TWO parades recently have reminded me of the exemplary standards set by our armed services.
The first was Remembrance Sunday, when more than 100 members of the Royal Signals marched proudly through Swanage.
The second was a medals parade for the 1st Battalion The Rifles, which has recently returned from Afghanistan.
The 600 or so men and women before us were the bravest of the brave.
During tea, the Rifles’ commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel James de la Billiere, himself a distinguished soldier and holder of the DSO and MBE, said he had found the consistent courage of those under his command humbling.
At both parades, the sea of youthful faces staring back at me made my heart swell with pride; pride that our country still produces the finest soldiers, sailors and airmen in the world.
In a society burdened by welfare dependency, they are the very opposite.
In fact, I would say they embody independency, if I may coin such a word.
While they serve, they do so with integrity, courage and professionalism.
When they return to civilian life, this sense of selflessness, duty, work ethic and commitment to family life helps to keep our communities strong.
In my view, the best investment we could make, especially during these austere times, is to increase the size of our armed services, not reduce them.
I have written to the new Defence Secretary, imploring him to review the review.
These draconian cuts make no sense at all.
Trained men and women are easy to dispense with, but much harder to bring back.
And with the world in turmoil at the moment, and likely to get worse, cutting our defence capability is bordering on negligent.
The dole is the likely alternative and what a tragic waste that would be of one of the best assets this country has – the men and women of our armed services.