MOD - Ministry of Despair?

[WeekendFlyer]

Read this on the BBC site today:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolpda/ukfs_news/hi/newsid_6614000/6614255.stm?

I find it more and more frustrating every time I read an article like that. There seems to be a regular pattern these days, i.e. senior, qualified bloke in the operational theatre says "we are struggling with lack of equipment", and then some faceless MOD spokesperson always says something along the lines of:

"la la la can't hear you, there are no problems, you have enough kit, its really good, look how much money we are spending, you must be mistaken."

What a complete and utter farce :mad: :ugh: :ugh:

I despair, and am hugely glad I am no longer serving. Our forces personnel deserve a LOT better. The current government and high ranking civil serpents; waste of space the lot of them :ugh:

I guess the only answer is to stop reading stories about our military - its too depressing :sad:

[Fg Off Max Stout]

A spokesman for the MoD denied there was a shortage and said huge investments had been made in equipment for the Army.

"The success of our forces against the Taleban shows that they are not only among the best in the world, but also among the best equipped," he said.


That's the spirit, George. If nothing else works, then a
total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face
will see us through.:ok:

[Postman Plod]

I thought EXACTLY that when I read the story.

Thing is, why the hell aren't the media actually thinking about what they're writing and asking exactly those questions???? Someone is lying, isn't that the sort of story the media like?

Or are they not paid to think or give a stuff about such things about serious life threatening subjects, only how big beckhams norks are, and investigate why Catherine Zeta Jones thought marrying a 90 year old millionaire was a good idea?

Disgusting.

[Zoom]

When politicians say that the UK's armed forces are '...among the best equipped (in the world)...', where exactly are we positioned in the list, bearing in mind that there are about 193 countries in the world? Are we 3rd, 12th, 85th??

[PICKS135]

these be any good out there.
http://www.witham-sv.com/infopage.php?ID=1301&Overide=1
Seems we have a 100 going spare:ugh: :ugh: :ugh:

[PPRuNeUser0211]

hmmm, methinks the mighty saxon is not quite the level of vehicle that the guys on the ground are looking for....

[Cumbrian Fell]

pba_target:

Clearly, you haven't been to Kabul recently then....

[PPRuNeUser0211]

True enough, but given that the article is about a guy asking for more WIMIKs.....

[Two's in]

Be reasonable, after all, he would say that, wouldn't he? An MoD Spokesman is exactly that:- from his lips will come the Coporate Image that the faceless buraeucrats wish to present. Expecting anything else is being naive.
As for "amongst the best equipped in the world" again, undoubtedly true. But the best equipped for what? Knocking back Ivan through the Coppenbrugge Gap, taking out swarms of Armoured vehicles across desert plains, supporting a Balkan Peace Keeping intiative? Oh that's right, those were yesterday's battles, and today we have something different.
Never mind; with a 10 year Major Procurement cycle designed solely to keep the Bristol Procurement Professionals fully employed, it's hardly worth bothering to equip the Armed Forces to counter the current threat is it? Far easier to drop a couple of Paddy and Mick's late night Shankhill taxis in Theatre, shore that up with a few bespoke and very unarmoured light vehicles, and then just deny it all in the Press.
Hard to imagine where such self-serving, disingenuous and disloyal behiour comes from isn't it, if only they took their lead from the senior members of what laughingly passes for Government these days...

[Could be the last?]

The Saxon is a skip on wheels!

[WhiteOvies]

Also from Witham, surplus to requirements obviously!!!:
http://www.witham-sv.com/infopage.php?ID=591&Overide=1
http://www.witham-sv.com/vehicles/591.jpg