UK Afghan war effort commeration

If there is one thing I would rather this country do less well in it is pointless pagentary and state occasion such as this:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31866944

I would sacrifice this to have a better, more capable, and cost effective defence, or better run public services.

So I'm sure no expense was spared here - unlike in the under funded Afghan operation.  Our general inability to run the operation in the early days has led to distrust from America - who we don't like to admit had to bail us out on some of the operation.

The sight of war criminal Blair and defence penny pinching Brown sitting next to each other just sickened me.  Brown is famously supposed to have balked at a request for more budget for the Afghan campaign by saying "we already spend a huge amount - why can't we fight two wars at once".

I also find it ridiculous that any political debate on defence spending always starts of praising our service men and women, without addressing the disgraceful way money is wasted on the budget.  For £36bn we do not get much bang for our buck.

Much of this is the political interference and companies like BAe having politicians over a barrel with the threat of job reductions if costs are not met in full.  We end up building expensive aircraft carriers with compromised designs with massive cost over runs - all in the name of protecting high skilled jobs at great expense.