Zhivago,
I' would be very interested in where you got your so called facts about aircrew numbers, so if you dont mind please justify you comments about crews just being shuffled to other Sqn's. Although I do think you may find this difficult.
When I first arrived at ISK, there was 29 crews (3 + 1 Sqns for those in the know) plus some others of the checking variety and training teams (not OCU) which could supplement.
Some items on this thread are peoples points of view, which is fine, but when it comes to factual errors then people who think they are in the know ought to think before pressing the submit button.
As for the groundcrew, they are a great bunch trying to do the best they can. Sadly many airframes are getting old and require more hours work on the ground for that one hour airborne. This isn't just a Nimrod problem, I would put it at the door of our Government who have delivered years of underinvestment because the MOD is not a vote winner. The NHS and Education are bottomless pits with funding, more so than the MOD, but will always be vote winners.