Thoughts on this?

John Healey has resigned because he thinks the government isn't going to allocate enough money for defence.

Should the UK spend more on defence?

I read this article this morning, about the Makerfield by-election.

Who do you want to win? It's obviously a significant by-election. If Burnham wins, he might become the new prime minister, and perhaps he would revive Labour's fortunes. But if Reform win, it would give them a lot of momentum, and it would be a big blow to Labour.

The worlds most death metal instrument ever created might in the future be transformed into an Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The operative word here being might.

edit I realized people might not get the dark joke

https://news.sky.com/story/the-armys-ajax-fighting-vehicle-injured-troops-and-cost-billions-there-must-be-accountability-13475687

Efforts were made to find a fix with better ear protection and more cushions on seats, and trials restarted.

But the fact that soldiers are still experiencing issues with hearing as well as sickness and shakes from riding inside the vehicles suggests the underlying cause has not been resolved.

Defenders of the programme say that all armoured vehicles are noisy and vibrate.

https://defensemirror.com/news/40941/U_K__Official_Responsible_for_Ajax_Program_Sacked_by_Defense_Minister

The decision follows a series of safety incidents tied to Ajax. In November, 35 soldiers were treated after falling ill during an exercise on Salisbury Plain, weeks after the vehicle was declared safe to use. Pollard said 25 have returned to duty, two were found to have injuries unrelated to Ajax, and eight remain medically downgraded and under monitoring.

Although Ajax’s operating clearance has been paused, Pollard confirmed that trials on the vehicle are restarting to help “ensure we are best placed to decide Ajax’s future.”

In late December 2025, the defence ministry halted all Ajax trials after another soldier reported vibration-related symptoms during testing at the Bovington training area on December 12. The incident followed reports from about 30 personnel affected during the Army’s Titan Storm exercise in November. Investigations found affected personnel had been operating across 23 vehicles, all of which have since undergone 45-point inspections, alongside additional checks focused on identifying the source of the vibration.

A holdover is the term used by the RAF for a trainee pilot who has finished one stage of the syllabus but is not yet able to start the next, usually because there is no aircraft, instructor or course place available, with those pilots often filling time on ground tours and other duties while losing flying currency and costing the service money.

cross-posted from: https://news.abolish.capital/post/55417