Britannia used to rule the waves: 2

Back in October, Crumbling Spires reported that the Royal Navy was unlikely to be able to play a role in enforcing any sanctions on North Korea because it did not have the ships. After this government has finished with the Royal Navy, Britannia might just about be able to rule a duck pond.

Now, the Times reports that half the Navy's ships are to be mothballed and the final two orders for new Type 45 destroyers have been cancelled. The problems? As the Times says, cost over-runs and Treasury refusal to find the money. To which Crumbling Spires will add Chancellor Gordon Brown's refusal to divert money from social programmes designed to make him popular enough to become Prime Minister.

Tags: Defence, Royal Navy.