Proon,
Re the Vulcan. As many of the pilots/navs were going to transfer to the GR1, perhaps they had to reduce the Vulcan fleet to free up crews? Other examples are perhaps minor compared to Labour’s gross fiscal / industrial incompetence in the mid 60s which forced the ‘nothing East of Suez’ mantra, mass cancellations and a whole raft of capability gaps/holidays which left the UK barely able to fight OOA in 1982. The Harrier / carrier decision in SDR10 was an ‘enforced’ gap caused by? Oh yes, more fiscal incompetence and political cowardice from Labour - the original plan was to run on both till QEC IOC to maintain skills. SDSR10 had to make tough and unpopular decisions due to the mess the EP and SP were in as Labour simply kept spending money they didn’t have between 2008-10. The Tories happily carved out a Peace Dividend in the early 90s, but I’m sure you would have supported that? We’ll agree to disagree over the merits or otherwise of Austerity; but I’m convinced it provided more headroom to cope with the current crisis than we would have had if we’d had another decade of Labour profligacy.....anyway, G&T anyone?