The Government is obliged to look at a much wider picture, not least in terms of the political fallout and the amount of money being spent.
True. Governments often stay in power when they lose the war, no matter what war. You can look it up in that history book you tout.
Surely you must be able to grasp that it's really not about technical performance figures?
So, it's about having what you can afford not what will win?
Say, how'd that Boulton-Paul Defiant work out for you? Funny how examples of 'wider' picture procurement are so often tossed aside once shooting starts.
Would you be willing to tell the widows of the casualties of why their loved one went to battle in a cobbled together jet? If you were a politician, could you stand the heat?
See the first line above.
Not to mention that your answer to the questions posed regarding your qualifications were all resounding 'no's.'