According to government figures, and on top of the defence budget, £18 billion was funnelled into military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan between September 2001 and March 2010. £8.22 billion was spent in Iraq; £9.9 billion in Afghanistan. This total does not cover items such as soldiers’ salaries or long-term care for the seriously wounded and excludes diplomatic and reconstruction costs (add a further £2 billion) – colossal sums of money extracted out of workers’ taxes.
Money squandered in imperial wars causes death, destruction and untold misery in far off lands, all for the greater good of oil companies, all to intimidate developing nations to be in sufficient awe of finance capital. A Britain controlled by workers would use these resources to develop industry, education, health and an infrastructure of roads, rail and civil engineering projects.