Winco,
I agree that things are becoming too heated and understand that now we have answers regarding what happened last September, the next question will inevitably be "who do we blame?"
Nimrod engineers are understandably concerned about this, and unfortunate phases like "shoddy maintenance" do not help to allay their fears. I have no doubt that this statement was directed at policy rather than line engineers.
As far as comments from Jimmy Jones are concerned, I agree, in the main, with DeepGE. Although Jimmy's motives are entirely honourable, statements such as, the Nimrod, "...is being flown in conditions that are much harsher than it was designed for", even though the Nimrod has operated from the Middle East for more than 20 years, are clouding the perception of the public. In addition, his statement in the Times that, "If the MoD had acted on BAE Systems’ recommendations, those 14 crew members would still be alive today" cannot be substantiated and is conjecture. I do not remember any reports from BAe contesting the NSC.
As I have previously stated, credible technical comments can only come from those who routinely operate and service the aircraft. However, general Flight Safety issues, such as those tabled by Nige and Tuc are, in my opinion both valid and necessary for an objective argument.