It's not just the political snouts in the troughs. Look at our businesses bidding for Government contracts. If you take the carriers ALLEGEDLY:
1. We order 2 huge carriers well over budget from a UK company.
2. We decide that we should buy VSTOL to support British engine makers and the same UK company that has a larger share in the VSTOL version than the conventional version.
3. The Government decide that the VSTOL version is going to be too expensive, with less capability and more expensive to operate. It orders a switch to 'cats and traps'.
4. The same UK company decides that it will lose too much business switching from VSTOL to conventional and so it raises the amount of money the conversion will actually cost to 'cats and traps'.
5. The Government has to reverse the decision and pay for the same UK company for the work they did for the 'cats and traps' work.
6. The UK company then use any spare capacity designed into the ship (wiring looms and conduits) to ensure that it is the VSTOL version or nothing.
If 80% is true then it is a scandal. If 50% is true its shocking. If 20% is true they are still troughing!
LJ
