Responding to a reader riposte from yesterday, Lachlan McGovern writes:
Rory, you haven't answered Greg's point, besides pointing out that he's outflanked you on the Left. How do you justify a 3% real increase in spending on Defence when nearly every other area of government spending is being slashed?
Fair question, and I'll let Rory address it in his own time. What also baffles me is that while the Government can justify billions in defence spending to hedge against a future they don't want, they can find little more than peanuts to fund a service that will help create the future they do want.
And one other thing, relating to Rory's use of 'Right' and 'Left': it should go without saying, but 'the Right' is not a homogenous entity or concept. Yes, there are those on the Right who base their entire worldview around national security and even those who believe war brings out the best in a country. But others on the Right consider an abhorrence of violence to be a critical part of their political philosophy, and regard war and militarism as highly corrosive to individual freedom.
