I was never able to comprehend the long-standing policy for RAF Stations to be located as far from the civilized world as possible.
The STOVL chaps were delighted, no doubt, to hear that they will be leaving the armpit of England (and I include the entire East Anglian region- bloody cabbage-farming inbreds) only to find that they will be packed off to the two most isolated flying stations on the UK mainland, which will continue to be occupied ad nauseum. If that's not bad enough, they'll be stuck up there surrounded by drunken Porridge Wogs. The singlies will be crying for the fleshpots of Peterborough within a month, mark my words. Meanwhile, the married chaps can expect all manner of grief from Sunray Domestic about how far away from the in-law's/ friends/ decent shopping etc. they are.
In Wales- the Head Shed decides to all but shut down St Athan, just 15 mins by car from the M4 and Cardiff, but for God's sake, they have to hang on to Valley! It seems to me that the only people who get to live anywhere decent these days are the truckies and blunties.
When, exactly, did the primary purpose of HM Forces become being a subsidy and de facto jobs programme for rural backwaters whose only notable assets are lots of big rocks and thousands of sheep?
Last edited by Washington_Irving; 17th Nov 2005 at 09:18.