As Alistair Darling said in May 2010:
Message to new minister: ‘There’s no money – good luck!’
Actually the note was left by Liam Byrne, Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
How long before we see Cameron on arrival at Northolt or Heathrow waving a document saying "Peace in our time" ?
The Coalition inherited a country in chaos, an in-tray full of demands for payment and an empty safe.
Likewise, the Good Mr Osborne hasn't made any of the decisions on cutting pilots. He has informed the MOD of how much less they have to spend, and asked them to cut their cloth accordingly.
The blame for the cuts lies with the previous 'government', and it is the Senior Officers and CS who have decided where the axe will fall.
How does this compare with the number of Group Captains and Air Ranks?
There are roughly 300 odd Gp Capt, and 100+ Air Ranks. Obviously for our 300+ stations!