The real story about Ben Wallace and the Chinooks by Martin Jay!
(2023-09-14 at 23:06:22 )

The real story about Ben Wallace and the Chinooks by Martin Jay!

NATO graft is at the heart of the recent scandal in the United Kingdom about a petulant defence minister who was not "rewarded" for his efforts

Never trust a politician or journalist who does not have enemies. If they do not have enemies it either means they are too stupid and inept, or, alternatively that they are so corrupt that they have everyone else in their pocket - politically, financially or just metaphorically.

The story of Ben Wallace being so bitter and petulant about Joe Biden blocking him from becoming NATO boss is an interesting one. If it is true.

The Sunday Times claims that the former defence secretary "threatened" to pull Britain out of a 2bn pound deal with the United States to supply the MOD with 14 Chinook helicopters - live saving mega choppers that our army used in Afghanistan to not only drop our special forces deep into enemy territory but also to send our sounded soldiers back to camp in record time for doctors to save their lives.

The first rule of journalism though, which is that there are two sides to every story, should be applied with a six inch brush.

The implication in the article was that Mr. Wallace was trying to scrap the Chinook deal after not getting his dream job as NATO secretary general, although some Whitehall officials have dismissed it as a good yarn.

They insist he had tried to scrap the contract two years ago, with the bill now running 500million than the original deal.

According to the Daily Mail, the ex-Cabinet minister - who stood down this week and was replaced by Grant Shapps - argued that the United Kingdom already has the biggest "heavy lift" fleet in Europe with sixty in operation.

The source said it would be "bonkers" to stick with the "overpriced" deal rather than buying better value aircraft such as the Airbus A400M Atlas transporter.

According to the Sunday Times, the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, Jane Hartley, wrote to No 10 on August 1 to get reassurances on the future of the agreement - which were provided.

But the real story is not whether Mr. Wallace is a petulant fool or whether Mr. Wallace was in fact correct to count the costs of such deals in difficult times - but more about the murky world of arms procurement and NATO appointments and the United Kingdoms role in the Ukraine war.

My own sources in Downing Street have told me that the Sunday Times story was untrue and that it was placed out of spite from Mr. Wallaces enemies - of which he must have a few close to Rishi Sukak. Resigning from his post and leaving the front benches is, after all, an act of no confidence in Mr. Sunaks leadership.

However, there is no smoke without fire.

Was Mr. Wallace given indications from President Bidens people that if he tugged his forelock to Bidens direction on Ukraine that he would be in the running for the top job? He said two years ago that he wanted to pull out of the Chinook deal - but then retracted that - so, this, at least, raises some questions over what his motives might have been at the time.

And now that he is free from the shackles of government, are we going to see books and tv documentaries from him lifting the lid on what we do not know about Ukraine. Believe me, there is a lot we do not know about the Ukraine war.

Mr. Wallace might well be bitter about losing the top job of NATO boss, as Biden could not, we are lead to believe, give it to a former British soldier who had served in Northern Ireland.

But is there a more darker reason behind Biden extending the current term of Jens Stoltenberg??

My belief is that he wants Ursula Von Der Leyen - the hapless European Commission President - for the top job as her term in Brussels ends exactly at the same time next summer. And readers should be aware that huge, corrupt institutions [and how really runs them] often reward those who have not only been servile to them, but also need immunity from prosecution.

Ursula Von Der Leyen managed to dodge an EU investigation, plus MEPs demands for transparency into her own involvement of a Pfizer multi billion dollar vaccine deal which she micro managed and signed off, while her husbands own company is owned by the United States pharma giant. She is currently being sued by the New York Times over text messages which she claims she deleted and when she leaves office in July of 2024, she may well face new charges.

The EU and countries like France and Belgium, for example, have a tawdry but long track record of protecting their own elites by giving officials other top jobs to keep them from being prosecuted. When I was in Brussels as a freelance correspondent for the Sunday Times, I exposed a Belgian former minister for being linked to a massive paedophile ring - who was transferred quickly to a top job in the European Courts in Luxembourg.

When Mr. Wallace discovered that the term of Stoltenberg was going to be extended for a further year and that he was out of the running, he seemed to react quite badly at the Vilnius NATO summit earlier in the summer by speaking out against President Zelensky being "ungrateful" and then a few days later officially announcing his resignation.

It was as though something snapped. It was as though he realised that he had been tricked, either by the Biden administration or by Rishi Sunak who may have made him promises; or even both.

The move to resign completely from the front benches is a smack in the face of Sunak, for sure.

And so perhaps we could expect some sort of spiteful act back from those who probably had the daggers ready for Mr. Wallace anyway.

But the fact that Mr. Wallace was only supporting Sunak because of his own personal ambitions is a poor reflection on the conservative party and British politics no matter which way you look at it.

This is a party which will be remembered by future generations for its corruption and its cover ups.

The murky affair of Mr. Wallace resonates both at home and internationally as just one more example of graft and personal fulfilment, many no doubt will argue. But we have not heard the last from Ben Wallace I am sure!!

"This relevant article, its pictures, and its links are here:"

Reprinted here from the "Strategic Culture Foundation" provides a platform for exclusive analysis, research and policy comment on Eurasian and global affairs. We are covering political, economic, social and security issues worldwide. Since 2005 our journal has published thousands of analytical briefs and commentaries with the unique perspective of independent contributors. SCF works to broaden and diversify expert discussion by focusing on hidden aspects of international politics and unconventional thinking. Benefiting from the expanding power of the Internet, we work to spread reliable information, critical thought and progressive ideas.