The Russians Are Coming

It is quite like old times.  Big parades in Red Square for Moscow Victory Day with cheering crowds bringing a smile to their President's normally stern face and ships of the Russian Navy heading down the North Sea and English Channel.

Luckily it was not like in October 1904 when the Russian Baltic Fleet attacked and sank some Hull fishing trawlers at the Dogger Bank believing they were Japanese motor torpedo boats.  Britain then had a treaty with Japan but Russia had gone to war against them which they lost disastrously.

The Royal Navy were sent out from Chatham, Portsmouth and Devonport to remind the Russian's of our might and their errors.  This month we could manage only a single destroyer wandering around their rear tracking their signals.

The Russians are heading for the Med'.  At one time the Brit's regarded this as their waters but no longer. Now it is the fief of none except the boats carrying migrants fleeing the hardships of Africa for the security of Europe.

The Russian's might find their way into the Black Sea in case anybody wants to interfere with the takeover of The Crimea.  Unlike in the 1850's France and Britain are unlikely to go to war in the Crimea to turf the Russians out.

We haven't the ships, we haven't the men and we haven't the money too, to parody the old jingo song I learned at Grannie's knee.  Britain now does not rule the waves or anything.  We might win the Nobel prize for useless whingeing if there was one.

All we can do is to tamely follow the loons of Brussels and the lame of Washington DC in making matters worse for the peoples in troubled places in an attempt to gain contracts for either the few British firms left British, or at least the ones that fund our political parties.

Is it around sixty years ago since I stood on the banks of The Elbe along with a few riflemen of The Cameronians and troopers of The Royals chucking empty beer bottles in the general direction of the Soviet patrols on the other side telling them we would be in Moscow by Friday?

When I was back at the signals truck the traffic was crazy.  At least then they took us seriously.