To my mind (a small thing) this thread portrays all that is wrong with the RAF. Petty bickering, sniping at the other two services, and a pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face. Will we be 'chopped'? Probably. Is it a good idea? An unquantifiable failure of defence is just that-unquantifiable. Until it's too late of course.
Unfortunately there are no votes in defence. As long as Joe public can carry on as normal and there is no tangible effect on their lives the government of the day will look to the MoD first. Unfortunately this will only prove to be a bad idea in the face of an attack (internal or external) at that point it will be too late. The real shame is that after decades of underfunding we couldn't defend ourselves against a concerted attack from another nation state anyway. The government must know this therefore what's more cuts to an already dying animal?