....it would look bad for the next term if the pollies were faced with another "Nimrod" incident. Well done TD,Tuc,Distant Voice et all.
This may seem harsh, but it seems clear that there is some truth in the fact that the campaigning has had a bearing on the political (rather than engineering) decisions being made here.
Winco: If ever there was a case of someone shooting the messengers, then your ignorant rant is just that.
I recall you were one of the major critics (of pretty much everything) during earlier Nimrod discussions, and it was clear from very early on that some of the MoD decision making was starting to be influenced by public opinion and perception, rather than cold risk based engineering decisions. I remember mentioning at the time that this could result in more waste and "new initiatives" that would deflect from core engineering values. I offer no defence for the failings that HC highlighted, but feel strongly that ALL participants should be accountable for the situation we have infront of us wrt to MRA4.
My point is that you cannot now pretend to be a mere "messenger", if you have been involved in the verciferous attacks on Nimrod safety and have abused some of the evidence present (e.g. at best misinformed, or worst willful, misqouting of a QQ safety report, to the extent that SNP politicians were using it for political gain) to drive home your attack. This has affected decision making and has contributed to the decision to cancel MRA4.
Many rant and rave on here about making VSOs et al responsible - but seem to shy away from any accountability for your own actions. You may protest that you had no idea/intention that this would be the outcome of your actions, but that doesn't mean you didn't have an effect.
You have played a part in the cancellation of MRA4.