Not content with one hour of arguing that Britain should double down on a powerful navy at the expense of all other military spending, we’re back for more - plus lamentations about not having joined the navy ourselves, examinations of our youthful decision making, tales of naval derring do from our family mythologies, and the slightly heretical suggestion that we’d perhaps be better off as the 51st state of the USA.

So what’s so great about a navy?

It’s a more strategic weapon. Large scale warfare boils down to trade, getting the materials you need to keep fighting and being able to support your allies. Disrupt this and you win, much more comprehensively and quickly than via other means, and this is what warships do well.

It’s a lot more humane. Air power ultimately comes down to bombing civilians, while naval power tends more t ...