Why isn't Britain spending more on defence?

Apparently we can't defend ourselves and yet none of the politicians want to talk about defence. Even the tories want another round of defence cuts after the election and yet the general consensus is that we have cut back much too far already.

Apparently we can't defend ourselves and yet none of the politicians want to talk about defence. Even the tories want another round of defence cuts after the election and yet the general consensus is that we have cut back much too far already.

Depends on what is meant by defence.

Is it for purely national integrity or is it a wider regional capability as part of our commitment to NATO and the EU or global power policing capability allied to the U.S.?

No sovereign country will attack the UK because that will bring the U.S. and NATO into direct conflict with them as well.

Russia knows full well that the U.K. has a highly credible independent nuclear deterrent, and whilst not large enough to annihilate a large scale opponent like Russia, it can destroy every major city, all major industrial capability and civilian infrastructure as well as inflicting terminal damage to the conventional forces of that country.

The key question is, do we need enough military capability to fight wars on behalf of other nations and project military advantage across the globe?

Going back to the first question, we have enough military capability to protect our islands from all but the largest of aggressor which pretty much means only Russia is part of that equation. Even China does not have the same capability to project global military power as the UK currently enjoys - more so when the QE2 class carriers are commissioned. That may well change in the coming decades as China continues to build it's naval strength.

As for the second part, our capability to project military power as a stand alone nation has necessarily diminished mainly due to the cripplingly high costs of development and procurement of a modern state-of-the-art capability, together with maintaining an overseas credible presence.

The main issue with Russia is that the EU does not have a solid defence policy of it's own outside of the NATO defence umbrella.

Collective defence works to a point. War by referendum is the outcome.

Do you have any evidence we can't defend ourselves?

Apparently we don't have enough planes. Six squadrons !!! Also the Argentines are buying a new Swedish fighter-bomber that is better and cheaper than the JSF, so that scuppers our ability to defend the Falklands.

UK may have some very good items e.g. the new destroyers but 1 ship can only be in 1 place at 1 time.

Why do we need defending? so long as we don't declare war on Russia, all is fine.

NATO are the aggressor's and the West's involvement in this mess in Ukraine is obvious. You don't stage coup's of a neighbouring countries government and put in a load of anti-Russian's who threaten not just Russia but Ukraine's Russian population. Millions have fled Ukraine and gone to Russia.

Apparently we don't have enough planes. Six squadrons !!! Also the Argentines are buying a new Swedish fighter-bomber that is better and cheaper than the JSF, so that scuppers our ability to defend the Falklands.

UK may have some very good items e.g. the new destroyers but 1 ship can only be in 1 place at 1 time.

The Argentinians are not buying a Swedish Fighter Bomber, they were blocked in their attempts to do so and are instead buying a very old Russian multi role fighter that is nothing on a Typhoon. Given the domestic turmoil and lack of any will for a fight I doubt we have much to worry about from them.

Apparently we can't defend ourselves and yet none of the politicians want to talk about defence. Even the tories want another round of defence cuts after the election and yet the general consensus is that we have cut back much too far already.

Who blocked them?

America will never come to the aid of Britain. It'll be upto the Germans and French to save us.