Of course the Hawk 128 decision had nothing to do whatsoever with BAES sending out letters to the workers at Brough stating that if the RAF did not buy the Hawk for AJT, then at least 500 workers would be made redundant - where is Brough - right next door to the constituency of the Deputy PM, not to mention those other 6 labour MPs who had a vested interest in keeping the people of Brough happy so they could continue to draw their salaries from the tax-payer after the last election!
What happend to the old adage that 'your weapon system is always procured from the lowest bidder' - obviously now the lowest bidder has been replaced by the 'bidder that allows the payments to be deferred the longest due to late delivery'.
Perhaps detaching a few of the DPA to the operational theatres rather than allowing them to swan about in air-con'd offices might put a bit of perspective on the matter.
SG