I was lucky enough to attend a presentation last night entitled ' The Royal Navy; Today and Tomorrow' - What does the Royal Navy do for the United Kingdom'. It has held at the Lord Roberts Centre, Bisley and was well attended with local dignitaries and business people from around Surrey. It soon became patently clear that minutes into the exposition, supremely presented by Commander Ian Pickles and his team, ( all front-line serving ladies & gentleman) that we would do well to dismiss their contribution to our country's welfare at our peril. We are an island nation and consequently the vast majority of our trade, whether import or export, is conducted on the high seas. Any interruption to the smooth running of this commerce would have disastrous effects on our already fragile economy and our standard of life. Whilst I fully acknowledge the bravery and sacrifice presently being displayed by the Army & RAF in Iraq & Afghanistan, it is easy to forget the tremendous contribution the Royal Navy is lending to these theatres of war and other peace-keeping and humanitarian roles across the globe. They ensure our ships, cargo and crews are not held to ransom by African pirates, our country isn't totally overrun with drugs, by seizing millions of pounds of cocaine in the Caribbean and even closer to home by controlling the illegal flow of immigrants and people trafficking. We must make sure that when the next government is looking to cut spending and save money, they don't take the short-sighted view of cutting the Defence budget any further. We hold a position in this world because we are respected as an elite fighting nation, ready to defend the rights of the democratic world. We have freedom of speech because we can adequately defend ourselves - at the moment.
