I think we all agree that getting rid of the Arrows will make zero difference to the guys and girls on the front line, or indeed anywhere else in our Armed Services. It will simply enable to government to say that they have saved another few million pounds and fund another crazy idea to save the Barking Toad or whatever (sorry - Derek & Clive!)
And whilst I can see that getting rid of them might embarrass the government significantly (or at least should do), that is not the way to do it. Once they have gone, that's it, they are gone for ever! Which is one of the reasons why I continually groan on about our VSOs doing and saying absolutely nothing in public about the cuts.
Has anyone on PPrune heard a single RAF VSO stand up in public and critisised the decision to get rid of Nimrod? or Harrier? or even made a faintest public statement about our Forces being at breaking point because of continuous cuts??
The answer is NO. The VSO's have done and said nothing at all, and it is for that reason I believe that Joe Public thinks all is well, certainly with the RAF. My colleagues in the civilian aviation world continually ask why the RAF doesn't have any leaders with ba££s enough to tell the public how it really is, and I think that is our biggest problem.
Getting rid of the Arrows will of course save money, but it will be negligeable in the overall scheme of things. It might embarrass the government for about half a second - but no more. If they are happy to get rid of the Ark, then they will have no shame or concern about binning anything frankly, including the Arrows. I suspect that even they might appreciate however, that getting rid of them will effectively achieve nothing.