Is War coming our way?

Nick talks to Mike Martin MP- soldier, author and Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells Nick Cohen and Mike Martin MP discuss the dramatic & disturbing shifts in international relations and diplomacy, thanks to Donald Trump's apparent volte-face on Ukraine and the United States' traditional allies, particularly in the context of the US and UK. Mike also talks domestic politics - are we witnessing the death of the Tory party as a major political force? The UK needs a political consensus on boosts to defence spending As Poland announces plans to make all men undergo military training, Mike Martin MP stresses the need for increased defence expenditure and improved military capabilities in the UK. Nick & Mike also explore the emergence of so-called "progressive patriotism" in Britain, the changing political landscape in traditionally Conservative areas, and the potential consequences of a war on national survival. War involving the UK now more than 50 per cent possible Mike said defence spending should be at least 3.5 per cent of government spending. He estimates that a war involving the UK was now more than 50 per cent possible. The UK & Europe must prepare for the worst. Are we witnessing the strange death of Tory England? Lastly, Mike and Nick discuss the UK's current politics - particularly the appalling state of the Conservative Party - woefully stuck in the No Man's Land between the Reformist Radical Right and the One Nation Tories who've abandoned them largely for the Liberal Democrats as well as Labour and the Greens. Mike says, "The Tories are being crushed between the pincer movement, between the Lib Dems and reform. And they don't know which way to face." Watch out for the County Council elections on May 1st 2025! This could be the key indicator of whether the Tories can recover to become a real party of opposition or could it continue its speedy descent into political oblivion. Mike says "It would be very interesting to see the results ... you might even see the Tory vote collapsing into to, into, into our pile and into the Reform pile." Read all about it Mike Martin is the Liberal Democrat MP for Tunbridge Wells and a member of the Commons Defence Committee. A former British Army Office, Mike is a Senior Fellow at King’s College London – an expert in geopolitics and conflict – and the author of several books on psychology, conflict and travel, including Why We Fight. Nick Cohen's @NickCohen4 latest Substack column Writing from London on politics and culture from the UK and beyond.