It is widely agreed among politicians, historians and military experts that the world is now a far more dangerous place than at any time since the height of the Cold War back in the early 1960’s.

The Western world faces not only the ever-present danger of Islamic fanaticism but also the threat of a resurgent and brutal Russia under Vladimir Putin. Add to the mix the threats of rogue states such as North Korea and Iran, to name but two, and the danger becomes clear for all to see.

The British response? We fail to commit ourselves to the minimum Nato target of an allocation of 2% of our gross domestic product (GDP) towards defence but do, however, commit ourselves (the British taxpayer) to spending 0.7% of our GDP, some £10 billion, on overseas aid.

Nobody could begrudge the giving of money and aid to alleviate poverty and suffering, but when that aid goes to countries with larger defence budgets than our own (and in the case of Pakistan, a far bigger army) you have to question our sanity.