Serious question for those bemoaning this contractorisation of the RAF:
Why is there an objection to contractors doing this particular job?
I've not known an RAF painter and/ or finisher (genuinely) in my 22 years in the mob, every station I've worked on has had contracted painting services, so loss of this trade isn't a sudden thing by any means.
I've certainly never met an RAF painting tradesman deployed at Kabul, Basra, Baghdad etc, so what would the justification be for the service keeping this tasking as a military only role?