To put the current situation in context; in 1919 the RAF's 188 Operational Squadrons were reduced to 12 - of which only 2 were based in the UK.
In 1945 the RAF had more than 1 million Personnel and 55000 aircraft - but by 1948 that been reduced to 38 thousand Personnel and slightly more than 1000 aircraft at home and in overseas Commands.
In both cases the prime mover was the state of the economy - as it is today. The coffers are empty and the current conflicts do not impinge on the every day life of the British Public. The current concerns for THEM are how the cuts in Public Spending will affect THEM. Students protesting about their fees get more Publicity from their actions than the Armed forces get in a month of Sundays.
The vast majority of the British Public do not understand why the British Military are in Afghanistan and the Funeral Parades through Wooton Bassett no longer make News Bulletins as a matter of course. In the eyes of many of the Public those Parades have become a matter of routine and they are more interested in who is going to win "X Factor".
Nobody in HMG makes any effort to explain to the British Public in simple terms exactly why we are in Afghanistan. Until that is done the sacrifices of British Military will not fully register on the conscience of the British People. Only then will the British Military get the Funding and Resources to carry out their roles properly.