Roman Defence Procurement

From Michael White's Parliamentary Sketch in today's Grauniad:

So when Liam Fox, tipped not to be Bob's successor, said he would get an "honourable mention" in the baleful ­history of New Labour there were genuine Tory cheers. At least two. It did not stop Fox hinting at Tory defence cuts ahead because Labour has been borrowing "the equivalent of £1.1m every day since the birth of Christ". This was a rare deployment of Christ in a military context and is certain to offend both Christians and admirers of Roman defence policy. When Roman generals thought they weren't getting enough chariots they didn't whinge to Chilcot. They marched on Rome and replaced the emperor using the alternative vote: themselves.

Nice to see the Romans getting a positive press for a change: not only are they offered as models of decisive and effective action, in contrast to feeble modern generals (let alone politicians), but they're even credited with the noblest of motives, ensuring that their men are properly equipped to face the barbaric hordes rather than all the nasty self-interest and ambition attributed to them by cynics like Tacitus. Not sure why he's focused on chariots, though; surely it would have been a more believable comparison to focus on the availability of body-armour...