Its a disgraceful decision. RTE should run archive material of Smith interviews after the Tramore crash, and follow them with his pious retort today. Its easy to trounce the Air Corps when you are starting a new five year term in office. That helicopter deal was announced on the back of the deaths of four aircrew on a beach in Waterford. How quickly they choose to forget.
"Carry on Gentlemen" in your outdated, ill equipped short range Dauphin. We know you will because you cant answer back. Stand aside while we sell your asses right out from under you.
Its three years since those four fine guys died in Tramore, almost to the day. I know that the families worked hard, in both printed and aired media to fight for something to show for their sons-brothers-fathers deaths. All of that is now for nothing.
It would not surprise me at all if this whole charade was a set up from the beginning. Tarnish the tender deal with some insider dealing - Endure the suit filings, and finally pull the plug. Its quite frankly, disgusting. It does nothing but sink the morale of the Air Corps even further into the dark ages.
What about Price Waterhouse ???
This Government has danced around the issue of SAR in this country for far too long. Its about simple economics.
EQUIP THE AIR CORPS WITH A SAR FLEET, spend 100m or more doing it, and they will, let me tell you Sir, they will serve for decades. They will repay that initial outlay in spades. In 10 years time, that 100m will seem like pennys for the value this country would receive in a first class SAR service, but no......
Instead, why not just fork out 10-15 million a year to a foriegn company and rent the service instead - ad infinitum, index linked, in fact in 10 years time CHC will probably be charging 100m a year !!
Yep, sounds like common sense economics to me. They are simply not going to do that because 5 years is too short in politics, Joe Public would never forgive them, and Joe has a long memory. They will throw the Air Corps crumbs to subsist, because Joe would not like to see the Corps die either. Let them plod away in the North West in their Dauphin, and sure, wont we give them a nice brand spanking new ministerial jet in the meantime. That should keep them busy !
Apologies - had to vent this frustration somewhere !!!!!
I lost four good friends in Tramore. This decision tells those men and their families that nothing came from their deaths. There was a glimmer, but it has sadly gone.
Thank you minister
"Carry on Gentlemen, carry on into the deep blue yonder"