November 28th, 2025 My speech is in four parts. The first looks at the doctrine of self-defence. Second, I question the arguments currently being advanced for European rearmament. Third, I outline the two narratives which frame the current conflict between the political West and Russia. Finally, I recall President Eisenhower’s warning against the military-industrial complex. … Continue reading Brussels Speech: Should Europe rearm?
Tag: Russia
Ukraine – the delusion of the warmongers
Dec 15, 2025 1. European rearmament and threat inflation Lord Robertson was the lead author of Britain’s Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2024. The Review effectively seeks to implant a war-ready mindset across society, insisting that the UK must be “better prepared for high-intensity, protracted war” and that its war-making, and therefore deterrence, … Continue reading Ukraine – the delusion of the warmongers
My speech in the House of Lords on Ukraine – 31st of October
Note: I was allowed 5 minutes My Lords, I do not know whether it is a punishment or a privilege to be put last in the list of Back-Bench speakers, as I invariably am when it comes to a debate on Ukraine. The noble Lord, Lord Coaker, was powerful and eloquent in opening, and it … Continue reading My speech in the House of Lords on Ukraine – 31st of October
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Debate – House of Lords – 16th of October 2025
Link: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2025-10-16/debates/CD9953E1-3AFE-436A-BBD6-D170F107AE02/ShanghaiCooperationOrganisation I may have a closer connection with Tianjin than any Member of either House having gone to school there nearly 80 years ago. I hope this will not in itself cause me to be thought of as a security risk. I agree with the noble Baroness that the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation poses challenges … Continue reading Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Debate – House of Lords – 16th of October 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy – Wednesday 10 September 2025
This is a follow-up to my oral question on Ukraine of 9th September, which I have previously circulated. It is a telling example of the ‘war-mongering’ mood of official Britain. For a full view of the debate see link: https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2025-09-10/debates/5FF5CC28-E0EF-4D17-8C8C-8999CA2A4154/DefenceIndustrialStrategy Main points of Government Statement on ‘Defence Industrial Strategy’, House of Commons 9 September (Luke … Continue reading Defence Industrial Strategy – Wednesday 10 September 2025
Strategic Defence Review Debate – House of Lords
22nd of July, 2025 Note: I post below my speech of 18 July in the House of Lords on Britain’s Strategic Defence Review. (The section in brackets was left out due to pressure of time. Backbenchers were allowed 5 minutes each). I was the only one of 39 speakers to have any substantial criticisms of the … Continue reading Strategic Defence Review Debate – House of Lords
The False Premise of European Rearmament
Have European leaders stopped to consider the Orwellian implications of gearing up their nations for perpetual war? On March 5 2025, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled her Re-Arm Europe Plan, which aims to boost EU defense spending by €800 billion over four years. On June 5, NATO defense ministers agreed to double … Continue reading The False Premise of European Rearmament
“Slava Ukraini!”: how the British media went to war against Russia
The British press has been the most consistently bellicose on the subject of Russia-Ukraine: the same phrases, the same sentiments were on display in every mainstream newspaper and political magazine An accepted difference between a despotism and a democracy is that in the first there is a single opinion while the second allows a variety … Continue reading “Slava Ukraini!”: how the British media went to war against Russia
Should Europe Rearm?
10th of June 2025 Europe is committed to rearmament. Commission President van der Leyden unveiled her ‘ReArm Europe Plan’ which aims to boost EU defence spending by euros 800bn over four years. On 5 June NATO defence ministers agreed to double their members’ annual defence spending from an average of roughly 2.5% of GDP to … Continue reading Should Europe Rearm?
The Nation: Russophobia—an Epidemic Disease?
8th of May 2025 It is right to be suspicious of Putin’s intentions without falling for the idea that he will never stop. In 1836 the liberal philosopher John Stuart Mill claimed that Lord Melbourne’s government was smitten with the “epidemic disease of Russophobia,” an irrational panic that had triggered an unnecessary increase in defense … Continue reading The Nation: Russophobia—an Epidemic Disease?
Robert Skidelsky 