Comments on: How to lose great leaders? Ask the Army

By: AAB

AAB — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 18:35:39 +0000

Here is a graph that shows the UK Defence budget as a percent of GDP 1700–2014. Most of the time it's less than 10%, only peaking during wartime, maxing out during WW1 and WW2 (~40% and ~45% respectively). Evidently spending more than 10% of GDP on defence isn't sustainable over a long period of time (in a market-based economy at least). The chart was sourced from here, where you can find other data on UK government spending circa 1692–2014.

By: Scipio Americanus

Scipio Americanus — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 18:15:42 +0000

The budget is large. What we get for it… less so, especially in comparison to what we got out of it in the 50′s.

By: Coyote

Coyote — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 18:05:10 +0000

4% of GDP? WTF? This must be the gazillions of non-existent derivative “assets”. GDP, what a joke. The “defense” budget is so grotesque it boggles the mind. Homeless kids eat rats in the New York sewers while the MIC ships tanks to the Ukraine. Gawd, when will this cesspool of a empire go down. Please barbarians, start eating more Eloi!