A recent article in the Morning Star for Peace and Socialism, a British leftist anti-war publication, entitled “Is Britain already at war with Russia?” makes the point, among others, that British military and intelligence agencies swear their allegiance to the crown, not to any notion of a British state.
Here’s the oath that British military recruits have to swear when they join the military: “I swear by almighty God that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to his Majesty King Charles III, his heirs and successors, and that I will as in duty bound, honestly and faithfully defend his Majesty, his heirs and successors in person, crown and dignity, against all enemies, and will observe and obey all orders of His Majesty, his heirs and successors and the generals and officers set over me.”
And here’s the Morning Star’s commentary and what that oath means: “You don’t have to be a Leninist, although it certainly helps, to conclude that key arms of the British state stand outside all parliamentary scrutiny and democratic control. The military and intelligence sections of the British state are powers unto themselves. This partially explains why the British state media and its corporate echo chambers have ignored Britain’s direct intervention in the Ukrainian conflict — even when public statements are available.”
The article frames this around a detailed list of British operations of military support to the Kiev regime since 2015, both in weapons and other support provided by Britain’s military-industrial complex, but also in training provided by the British Ministry of Defense. The article makes the mistake of describing the US as “the mentor” of the British Empire in these activities when in reality the relationship is the other way around, but it usefully calls for a full examination of British involvement in Ukraine. “Whatever the current conflicting views of the British left and peace movement on the nature of this disastrous and fratricidal Ukrainian-Russian war, there must be a serious analysis of the role of the British military-industrial complex within it,” it concludes. “Our main enemy is at home — and it’s waiting for us.”
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/f/britain-already-war-russia
