Military Matters: Episode 10

Brian Gerrish (0:25)

Good morning, Charles. Here we are in Studio 2 for Edition 10 of Military Matters.

As always, it's incredible that we've got through this many. I'm not quite sure where the time's gone. But one thing is for certain, and that is that Military Matters are coming to the fore in a way I don't think I remember most in my lifetime, okay, specific events, the Falklands War. But it seems in the West at the moment, everything is a focus on military, whether it's in Ukraine or Iran or the Russians in general, or the Chinese and what might happen with Taiwan. We seem to be pulled into a military environment.

Charles Malet (1:12)

We do. In every respect, I would totally agree. And well, I think two things. I think first of all, it's good to see you again and have the opportunity to talk about this. I think also, yeah, it is astounding that we are now in our 10th episode, although in some respects, we could have recorded twice that number. This is true. Still not have covered half the ground that's sort of out there.

I think the really significant thing is that you and I obviously have been looking at this partly because that is a large part of what we do at UK Column in terms of scrutinising world events, home affairs and what not. That's where this has pointed for us, but also because we have a albeit different but shared military heritage and background.

It's very, I think, interesting personally and professionally for both of us to be looking at exactly this and where it's come from, where we think it's going. But the bit I would add in now, and here we are recording sort of now just into the second half of 2026, it seems to me that there has been a sea change in that the general public are now beginning to see some of what we're talking about. And I was at a gathering recently of people from lots of different backgrounds. Certainly not, I would say at all, a sort of a typical segment necessarily of an audience that would be described as a UK Column audience or rather a part of society that might naturally be UK Column audience. And yet several people completely unprompted and in fact not knowing of my involvement with UK Column and certainly not knowing about Military Matters, started talking about the apparent looming prospect of war. It's fascinating.

And I think it is now out there. So what we've been talking about, I think is completely validated by that. I think for us, what's most important or most significant is that, is that we are, in putting out this series, we are very much hoping that our message is understood and that the sort of narrative that the public are supposed to digest is actually a great corruption of what, if not what has been happening, but certainly why. And I think that's the bit that we sort of aim to get to. And I think we have done that. I mean, I hope we've done that pretty successfully of the previous nine episodes. But just that rate of change, and I think this is what we, exactly what you opened up with, what we've been talking about all the time is how incredibly quickly things are being progressed. But now it seems that there is an awareness of this in a way that I think two or three months ago we weren't seeing.

Brian Gerrish (4:12)

Yeah, I think that's true. I look at things at the moment and I just see wall to wall media, whether it's the United Kingdom or the West or the US, which is bellicose. It's driving for war. Everything is about ramping up. It is not about...

When did we last see politicians in Westminster actually standing up in the house and saying, maybe they should be asking a question, do we think it's a time for reflection on what's happening? Should we be looking more about, can we de-escalate the situation? Can we stop the war in Ukraine? Can we open proper diplomatic relations with Iran? There is none of this. All there is is a constant stream of propaganda. I think that word is the right word to use, which is saying to the UK public in particular, we are supporting the war, we're putting in the ammunition and the munitions. We are giving Ukraine the ability to attack deep into Russia. We are ramping up the war, and you, the general public, should be braced and ready for the coming war.

It's incredible, Charles, when you analyse it.

Charles Malet (5:42)

It's completely incredible, and I think it falls into the way in which, or the method that government has employed with so many things, British government has employed with so many things over the last few years, and I said this in the previous episode, but with specific regard to war, which is as though this is the path we're on, we know it's going to happen, and there's nothing we can do about it.