What is not in doubt is the fact that in all the countries hit by disturbances there are significant British expatriate communities. As the National Security Council draws up contingency plans for their evacuation, it will, we suspect, be rueing the decision taken last October in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) to scrap our only aircraft carrier, the Ark Royal. The decision means we will have no such capability until 2020 when the new Queen Elizabeth carriers are launched. The SDSR stated, with quite staggering complacency: “In the short term, there are few circumstances we can envisage where the ability to deploy air power from the sea will be essential.” What about the evacuation of imperilled citizens from distant countries? Dr Liam Fox, the Defence Secretary, claimed that foreign basing and overflight rights meant the UK could afford to take “a carrier strike holiday”. Foreign basing and overflight rights will not be a great deal of use when trying to mount an emergency evacuation, where an aircraft carrier with helicopters would prove invaluable.