I agree it is shameful the way this magnificent machine of war is being allowed to deteriorate to the point that soon the H&S world will demand its destruction.
Truth is, these days the bean counters hold sway, and to refurbish the airframe to a half decent standard is going to cost. That means budget holders will have to give up something towards the cost. And their attitude is bound to be 'why should they'?
There is little enough money to go round to do the primary job these days.
This government has decimated the Armed Forces to the lowest point ever in its history. They will point to the massive increase in capability of modern aircraft and weapon systems requiring less assests, but what they have not taken into account is attrition. If I have 100 Spitfires and lose 5 to enemy ground action, that's 5% loss. If I only have 10 Harriers at Kandahar and the terrorists take out 5 in a raid on the airfield, that's 50%. It's not rocket science, and whilst 5 Spitfires could be built as replacements in a few weeks or months, 5 Harriers would take how long? - assuming that British Waste of Space still had the capability to build from scratch.
They say history has a habit of repeating itself - remember the 1930's...