"Cuts ground special forces’ helicopters"

[163627]

I've no interest in the operational details, but please someone tell me this Isn't true. Surely we didn't pull the plug on this in the hope of our chums picking up the tab. If it is true how much lower are we to sink?


Cuts ground special forces’ helicopters - Times Online (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6936347.ece)

[GOLF_BRAVO_ZULU]

Some of the comments are interesting; particularly;

Deborah Young wrote:
This just highlights yet again the chaos at the heart of the Brown Government- god help us. There is no strategy, vision or logic to what they are doing it is all panic, cuts and chaos. Some ministers are more interested in saving themselves than running Government at the moment. The MoD has run out of money and is implementing cuts from top to bottom. It has stopped recruiting, having spent thousands advertising and selecting people for jobs. Staff cannot travel, but the IT cannot reliably support video conferencing. There is a complete lack of political leadership.
Well, I can't argue against her.

[pr00ne]

Well, seeing as we are specifically NOT in Afghanistan on a poppy eradication programme (the Taliban were pretty effective at that but we helped kick them out) maybe, just maybe, the Afghan Gov't should pick up the tab for eradicating poppy crops in THEIR country.................

[barnstormer1968]

This response also grabbed my attention.


Amos Wtson wrote:
I,ve heard that to compensate for not having the petrol money for the helicopters the MOD is supplying the SAS with 4 brand new space hoppers.


I suppose they are not quite 'pinkies', but the colour is not far off:}.

[covec]

Interesting how MOD & FO Civil Serpents seem to be able to find cuts first amongst the uniformed side of the house....TA? Now this? When will they cut themselves back and give the frontline a bl**dy break?!!!

[tonker]

Would a job lot of the Mils not be a good stop gap that we can leave to the national army, upon our exit.

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Tonker - Mils? Think you may want to read the article closely!

[JFZ90]

The following article is quite shocking given the one above.

Taxpayer funds family's £1,600-a-week rent - Times Online (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6936223.ece)

If you put around 30 similar families into cheaper non-London housing (why do they need to be in London - they aren't working!) - you could still house them and still pay for the helos mentioned.

[VinRouge]

Offering them 10 grand each to get neutered would be a fantastic investment for the future.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

pba_target, I've just re-read the article and it definitely talks about Mil 8 helicopters... am I missing something?

[ORAC]

pba_target, I've just re-read the article and it definitely talks about Mil 8 helicopters... am I missing something?

Now we are borrowing Russian helicopters to fight the Taliban (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1200620/Now-borrowing-Russian-helicopters-fight-Taliban.html)

[Climebear]

prOOne

(the Taliban were pretty effective at that but we helped kick them out)

Actually, that is about 180 degrees out. They did some low-level eradication in the early days of their rise to power. However, they then realised the income they would gain from it was to valuable.

I would strongly recommend Gretchen Peters excellent (and very readable) book - Seeds of Terror: How Heroin is Bankrolling the Taliban and al Qaeda.

[PPRuNeUser0211]

T&B - my point was that there were Mils already, now there are not (well, not flying anyhow!)