David Brooks in the NY Times:
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One hundred years ago, we had libertarian economics but conservative values. Today we have oligarchic economics and libertarian moral values — a bad combination…
Meanwhile, taking advantage of things gone wrong across the pond:
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The Australian navy plans to recruit up to 1,000 Royal Navy sailors facing redundancy under the Government’s defence cuts.
Gotta give the Aussies credit.
When the RCAF got downsized under Cruton, the RAAF stepped in and got a whole bunch of already trained F-18 pilots to switch uniforms and leave Cold Lake and Baggotville behind for sunny Oz.
Saved them tens of millions in fighter pilot training costs.
This is prudent for RAN….these are not untrained warm bodies….a seldom accessable talent pool.
Politics has not given the RN many other options.
In my view the Brits have always maintained a skitzo mentality re the military….they openly express contempt but the next momment support the military when an aggressor manifests….The falklands War is a prime example.
Few notice that those who insist that only the Police and the military should be armed…are the very same elements who trust the Police and the military the least.
David Brooks made a good point??
Now I AM worried about 2012 being the end of the world.
The UK government is planning to protect their island’s shores by building an impenetrable sea wall of wind turbines, thus rendering the Royal Navy redundant/obsolete.
Anyhow, what could the Royal Navy really do to protect Britain from the non-stop invasion of Muslim immigrants anyway?
What is the point when the invaders are being imported with government approval and tax susidization?
lol…exactly what I was thinking.
When was the last time David Brooks made sense?
Oz,
They come by air not by sea.
Fred, I didn’t know about those RCAF pilots. I do remember reading that a few years ago, in another RAF downsizing, the RAAF recruited about 300 RAF officers, pilots and ground specialists of various types, who’d been made “redundant” by the RAF.
According to what I read at the time, there’s some sort of so-called “commonwealth plan” whereby the recruited officers get credit for time served towards a pension. I don’t know of any of the details on that.
If I were a young, or young-ish British military officer, looking around at the progressively worsening state of affairs in the UK, I think I’d jump at the chance to put on Aussie uniform and emigrate with my family to Australia.
The Aussies and New Zealanders have both raided the our air force and the RAF in the past. It used to be that we had Aussies and Kiwis, on fact people from any Commonwealth country, in the RCAF but bilateral security clearance agreements with the U.S. stopped it for us. Only Canadian citizens could get the security clearances. There are obviously no such constraints for the Southern Cross folks.
They come by air not by sea.
~Stephen
Exactly.
I think I’ll get away with this O/T comment:
Kate’s thread title: What Possibly Went Wrong. Major LOL.
Kate’s special genius is the zinger that you initially gloss over! Like, recently, “Unsettled Scientist”. How many of you noticed that one?
As to David Brooks’s new theory: it has a certain surface fascination, but being long-steeped in the (Non Paul) austro-libertarian tradition (esp. von Mises), I won’t be bothering with Brooks’s startling new discovery.
Why the hell is a BIG GOVERNMENT CONSERVATIVE (his own self-descriptor) talking about oligarchial economics? Does he believe “libertarian economics” is possible in this milieu?
David Brooks is nuts, but in a nice way.
When David Brooks disparages ‘libertarian morality’, what he’s complaining about is people making their own choices and values for themselves, not asking ‘how do I contribute to the state/the country/”society”. Sorry Brooks we like being open-minded and free of spirit.
Entitlement-enabled klepto-anarchy has more to do with libertine morality (a logical outcome of progressivism) than libertarian morality.
Brooks exposes his own intellectual deficits when he opines that leviathan can be reformed to be “effective”.
There’s nothing wrong with libertarian moral values. Government has no place in how people behave so long as it doesn’t affect the freedom of others.
I can only hope that the Australians will be willing to take on the protection and administration of the Falkland Islands, because it seems likely that, without a leader like Mrs Thatcher, the UK is unlikely to provide much comfort.
Nicely and tightly put, John Chittick.
Not many know the critical distinction between “libertine” and “libertarian” I’m afraid.
Nor do many understand the true meaning of anarchy. (not chaos, but spontaneous order).
You certainly got that one right libertariansaresmarterworkingonashorternomdeblog.
Isn’t “libertarian moral values” akin to “military intelligence”?
‘Government has no place in how people behave so long as it doesn’t affect the freedom of others.’
Question for Tim and libertariansaresmarter: What is the libertarian position on polygamy and third trimester abortions?
There’s no ‘libertarian consensus’ on abortion but I’m fine with both.
// The Australian’s Cameron Stewart revealed in February that two-thirds of the Royal Australian Navy fleet had, in the previous year, been unable to operate at full capacity. Figures showed 38 of the RAN’s fleet of 54 vessels had been at least partially incapacitated by faults, repairs or crew shortages. And we revealed an internal navy report detailing critical shortages of engineers, and warning that urgent action was required to maintain the fleet and improve “cancerous” morale. The problems were laid bare in February when the federal government wanted to provide naval assistance in response to the devastation left by Cyclone Yasi, and found none of the navy’s three support ships was seaworthy. Then, just this month, a report revealed profound safety risks for our Collins Class submarine fleet, in part because of the lack of experienced crew and support staff. //
Hope their sailors work better than their subs.
Joe – lazy and lame comment on military intelligence.
Historically, the most successful commanders possessed genius as demonstrated by their victories. Washington, the greatest American president was first and foremost a career military man.
By coincidence, I just happened to come across this article, Australia Looking for a Few Good [US] Veterans, at the American military-related website, Military.com. The Aussies are now trying to recruit American servicemen/women.
Following the links there, the Australian Defence Force Recruitment Centre website says, “…The purpose of the Australian Army’s Overseas Lateral Transfer Scheme is to address capability shortfalls within the Army that cannot be solved using Australian personnel…The Lateral Transfer Scheme is underpinned by a Labour Agreement that has been agreed upon between the Australian Defence Force and various stakeholders within the Australian Federal Government…[Regarding Emigration]The Australian Army can sponsor serving or ex-serving foreign military personnel for service in the Army.”
I used the Army’s wording but there’s also links to the RAAF and RAN pages, which use basically the same wordage.
(At Military.com, there were comments positive and negative after the article. I’ve got enormous regard for Australia and the Aussie people but, as a Vietnam War era USAF veteran, I agree with “Can’t ever imagine putting my life on the line for another country,” posted Larry Josefowski, an Iraq War veteran and Army reservist in Delaware, “even for Australia.”
Dave in Pa
I cannot imagine Larry Josefowski putting his life on the line for anyone or anything….
Putting in time in Iraq does not bestow him wisdom on loyalty. History proves him to be a rank fool.
During the War of Northern Aggression many troops on both sides were immigrants….who performed with valor.
Same with the Canadian forces in both wars….
Then there were the US citizens who mustered into both the Canadian and UK military prior to 1917 and later Pearl Harbour.
Some of the RAF’s MVP pilots were US volunteers, Polish and Czech refugees……
I think we should step in and buy some soon to be unmanned British surface vessels..how about an air craft carrier..surely a country with 3 coastlines should have at least one?