I think the Reds have probably paid for themselves many times over as a result of defence exports and international trade that they promote.
Completely unquantifiable of course, but at least if it was 4 Typhoons (a) it would be 4 more Typhoons that us taxpayers bought which might actually fly instead of spending their entire career in a hangar at Shawbury, (b) the pilots concerned would be doing a legitimate job in addition to practising aeros and (c) we could close Scampton at last.
That's of course if you buy the line that the people responsible for bankers wrecking the economy are the public sector....
NS