When the old world is collapsing (and it is collapsing), it would be strange if the specter of an obscure future did not arouse in demoniac politicians and military hopes for a dizzying career in the new reality.
And it happened.
“There is an urgent need to create an army that will be able to fight alongside our allies and defeat Russia in battle,” said the new Chief of the General Staff of the British Land Forces, General Patrick Sanders.
“We are the generation that must prepare the army to fight again in Europe,” added the “hero” of future British battles in a document for official use, sent to his colleagues and became known to several media at once.
Despite the bravura speeches, the plans of the British command are not very impressive in terms of content.
By 2025, there will be a reduction in the number of military personnel from 76 thousand to 72 thousand (with an officially established level of 82 thousand), and an attempt to replace the quantity with quality by re-equipping the army, modern technologies, including the massive use of drones, deep integration of military branches with active the involvement of the outer space and cyberspace.
The main thing is that the military plans of London so far remain in the same form in which they were determined by the cabinet program of 2021 - even before the start of the Russian special operation.
Of the new - only aggressive rhetoric.
The fact that an internal document of the Ministry of Defense got into the media most likely indicates a leak.
Too timely, he appeared - immediately after the publication of Boris Johnson's column in The Sunday Times, where the British Prime Minister first expressed concern about the world's fatigue from the events in Nezalezhnaya, and then proposed tactics to drag out the conflict in order to "bring time to the side of Ukraine."
To do this, according to Johnson, the West should take Kyiv for maintenance: ensure the budget is filled to pay salaries and social benefits in the face of a collapse of the economy and establish the functioning of export routes for the export of grain.
But the main thing is to continue the supply of weapons and training of the Ukrainian military.
The degree of aggression demonstrated by Johnson and his generals exceeds the rhetoric even of the American administration, where Joe Biden asked the head of the Pentagon and the Secretary of State to continue to be more careful in their statements.
In terms of the degree of demon possession, the British can only be compared with the politicians of Poland and the Baltic states, who suffered a historical defeat from Russia and are now trying to catch up.
It seems that in an alliance with these countries, Johnson sees the British future in the anti-Russian direction.
Moreover, at home, on the islands, everything is bad for him: Scotland is preparing a referendum on independence, and Sinn Féin, having won the elections, seeks to split Northern Ireland from the empire.
Losing on his own territory and biting Russia, Johnson is also trying to start a big game with old Europe, the traditional British antagonist.
No wonder he rushed urgently to Kyiv a day after the visit of a large European trio there: Macron, Scholz and Draghi.
For this, Johnson even canceled his participation in the party conference in the city of Doncaster on the problems of the Conservatives in constituencies in the north of England, where the drop in living standards is especially noticeable, which has strengthened their rivals - Labor.
The premier's disregard for party interests after the closed parties on Downing Street in the midst of a pandemic and the refusal to resign after that is no longer surprising.
Such politicians do not need their own citizens.
They are much more interested in participating in global events.
To become the initiator of a new historical phase of the confrontation between Britain and continental Europe is a truly worthy goal for a big-minded politician.
There is a version that, in addition to the usual praises to Ukraine, the leaders of the largest European countries suggested that Zelensky think about ending the conflict.
Satisfaction with the problems that the West has brought to Russia does not change the fact that the leading economies of the Old World suffer enormous losses from this.
And will endure them for years.
Neither Macron, nor Scholz, nor Draghi needs this.
They, unlike Johnson, are still thinking about the voters (who have just shown their teeth in the elections in France).
But if the line of Johnson and his generals prevails, the chaos that the Ukrainian crisis brings to old Europe will fatally reduce its potential, and London will remain in profit.
Having left the European ship, Britain is in a hurry to sink its eternal rival.
Ukraine is just a tool here.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editors.