[QUOTEI understand that the Government are going to insist on a whole new approach to procurement in future. In other words, BAE Systems can kiss ta ta to its favoured status. Instead of paying them huge amounts for a less than the best offering which is ; over due, over original price agreement and under spec we will in future buy the best kit going (within budget of course) straight off the the shelf. That'll be the U.S. shelf of course[/QUOTE]
I truly wish you were correct, but this sounds like total b******s - Bae has a fair amount of political clout - if I had to back BAe or Cameron to survive the next 2 years I know who I'd put my money on (at incredibly short odds too - bookmakers aren't stupid). The government might well try to act tough, but it won't work.
Despite a substantial amount of political rhetoric over decades I can't, offhand, recall a single initiative that ever delivered anything like it's promised results. You only have to look at our railroads and the NHS to get a good idea of how well things go with a bit of political input on the 'lean and mean' side.
If the government REALLY want to improve things, then the banking fiasco, bailing out our neighbours, and a good half dozen other big ticket ideas could be sorted - the defence budget is a tiny bit of our annual spend, you don't save money by watching the pennies while the pounds roll out unchecked.
Fiddling while Rome burns...
Dave