You would think Gordon Brown had enough problems without inventing new ones for himself. The high-profile handbrake
turn on the budget for the Territorial Army for example, was completely unnecessary. Or it would have been if someone in Number 10 had the political nous to have seen another “Gurkha moment” looming. The whole embarrassing affair was in fact a coup for former British Army chief General Sir Richard Dannatt, still on the Government payroll, but working behind enemy lines as a special advisor to David Cameron and the Tories. It was the general who first ordered an expansion in the number of territorials, pushing the agreed budget way out of its allocation. In the process, he overlooked the need to inform his political masters. So when the routine order came down from the Ministry of Defence instructing the forces to get their budgets in line, Sir Richard fingered the territorials for the swingeing £20 million cut. Instead of ripping off his stars and throwing the general to the wolves, ministers decided they were between a rock and a hard place. They and the Prime Minister did what they are good at: dithered. Somehow, the “Government” plan was leaked to the press and a full-scale House of Commons revolt beckoned. What sort of a country is run by the generals?
