I've often wondered where they get these characters and allow them to publish what they do. Who do they think they are kidding?

I'm sure it all sounds very reasonable to themselves and the Gammons who read their tripe in the Torygraph & co.

They are just after all just reiterating the UK establishment line whilst lending it some specious aura of "expertise". You don't need to be particularly bright or indeed even bright at all: it just basically requires the same mindset as the Pervy Prince who cheerleaders the selling of UK military hardware to bomb peasants around the world, and who in his own words thinks we are in " The Great Game" with Russia again...but apparently this time we will "win".

There are loads of these underemployed middle aged middle class military officer type warmongers going spare in the UK: a life in the military doesn't really give you the necessary skills to thrive as a normal person...so many never quite escape the mindset.
Aside from the arms trade and being employed by the Tory press to provide well renumerated propaganda others go further, like for example, Christopher Donnelly and Daniel Lafayeedney who setup the "Integrity Initiative" at an old mill a field or two away from where Im sitting and who now do a privatised & heavily government subsidised anti-Russian "cushy spook" trade from the most prestigious address in London...

-There's big money in the death game for retired military twits...and knighthoods and gongs and all that kind of social crawling rubbish they dearly love at the end of the day.