Thin Pinstriped Line

  The Russian Armed Forces have begun a ‘partial’ mobilisation to call up around 300,000 people to bolster the failing military campaign in Ukraine. Across Russia scenes have been broadcast showing a veritable ‘Dads Army’ of often elderly, overweight, and unfit males being forcibly sent back into military service, often for the first time in decades. To some this exercise could prove the value of maintaining a large ‘regular reserve’, while to others it highlights the sheer pointlessness of regular reserve forces and their likely value on the battlefield. Could the UK repeat a similar act though and would it want to? In a word, no. Regular reserve forces are a curious concept that date back to the days of mass conscription. After people have completed their period of service they remain liable to be called back into military roles in an emergency should the nation need it. During WW1 and WW2 this reserve was the bulwark upon which many national armies mobilised, fleshing out form...

  As the UK mourns the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and prepares for the greatest State Funeral in British history, London has become full of world leaders who will attend the funeral too. In what is arguably the single greatest gathering of leaders in one location in history, the UK has found itself at just 10 days notice hosting a hugely complicated series of state visits, just one of which would normally take months to prepare for. The nature of the funeral means that normal government business has, to all intents and purposes, been suspended. The onset of official mourning means that much government work, and political campaigning has been paused, while the majority of the central government departments in Whitehall have refocused their efforts onto supporting the myriad of activity linked to the funeral and its procession. There is very little spare bandwidth in Whitehall this week to do anything but this event. Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright ...

  As plans gather pace for the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the first hints of gently mocking and questioning are starting to emerge in some publications. It has been reported that the UK has apparently asked heads of state attending the funeral to fly commercial air where possible, and to take a group bus to the funeral itself. Apparently, this is somehow a bad thing according to internet self-proclaimed Royal Funeral Experts. In reality it is a very sensible move. The funeral will be the single biggest gathering of world leaders at one event since the funeral of Nelson Mandela in 2013. It is unlikely that there will be a similar sized gathering of leaders for one event in a similar way for many years to come. This is direct testament to both the late Queen and her legacy and influence built up over 7 decades of service. To be able to get the leaders or very senior representatives of nearly 200 nations to clear their diaries and travel across the globe for a ...

  The passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II marks the end of a reign unparalleled in British history. Having overseen change, trials and tribulations over 70 years, her passing will have an enormous impact on the British people and nation.   It is easy for those outside of the UK to struggle to understand why this is the case – surely, she was just a ceremonial figurehead, with little point or purpose? Yet to the British public, as well as those of her wider realms, she represented something deeper. The role of the Monarch these days is predominantly ceremonial, but the odd traditions and titles, and strange parts played by individuals fulfilling roles that sound like something out of a Victorian novel are meaningful. They represent a very physical link to the history of the nation, and the Accession Council which will be held on Fri 09 September is the link to the far past, over 1000 years ago, when the nobility of England met to agree their King. This process, honed ov...