Fafner
If you're only 100 metres from the shore then I'll come and rescue in my Laser sailing dinghy! I think there might be some bigger UK registered boats and helicopters rushing to your aid as well - certainly not a job for an uber expensive sub hunter!
If the French want to help out - great, for LRSAR, but some of the more sensitive work of a UK MPA is what raises the most eyebrows. Anyway, how about a NATO MPA Force? Just a thought...and standing by for further incoming!
My feelings are that we have decided we cannot afford MPAs at the moment, so why get all parochial and not look a quick and affordable ways to plug the gaps - not get all pious with "only the Nimrod will do"?
The question we have to ask is - can we justify more cuts to education, health care, road/rail networks and policing? That's why the Nimrod has been chopped , not because of a whim of Dave, Nick and Dr Fox with his Service Chiefs. If Nu Labour had kept the UK Public Spending Credit Card in their wallet then we wouldn't be in such a mess - we never should have ordered MRA4, we couldn't afford it, just like Typhoon and CVF.
iRaven