FORGIVE me for returning to the subject of defence.
But, in my view, it is the first duty of any government to protect our island and, with the world in a parlous state, I believe continued cuts to our armed forces has left us perilously exposed.
The timing of a new novel by a former, senior British General, raising the terrifying vision of war with Russia, is therefore rather pertinent.
General Sir Richard Shirreff, who retired in 2014 as Deputy Supreme Allied Command Europe, has based his book on one of the many ‘wargame’ scenarios he played as a top NATO commander.
His idea is that Mr Putin might use ethnic Russians still living in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia as an excuse for invasion.
Happily, all ends well in General Shirreff’s novel, but the reality of today’s Baltic front line means that fact is fast overtaking fiction.
Take, for example, recent events in the Ukraine and Crimea, a mock attack on a US warship and increasing Russian incursions into NATO airspace.
British fighters alone have been scrambled 40 times over the last four months.
In addition, NATO has now moved 4,000 soldiers, including 650 British troops, into North Eastern Europe on a rotating basis.
But is that going to seriously deter someone like Putin?
I doubt it, and so does General Shirreff.
Worryingly, he fears that the withdrawal of military resources from Germany makes the nuclear option more likely.
Meanwhile, at sea, reports persist that we have barely enough personnel to man one of our new aircraft carriers, let alone two.
Nor have we enough warships to protect them.
Chillingly, General Shirreff quotes Trotsky in the preface to his book.
“You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you”.