Personally, as someone who enjoys nothing more than a little camping, marching, and target practice, I’d be first in line.

No, no you won’t. The maximum conscription age in the UK has been 51. Both times it was 51 in fact.

Will Self will be 51 on 26th September 2012.

Amazing how people propose nonsenses just as they won’t be affected, isn’t it?

Tens of thousands of dead Nazis still being repatriated
Tens of thousands of dead Nazi soldiers are still being repatriated from makeshift war graves on the Eastern Front, despite the war having ended more than six decades ago.

Erm, it was a Nazi State, quite possibly a Nazi war, but that doesn’t make every conscript who died in it a Nazi.

Be like describing the inhabitants of a Commonweath War Cemetery as Conservatives (or even National Governmentalists) or Monarchists.

Pashtun truck drivers from the north-west of the country began parking in the well-heeled streets, a short drive from Karachi’s port and oil terminal, in November 2011last year when Islamabad banned the transport of Nato supplies through its territory.

The border closure was retaliation for the accidental killing by US forces of 24 Pakistani soldiers. Although Pakistan had previously closed the border in shorter protests, no one had expected the ban to drag on for so long this time.

The drivers, many of whom are sinking into debt, are desperate to get back to work even though some of the big Pakistani fuel suppliers fear the once hugely lucrative Nato logistics business will never recover.

That’s quite probably true.

He was referring to alternative routes the US has developed in recent years that pass through Russia and the former Soviet republics on Afghanistan’s northern border.

Those routes, combined with some air freight, have allowed Nato to continue operations unimpeded. But the cost of keeping troops supplied has increased hugely in the last six months.

US military officials say it costs $17,000 to ship a container through the northern route, compared with $7,000 through Pakistan.

“It’s more expensive, but it’s more reliable,” said Afridi. “Nato knows the Pakistani government is not stable. They cannot guarantee the routes won’t close again even if they open them.”

One cousing is organising that fuel from the Russian/’Stans end and it’s my brother who is the bloke receiving the stuff when it arrives.

Odd how this global business stuff works really, innit?

OK, we can argue about whether Afghanistan actually is a Just War, but that it is a war does lead to a certain possible relxation of the restrictions against capital punishment.

A US soldier has shot dead 16 Afghan civilians, nine of them children, in a night-time shooting spree in a village outside his base in southern Afghanistan, a rampage the Afghan president, Hamid Karzai, said was “impossible to forgive”.

There’s an argument that the solution to this is vile, simple and necessary.

A drumhead court martial and a public hanging (long drop please, execution not torture) in the village in question.

By, say, Thursday this week.

That is, of course, a complete abandonment of the no capital punishment ever position. Not that I’ve ever actually held that position but I’ve always been very close to it.

However, I know that there are various ex-military readers here. And your solution to this specific sort of thing would be what?

John is entirely innocent of any involvement in the terror attacks, or any allegiance to terrorism. That is not disputed by the American government. Indeed, all accusations of terrorism against John were dropped by the government in a plea bargain, which in turn was approved by the US district court in which the case was brought.

Paternal concern is indeed honourable.

But seriously, using the “we’ve no evidence” part of a plea bargain just doesn’t prove that there’s no evidence.

As you go on to point out, your son was a trained and armed soldier in the service of the Taliban.

And the demographic that is targeted is significant. The armed forces draws non-officer recruits mainly from young people with low educational attainment and living in poor communities. Research suggests schools from deprived areas are more likely to be visited by recruiters, with particular focus on the north-east of England, Scotland and Wales. Infantry recruits need only the literacy skills of a five-year-old to join. A large proportion appear to sign up for negative reasons, such a lack of civilian opportunities.

Providing careers, education, training, apprenticeships and advancement for NEETS.

Appalling, isn’t it?

A defiant Muammar Gaddafi has threatened to bring war to the “homes, offices, families,” of Europe unless Nato stops airstrikes against his regime in Libya.

The Libyan leader, facing an international arrest warrant for his brutal response to the rebel uprising, delivered the warning of vengeance in an audio message played to thousands of supporters in Tripoli’s Green Square.

“These people [the Libyans] are able to one day take this battle … to Europe, to target your homes, offices, families, which would become legitimate military targets, like you have targeted our homes,” he said.

War is one of these mutual things, isn’t it? We bomb him, he’s allowed to bomb us? We shoot at him, he’s allowed to shoot at us?

And if not, why not?

Lord Levene’s defence reform unit will call for a sweeping overhaul of the structure and management of the MoD, saying that military chiefs must be made accountable for their own budgets.

In Italy in 1944, at the Battle of Monte Cassino, Loewe further demonstrated his courage when he coolly carried wounded men from a minefield. Asked afterwards if he wanted anything, he is reported to have said: “A cup of tea would be nice.”

I think that puts that one to rest, eh?

But repatriation flights are to be diverted and will no longer be flown back to RAF Lyneham and through the small Wiltshire town of Royal Wootton Bassett, where they were saluted come rain or shine.

Instead, they will arrive back to RAF Brize Norton, where they will be driven through the back gate and then down side roads, neatly avoiding the nearby town of Carterton, as they make their way to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

Andrew Robathan, Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, admitted that the decision to avoid public scenes of emotion had been taken deliberately.

Adml Sir Mark Stanhope said the campaign would have been more effective without the Government’s defence cuts.

Heavy shelling and gunfire has rocked the Syrian town of Jisr al-Shughour, two days into a military assault that has caused more than 5,000 refugees to flee into neighbouring Turkey.

The continued assault suggests some groups in the town are resisting the armed forces as the regime tries to crush a sustained challenge to President Bashar al-Assad.

Now yes, it’s not a democracy, Assad is a dictator, the regime is a shitty and oppressive one.

However, it’s very difficult to see that they’re doing anything wrong in law.

They are the de facto and de jure government of the country. One of the rights that such a government has is the putting down of armed rebellion.

As we did in 1916 in Dublin for example, or Weimar did with Hitler’s Beer Hall Putsch, Kerensky’s Government could have (should have!) shot every Bolshevik with a gun in their hands.

If you win you’re freedom fighters of course. And we might well decide that we prefer those would be freedom fighters to the thugs who currently rule the place and thus support them. For example, Ghadaffi…we support those who would overthrow him but it’s difficult to see that he’s illegally putting down an armed rebellion: it’s the most basic “right” that a de jure government has, to defend itself against armed overthrow.

So the inconvenient question is: just what is the Syrian Government doing that is wrong in law?

Diplomatic sources last night disclosed that recent intelligence suggested the Libyan dictator was “paranoid” and “on the run” from Nato’s escalating attacks on his regime.

For there really are the Air Forces of several nations attempting to blow him into small pieces.

Being worried about this, taking action to avoid it, is not paranoia. It’s plain common bloody sense.

I think I’m right in saying that flying allowances are only paid to those who are current to fly?

The Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF), which I presently serve as president,

Riiight…..

In the US military, the chaplaincy is afforded great responsibility, access to service members, funding and senior positions within the chain of command.

Oooooh Kaaaay…..

Humanists wish to put forth chaplains,

Ahhhh…..

See how it’s done?

The head humanist chaplain would need to have one of those “senior positions within the chain of command” of course. The current Chief Chaplain is a Major General. And to have humanists ranked lower than religious types would of course be discrimination on religious grounds.

Which I guess is one way for a retired Captain like our MAAF President to make Major General…..

Cynic, Moi?

Mr Obama, addressing the United States and people across the globe shortly after 11.30pm on a Sunday night from the East Room of the White House, said that the Saudi-born Islamist had been killed on Sunday in an American ground operation in Abbotabad, Pakistan. He concluded: “Justice has been done.”

I thought we’d all just spent a decade insisting he was already dead?

Henry Leach married, in 1958, Mary McCall, daughter of Admiral Sir Henry McCall

Marry the daughter of an Admiral.

A US soldier who pleaded guilty to the murders of three Afghan civilians has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after saying “the plan was to kill people” in a conspiracy with four fellow soldiers.

The military judge said he initially intended to sentence Jeremy Morlock to life in prison with possibility of parole but was bound by the plea deal.

I think I’d make an exception here.

No, not because the murder of Afghan citizens is worse than the murder of anyone else. But because he was a soldier. Something which carries with it certain liberties (you get to kill bad guys and are praised for it), certain excuses (killing people by mistake is excused) but also certain duties (you only get to kill bad guys or make mistakes).

Actively going out to kill people for the fun of it is worse when done by a soldier than when done by anyone else.

For, among other things (leaving morals entirely to one side), the reason that it endangers all of your fellow soldiers by mightily pissing off all the relatives, friends, and possibly half the nation, of those you have just murdered.

Therefore I would hang him and his buddies.

For reasons of state even if not for reasons of natural justice.

Military law is notably harsher than civilian in cases of rape for example, for much the same reason.

But what?

We don’t have any carriers left, we’ve not got any planes that could fly from them, we simply do not have the sort of military forces which could do anything.

So what you want to do then?

Both the last lot and the current lot have left Britain entirely unable to do the one thing that, as an island nation, we’ve always needed to be able to do. Land an expeditionary force from the sea, fight, then take that force off again.

And, of course, protect it with air power while all of this is happening (this last of course being a creation of the 20th century).

It’s not even about Iraq and or Afghanistan. Even if we weren’t there, we still couldn’t do anything.

It’s all very well cutting the military budget but what happens when you actually want to have some deployable military power?

Put like that, no.

Add in that he was wounded in Iraq, when recovered, went back and is said to be suffering from PTSD.

Now?

Me, I put the having shed blood for this country as qualifying to stay. This isn’t quite what it means but the jus sanguinis* method of citizenship perhaps.

Fortunately, Pex has good friends, including Sue Smith and Elaine Laga, a widow who also lost a soldier son, in a Land Rover accident in Germany. She has paid £500 from her meagre savings to enable Pex to apply to the Home Office to re-examine his application to stay in Britain – which is why he is still here, despite the deportation deadline having passed.

As Mrs Smith says: “I cannot believe this country has allowed rapists, child molesters and terrorists to stay here, yet a man who is quite willing to give his life for Queen and country is being booted out.” Mrs Laga adds: “When you consider who we let into this country and provide for, it is a shame that we cannot look after a war veteran and a hero, a man who would be getting on with his life if allowed to.”

If Dr Fox really is commited to the “Military Covenant” that he wants us all to honour, he could prove it by ordering a review of the case of Pex, Mr Epeli Uluilakeba, as a top priority.

- Several contributors to the comments below have asked how they might contribute to a fighting fund for Pex. Cheques made out to Elaine Laga can be sent on via Christopher Booker (Pex), Sunday Telegraph, 111 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0DT. This will ensure that the money reaches Pex, who is not allowed to open a UK bank account.

As always, make up your own minds on such matters.
* The real meaning of this is almost exactly the opposite, that you can only get citizenship if your parents had it, that is, the drop of blood in your veins, not having spilled it.

UPDATE. To make a paypal donation, email it to RAENORTH AT AOL.Com and mark it “Pex”. That’ll get there.