to see the difference between careful nuance (in the interests of accuracy) & spin.

Just in case you missed it - this is the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff failing to confirm that the British Army could deploy 1000 troops to the continent of Europe.

@RAF_Luton Given it is clearly a swing wing with retracted wings, it’s clearly a BI-C with on board biros

Photo of the Day: B2 Stealth Bomber flown by Sqn Ldr Nottie Zactly-Trew conducting Aerial Refuelling Safety Exercise from an A380 Refuelling Airplane over Nottingham (Lincolnshire) Photographed from a Canberra

@JonA2i @ThreshedThought @MtarfaL it was politically convenient spin that evaded the true nature of the crisis that could be been peeled open in answer to the questioner the questions deliberately did not ask for context the vCDS was merely playing the MoD spin game

@chasbite @ThreshedThought @MtarfaL Rubbish. He answered the questions honestly, and with important context. Which was (to paraphrase): "No we can't do that, but it's something we're investing in in order to recover that capability." This was not capitulation, it was grown up explanation.

After a gruelling and now hard won fight, tonight the Chagos surrender deal seems to have finally been thrown into the dustbin of history. It was a shameful deal, built on fundamentally flawed principles. No British Government has the moral right to barter away the sovereignty of British territory to a foreign power without the full, meaningful consent of its people. The Chagossians have been woefully ignored for decades and decades - whether that was back in the 1960s when Labour dispossessed them from their ancestral homeland, or under the Conservatives who refused to allow resettlement or self-determination to the Chagossian people, and Labour today, surrendering their islands to Mauritius, while the British taxpayer foots an eye-watering bill for the privilege. For over twenty years, I have campaigned on this issue, and it has been astonishing - truly astonishing - to watch Labour ministers attempt to defend the indefensible. Handing over sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, only to lease back a vital strategic asset at enormous cost, was never a sensible or sustainable course of action and to argue that they were doing so for the sake of our national security would be laughable if it wasn’t outright dangerous. It was a diplomatic absurdity and a betrayal of our national interest. That this proposal has now unravelled only reinforces how ill-conceived it was from the outset. The reported costs, running into the billions, represent a staggering burden on the British taxpayer for no benefit, while simultaneously placing the future of the critically important base at Diego Garcia in jeopardy. I hope this shocking episode serves as a wake-up call that this Government cannot be trusted with our national security. The principle must now be restated that British sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, or any of other British Overseas Territories, are not for sale and not up for negotiation. Self-determination must be upheld and Britain must stand firm in defence of our territories and the rights of their inhabitants.

@Turbinetraveler an unsurprising and good operational choice I suspect a strongest of wind just as they were into the final 30 feet causing them to just gently float 1000 yards. Look at the disturbance as they climb out. It might be uncommon, but it’s normal It’s also quite exciting!!

Earlier today, British Airways flight BA268 from Los Angeles (LAX), operated by an Airbus A380 (G-XLEG), performed a go-around at London Heathrow after a full touchdown. 📹: FlightFocus365

@CopMoustache The difference nowadays is that we were a bit more dependent on the old electrons going up and down these cables and we have were before And this time our threat to discover them is a bit half hearted and any options to deter or rather kiboshed

For everyone getting their knickers twisted about Russia sending subs into our waters, I was following the buggers all over UK waters around 35 years ago I can still quote the ring gear mesh rate of an Akula sub 🤣 Calm down, it’s nothing new bbc.co.uk/news/articles/…

@JohnNicholRAF @Ralph_Retriever get yer coat Cassie you’ve pulled dear :)

Just back from a week of sunshine in Tenerife. @Ralph_Retriever was staying with his bestie Golden Retriever girlfriend Cassie & her family. As you can see in the vid, his flirting skills are limited; wrestling for her fave ted & boshing her on the snout with it...😂

@JChimirie66677 This country is under significant threat from high minded Ivory Tower lawyers who have taken up residence and political authority - in one case elected and in another case appointed The AG and PM are two such gentlemen Given their backgrounds, the corruption concept lives on

The Navy That Cannot. The Lawyer Who Will Not. Two weeks ago Keir Starmer stood at a multinational summit in Helsinki and promised Britain would go after Putin's shadow fleet, closing the Channel to sanctioned vessels and starving his war machine of dirty profits. Since that promise was made, dozens of sanctioned Russian tankers have passed through British waters. Britain has seized none of them. The Royal Navy has followed behind and issued statements. The explanation is now on the record. Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, has advised that each boarding operation requires an individual legal case to be made before it can proceed. Every interdiction must be justified separately under international maritime law. The Navy is ready. The law is not. So Putin's ships sail through and Britain watches. Lewis Page, a former Royal Navy officer writing in the Telegraph, has identified the sharpest comparison available. The English Channel is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point. The Strait of Hormuz is 21 to 30 miles wide. Britain announced the Channel was closed to sanctioned vessels. Iran announced the Strait of Hormuz was closed. The difference in outcomes requires no elaboration. Iran has shore-launched drones, missile stockpiles and the will to use them. Britain has a legal framework, a defence investment plan that missed its deadline and, according to Page, just three warships currently capable of firing anti-ship missiles. A Russian frigate armed with cruise missiles and surface-to-air systems escorted sanctioned tankers through those 21 miles without a single British vessel prepared to intercept. The pattern running through this entire period is now visible in its complete form. Hermer blocked Diego Garcia. Hermer's advice constrained the response to Iran. Hermer's framework is now the reason Putin can sail armed frigates through British waters while the Navy follows at a respectful distance. An unelected Attorney General, accountable to no voter, is the single most consequential figure in British national security. The Prime Minister who appointed him has outsourced every hard decision to a legal opinion and called the result principled leadership. Boris Johnson, whose many failings are a matter of public record, called the government's response pathetic and demanded to know why Britain was not boarding sanction-busting ships fuelling the slaughter of innocent Ukrainians. The former Prime Minister whose judgment Starmer spent years forensically prosecuting has arrived at a clearer understanding of what the moment requires than the man currently in Downing Street. History will find that irony amusing, if not particularly reassuring. John Healey said on Thursday that Russia's decision to escort the tankers with a warship showed Britain had successfully diverted Putin's resources away from Ukraine. A Russian frigate diverted from Ukraine to escort oil tankers through the English Channel past the white cliffs of Dover while Britain follows behind in a support vessel staffed by civilians. If that is the definition of success, the bar has been set at a height that even this government should be embarrassed to celebrate. Starmer promised sovereignty would always be defended. Putin sent a warship to test that promise in Britain's own waters. The answer came back in the form of a Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker trailing at a distance. Britain's adversaries have now had their answer to every question they needed answered. In the Gulf, in the Channel, in Helsinki and in Riyadh. The promises are made. The legal advice arrives. The ships sail through. "Hermer blocked Diego Garcia. Hermer's advice constrained the response to Iran. Hermer's framework is now the reason Putin can sail armed frigates through British waters while the Navy follows at a respectful distance."

You rush to give away British territory at the behest of Russian and Chinese judges. You invite Brussels to set our laws and offer to pay for it. You refuse to board Russian vessels in UK waters “over concerns it may breach international law”. Don’t you dare talk about the British national interest.

The Danger of WOKE & Wetness is now imbedded in our Military!, Oh Chase Me ! By Colonel Tim Collins Defending Our Nation 🧵 1/2. The ludicrous and dangerous morass into which obsequious and PC-addled senior officers have led the British Army should be a source of real concern to every citizen of the nation. In the face of external threats and massive budget constraints, the latest very public direction from the Army is to drop the use of "sir" – or indeed "ma’m" when answering the telephone, for fear of giving some offence to the person at the far end. This comes alongside notices not to use language like "mankind", "chaps" or "gentleman's agreement" from the Joint Equality Diversity and Inclusion unit, nicknamed the “Jedi”. It is merely the most obvious manifestation of a lack of leadership that time and effort are given to such trivia in the face of crisis. The Armed Forces are at the same time both failing to recruit new members and capping recruitment of Gurkhas, Commonwealth volunteers and the Irish in favour of recruits that "reflect society" (whatever that means). It was the same when I commanded 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment. I took command of a battalion 300 men under strength. With the chaotic Army recruiting group frankly getting in the way, we in 1 R Irish started our own recruiting drive – in Ireland – and I led a fully manned battalion to war in 2003. How did I achieve that when the lavishly funded official system pathetically failed? I recruited men for military service and adventure, and not to "reflect society". I had this discussion at a briefing at the Ministry of Defence. A civil servant outlined to invited guests the failing system they were pursuing and lamented the failed uptake of women and ethnic minorities. (LGBT individuals were not yet a priority at that point). I asked: "do you want an army that reflects society or one that is effective?" The answer was "Well, both, hopefully." I explained that you can’t have both. This led to the question of why the numbers of recruits from the Commonwealth and Ireland were being capped. Once again, she replied we want an army that reflects our society. Then, with a roll of her eyes, as if addressing a stupid little boy, she explained that things had moved on and now warfare was much more nuanced than when I served. Empathising with the people we were likely to meet overseas would, she explained, lead to much less violence and better understanding. That put me in my place. During my service we certainly tried to empathise where possible but erred on making the enemy – for that is what they are – reluctant to tangle or better still terrified of us. I would suggest that this lady never ever visits South Armagh. There are sections of the community there who given half a chance and allowed close enough would rip our faces off. That is the reality. That was also the reality of the drug-addled West Side Boys in Sierra Leone, who took twelve members of my regiment hostage in 2000. The SAS rescue which I was involved with from London realised far too late that empathising with these thugs had in fact made matters much worse and had in fact put the lives of the hostages in more danger. That is the difference between actual experience and daydreaming of a better world. Daydreaming of a better world is a very dangerous occupation and one that should be confined to specialist hospitals and universities. As a parent of a serving officer, I am very worried that one day some dreamer will send my son into harm’s as part of a nuanced force and at serious risk to his life. It is a real concern that the senior military care more about their PC profile than the men and women who dare to serve. I unashamedly made it my priority to preserve the life and limbs of my young men where possible. No one who has had to bury teenagers would ever consider such dangerous nonsense on operations.

If you don’t already know this… John’s a stellar author and this one promises to be another best seller….

Remembering Private Eleanor Dlugosz, Royal Army Medical Corps killed aged 19 on the 5th April 2007 when an IED exploded underneath the vehicle she was travelling in with three other service personnel. Joanna was from Southampton. #Iraq

@scottiebateman in the old days (V force etc) before the day of FR24 and open flight plans, IFF etc, it was not unknown to put in a Civ Flight Plan at FL 380 and simply cruise climb en route at 550 having declared a Transponder U/S no one was the wiser !!

Not that Chay would care, but this isn’t a new thing or particularly USAF related. I can recall having to fly the same route to Cyprus in a RAF C-130 because of our load back in the early 2000’s. There is elevated risk with some cargoes and many countries, for safety reasons, don’t want that over their population. Understandable. It’s not a big deal to go around with these loads… many others aren’t taking this routing. There’s always a logical reason and it’s not always a conspiracy or related to politics.

@SgtMajFrenchie it’s a bit like catching trout.

It’s a quiet weekend at the Academy. A Lieutenant attempted banter. ‘Afternoon, Sergeant Major. Having lunch with all your friends, I see.’ ‘Could be worse, Sir.’ ‘How so?’ ‘I could be having lunch with a Subaltern.’ #friends #sunday #sundaylunch #food #banter #weekend

This is Walker Smith. After dedicating 17 years to Waitrose, he was recently dismissed. The reason? For attempting to stop a shoplifter nicking Easter eggs. Yes you read that right. He should be applauded, not sacked. Shameful @waitrose. Re-employ Walker Smith!

@TonyTony439 @RachelReevesMP @labourpress and the government wonder why so many migrants inbound illegally decide to risk it on a boat

@RachelReevesMP @labourpress Labour are taxing the hell out of the hardworking British taxpayers, to pay for people who don’t want to work, and have loads of kids and expect the state to pay for bringing them up,

Minimum wage rising 📈 State pension increasing 💷 Two child limit abolished 🏡 Child poverty falling 📉 Rights at work strengthened 💪🏻 Labour promised change. We are delivering change. theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

@ron_eisele although ironic that one of the biggest displays of the year was the Royal Review at Abingdon in the summer at some point of 68

5 April 1968. Flight Lieutenant Alan Pollock, Flight Commander in No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, made this defiant gesture in response to Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson's snub of the RAF on their 50th anniversary.

@DanielJHannan for some reason, the Crusades come to mind Maybe the US see this as their Christian obligation Aside from the argument that the world has moved on, and the enormous damage to the wider world I can see no other explanation