The continuing decline of the Royal Navy is a travesty. Today, it'a a shadow of its former self. When I joined the RN in 1991, the numbers, both in ships and manpower, were on the decline. This was expected. The cold war had just ended, Saddam Hussein was under containment after his adventure into … read more

When something tragic like what unfolded in Paris happens, we all have an opinion on what needs to be done. Well here’s mine - I’m going to play armchair general and pretend I know what I’m talking about. It seems to me that the strategy for containing ISIS/ISIL/Daesh, whatever you want to call … read more

"> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:700px;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="image-block-wrapper"> <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " … read more

"> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:512px;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="image-block-wrapper"> <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " … read more

"> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " style="max-width:689px;overflow:hidden;"> <div class="image-block-wrapper"> <div class="sqs-image-shape-container-element " … read more

I feel sorry for the ship's company of HMS Illustrious. They're shortly going to be feeling very embarrassed to be serving on an aircraft carrier that doesn't have any, err, aircraft. I remember my time fondly on HMS Invincible, the now decommissioned sister ship to HMS Illustrious, but I also … read more

It's decision time. Millions of voters are now heading to the polls in the UK to cast their vote. Many of us expats have probably missed out on voting because the postal vote system doesn't allow enough time to register and then get our vote off from the other side of the world. It's been an … read more

We're getting closer to General Election time again in the UK and as I'm still a British citizen and eligible to vote, my interest in British politics remains. Don't ask me why, I just can't seem to switch it off. With Twitter, Google Reader and iphone apps providing an ever constant news feed, … read more

In just a few hours time, after what's been the longest, most expensive, and perhaps most exciting presidential election ever, we'll know who is going to be the 44th President of the United States. Being a political news junkie, I've been following the race fairly closely for the last 18 months, … read more

I don't envy Alistair Darling. Will Gordon be able to let go of the Treasury? [youtube [www.youtube.com/watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GzDsCWCRLs&w=425&h=350]) read more

It's set to be an interesting fortnight in UK politics. Will Labour get the kicking everyone expects in the local elections next Thursday? Will the Conservatives manage to get the magical 40% share of the vote - the target which analysts believe would be needed by the tories at the next General … read more

Interesting commentary about today's events in The Independent. I never have liked Ian Paisley. I'm sure devolution in Northern Ireland could have been a lot more advanced by now if it wasn't for the pig-headedness of Ian Paisley. It can't be a good thing to have a Reverend as First Minister when … read more

It takes a few days for the 'analysts' to work it out, but it's clear now that Gordon Brown tried to pull a fast one on Wednesday. Here's some of the facts that are starting to emerge: Gordon Brown claimed that 4 out of 5 households would be better off because of his budget, yet leading accountants … read more