Reading between the lines, it seems obvious that the reasoning behind the move is to protect faceless bureaucrats?in Whitehall ahead of defence cuts set to come after the next general election, at the expense of brave men and women who have fought – and are prepared to die – for their right to be faceless bureaucrats.

The RAF plans to cut 10,000 staff – one quarter of its strength – and up to five large bases in the UK in an attempt to reduce their budget ahead of a “strategic spending review” planned by both parties after the next general election. I mean, let’s face it, heaven forbid a single civil servant should be up for the chop!

Also on the hit list are the majority of the RAF’s Harriers and Tornados, which are in line for early retirement – another cutback in the services our boys and girls need, planned, no doubt, by pen pushers they don’t.

Honestly, did unelected suit-clad jobsworths sat in their comfy offices win us the Falklands conflict? No, it was the bravery, courage and determination of our selfless soldiers in the heat of the battle grounds that won the day.

As Douglas Carswell put it: “Defence procurement is not?a choice between buying?British?for a little bit?extra, or purchasing it from overseas.??As?the decision to shut?down of a quarter of the RAF suggests, it’s?instead a decision?between?having the kit,?or not having it at all.”

Heaven help us all. If they have their way, soon we will be a defenceless nation, with only an infantry of administrators armed with red tape on our side.

Who will be the first to accept that, when it comes to national security and our defence, our servicemen do a far better job than any suit-clad moron could ever do.

So why not cut the budget by sacking 25% of them, instead? They won’t be missed!

I have long been a believer in doing whatever is necessary (within acceptable limits, of course) to protect our national security – which is why I am supportive of the 42-days pre-charge detention which caused David Davis to resign and force a by-election.

Before I proceed with the main point of my post, I’d first like to state that, initially, I believed what Davis did was honourable and, though I disagreed with his reasoning behind it, there is no denying he took a principled stand. However, I must admit that the by-election turned into a farce when it became clear that his serious contenders included the Monster Raving Loony Party and the National Front – although this was more down to the Labour Party in shamefully refusing to field a candidate.

Anyway, as I was saying, security is important – and each of us has our own little role to play in ensuring that the nation’s security may be upheld. One of the actions includes not leaving anything unattended in prominent places – say, for example, an airport.

Now, it is near-tradition that, when I go away, something has to happen. Last year, for example, we were hit by the tail-end of a tropical storm and the year before we were witness to a mini tornado just yards from the pool we were in. This faux pas was, though, my fault.

I had been shopping in Dixons and bought a set of mini-DV tapes for my camera and a travel adapter for US sockets. I then went into WH Smith and bought a copy of The Spectator and Total Politics. It took me about five minutes to realise that, as I sat texting people and reading Total Politics, my Dixons bag was missing. Instantly, I rushed into WH Smith and looked around: not there. I asked to see if it had been handed in: nope. Then it suddenly dawned on me – I had put it down so that I could take money out of my wallet, and not picked it up again once I had finished!

The conclusion I came to was that some other shopper had picked it up and thought “hey, this could be useful” – although in hindsight, the chances of the next customer being someone who was travelling to the US with a camera that took mini-DV tapes were pretty remote. I sat back down and waited for our flight to be called (it was three hours late, remember?), continuing to text people by making light of what was, in reality, a potentially serious situation.

However, ten or fifteen minutes later I heard an announcement over the tannoy that was, for once, not the usual taunting “please do not leave baggage unattended” notice: “would the passenger who left the Dixons bag in WH Smith please come to the information desk”. Great! I thought. They’ve found my bag. It was just a shame that they made the announcement after I had gone into Dixons and re-bought the items.

But why am I telling you this? Why should my occasional absent-mindedness (hey, I am only human) be of any concern to you? Well I just thought I’d use this as an example of why security is important. By the time the incident occurred, the airport security were well assured that I didn’t have any bombs, weapons, liquids, sharp objects, nail clippers, pens, lapel pins, paper cut-outs of knives, etc. in my bag (okay, so I think that they do go a bit overboard with some things – although pens are allowed!) or my shoes and that I was not carrying any such items on me by virtue of the fact that I didn’t set the metal detector off. That doesn’t mean that they get lax.

No security system is infallible. No doubt there are ways in which a would-be terrorist could evade the system and end hundreds of lives. Look at September 11 – terrorists got through, security was tightened. Richard Reid boarded an aircraft with a shoe bomb in 2001, security was further tightened. Terrorists planned to use liquid explosives to cause attacks in 2006, security was further tightened. Terrorists used a jeep filled with explosives to attack Glasgow airport in 2007, security was further tightened.

The mere fact these new means of attack have been uncovered mean that security can be tightened to guard against them. However, it also means that there are possibly still further, as yet undiscovered ways of evading security and attacking us at airports and in the air. The last thing we need to be doing is distracting security by arguing with them, leaving baggage unattended just because you have to go to the toilet quickly and it won’t matter being on its own for a few seconds or leaving baggage unattended because you forgot you even had it.

But worse than this – the last thing you want to be doing if you see baggage unattended is to ignore it. Whilst I was in Florida at one of the parks I saw a bag left on its own. Nobody was stood near it, but plenty of people were talking past it, clocking it and ignoring it. Because our services are so good, we haven’t had a major terrorist attack for three years and as such are becoming lax. The threat level “severe” is now so overused that it has lost meaning. And yet the next unattended bag you see could be the last bag you ever see.

So please, don’t take the threat against our security lightly. We all have a part to play, so let’s try and play it together – yes I will be more careful with my luggage in future! – and ensure that we are the winners in this battle, not the terrorists out to destroy our lives.

The British media were given unprecedented access to Harry during his time in Afghanistan, under the understanding that they would report nothing until his return to Britain.

However, it seems foreign media websites were more interested in the story than the safety of the third in line to the throne and broke the news, harking back to the events leading up to the death of Princess Diana in 1997.

David Cameron said “Like all the troops currently fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan Harry has been incredibly brave. He has pursued his desire to get on the front line and serve his country with huge determination and courage. I applaud the British press for not breaking the story and risking his life and others around him.”

Dr Liam Fox, the Conservative Defence Spokesman, added “It’s clear he wanted to do his duty and to carry out the work he was trained for. He is a brave young man amongst many brave men and women who are putting life and limb on the line for the security of our country. We are proud of them all.”

Last Christmas, Iain Dale told us all about Surprise Supplies, a scheme set up to ensure every British Soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan had a little something to open on Christmas Day.

Well yesterday I received an email from a relative who works for the Royal British Legion about an Easter box appeal set up by thanktheforces.

Owing to the intense heat in Iraq and Afghanistan, our brave boys won’t be eating chocolate, so thanktheforces is urging us, the British people, to send them sweets and other treats instead.

“We are currently collecting any gifts from the people of Sussex who would like to show the British troops that they care. We collect, wrap, pack and send donated items to the Senior Chaplains in operational theatres in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Chaplains will then distribute the gift boxes to where the need is greatest.

“Most of the boys and girls are living on Army ration packs (lots of calories but very boring). They also have little access to any of the everyday luxuries we have become accustom to. We cannot send aerosols or pressurised products as they are a potential hazard on the military flights, but anything that doesn’t perish, leak, burst or explode is ideal. There is a maximum weight limit of 2kg on each parcel set in place by the postal service. If you would like more information on the types of gifts that can be sent please contact us for a more complete list.”

Although the pick-up service is only in Sussex, thanktheforces does state that “you could order online and have the shopping delivered to us” or “send us some supermarket vouchers and we will shop on your behalf”.

We should never forget the debt of gratitude we owe our servicemen and women, fighting for their Country without question, and I would strongly urge everyone to take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to show our armed forces that yes, we the people really do care!

Other charities which help the forces include: St Dunstan’s, Help for Heroes and of course the Royal British Legion.

The motion’s text, which was agreed unanimously, as written in the agenda, is as follows: “Our armed forces are acting in the highest traditions of our nation in their conduct of operations overseas. Reservists and regular servicemen and women alike share the burden and risks and they do so in the most difficult of circumstances, with great pressure on manpower and other resources. On behalf of the people of Medway this Council wishes to express admiration at the bravery, endurance and professionalism of our servicemen and women, as well as the fortitude and quiet courage of their families at home in the United Kingdom.”

The response from members was overwhelming, and below I have decided to share as much of it with you as possible, interspersed with my personal opinions on some members’ comments.

All “quotations” are not verbatim as my tired little hands were not able to write fast enough to catch every word, although I have tried to quote what I can, and where I believe it to be verbatim and of particular interest, I have written it in ‘inverse commas’.

Councillor Rodney Chambers (Con, Hempstead and Wigmore) started off the debate. “I hope this motion can gain unanimous support. It is not intended to be political or controversial. Over the past few weeks, many of us have attended services of remembrance. ‘It is right to remember those who have given their lives’ and also serving forces. This topic has had a great deal of publicity recently. It is said that there is a feeling of a lack of appreciation in our community and lack of understanding as to why they have been sent there. Soldiers fighting abroad fell their families are being neglected, in particular their welfare and housing. I would like to convey to all personnel our grateful thanks and appreciation for everything they do.”

Councillor Paul Godwin (Lab, Chatham Central) was next. “In principal I am happy to support this motion. The issue of the current position is always a concern for all of us and for decades has been a feature of all Army leaders’ concerns. However, support comes at a cost, and the cost must be proportional.”

I should just like to point out here that £9bn for fighting African aids against £400m for fighting in Afghanistan is greatly disproportional and immensely unfair in my view, and is disgraceful treatment of our Armed Services by the then Chancellor Gordon Brown.

Councillor John Ward (Con, Rochester South and Horsted). “I am fully supportive of this motion. Warring and fighting is terrible, but recently I was reminded by a song from the Innes Book of Records (and its video), Time to Kill, which brings a lot of things home. Members from all sides can view it, courtesy of Cllr Etheridge, at StroodConservatives.com.”

Councillor Teresa Murray (Lab, Rochester East). “It is very important to remember the contribution they play in peacekeeping and rebuilding communities. Soldiers retiring, particularly younger ones, need to find jobs, affordable housing and even such things as a family doctor. I hope Councillor Chambers enshrines in his motion our responsibility to them.”

It is indeed true that we all have a responsibility to help our serving and retired servicemen and women, particularly when they are getting younger and younger.

Councillor Nicholas Brice (Con, Rochester South and Horsted). “I was discussing with the Mayor outside Rochester Cathedral on the day of the Remembrance service the right we have to differ in public on any issue. If we cannot move this declaration, then our grand plans come to nought. ‘We thank you. We admire you. God bless you all.’”

Councillor Stephen Kearney (LD, Gillingham South). “I like many people have sold poppies, but we [as a Council] need to show what we can do. People will need specialist care, particularly as there are now people in their early 20s coming home. Whatever we can do to help these people we should do.”

Councillor Paul Harriot (Lab, Twydall). “I am reminded by the vicar of St Mark’s Church [Canon John Saunders]‘s sermon at the remembrance service there, when he said “the price of freedom is not free”. It is important for servicemen to understand that they serve their Country and the Queen. Young men enter service of their own choice (unlike me, who like most people my age were called up for National Service). I give 100% support to this motion.”

Canon John Saunders’ sermon was indeed as thought provoking as some of the responses given to this motion. He reminded us that the cost of war (and thus freedom) is higher than the statistics show, because for every serviceman who dies or gets injured, there are family and friends who are directly affected. Freedom comes at a price, and we must ensure that the people who will be paying that price with their lives are adequately cared for and feel valued and appreciated.

Councillor Herbert Crack (LD, Watling). “I endorse this motion. We hear so much about the youth of today and the “hoodie culture” that we often forget that it is the youth of today out there fighting for our Country today.”

Councillor Diane Chambers (Con, Hempstead and Wigmore). “A friend’s son died fighting in Iraq. In the last letter he sent to his parents he said “it’s a mess here but I love what I do. I wouldn’t be anywhere else but here with my men.”"

Councillor Jane Etheridge (Con, Strood North). “It is times like these that draw communities together. It would be appropriate if we could remember those in newer conflicts.”

Councillor Tony Goulden (Lab, Luton and Wayfield). “This is an excellent motion.”

Councillor Alan Jarrett (Con, Lordswood and Capstone) had a slightly different way of putting things. “Today’s soldiers are all volunteers (unlike those, including Cllr Harriot, who were conscripts). For different reasons we all choose to serve our community, but our wives and families expect us to come home. Some servicemen are unable to. The media gives little mention to soldiers who die for their Country, yet are likely to debate for months how ‘McClaren’s dire tribe and bunch of misfits’ let us down last night. It is a sad sign of the times when our servicemen and women are dying, yet the only photograph on the front page of a national newspaper is that of a deflated football.”

Councillor Rodney Chambers (Con, Hempstead and Wigmore). “Local people who died should be remembered locally. I have had the pleasure to live amongst the RE Corps for nearly 32 years. I think we should grant the freedom of Medway on the Corps as part of our appreciation.”

Councillor Chambers then proposed a motion to be discussed at a special meeting of the Council before the next full Council meeting on January 17, which read that “the freedom of Medway be conferred upon the Royal Engineers.” This was agreed.

Mr H’s argument? That more people across the world died of cigarette-related illness and smallpox combined over the twentieth century than in war. He said that he was surprised that people would march down Whitehall to remember those who have given their lives, or protest in the streets against war, yet no-one had taken to the streets against smallpox. I’m sorry, Mr H, I hadn’t realised these people had actually volunteered to die of smallpox!

That may sound a little harsh, and possibly a little extreme, but we must be clear and differentiate between people who volunteered to fight for Queen and Country, in the full knowledge that they might die in some war-torn hell-hole, and those who unwillingly contract a deadly disease. And once that differentiation has been made, perhaps someone may possibly explain precisely why, in this year’s budget, £9bn was pledged towards fighting Aids, yet only £400m extra was provided for our Armed Services.

This Country – Government and Citizens alike – has broken the Military Covenant that once bound the Government to recognise the bravery of our servicemen and look after them during, and after, service; and which commanded pride in our Armed Services amongst British Citizens. Instead, a fully trained soldier earns £10,000 less than a fully trained policmen and almost half a fully trained fire fighter and defence spending as a percentage of GDP is at its lowest since the 1930s.

Our Armed Services put their lives on the line for our Country and our freedom – the least we can do is respect them and look after them.