SD, if every country went for proven, tried and tested designs 100% of the time then the production line for Spitfires would still be open.
The Yanks won't let anybody else play with their new F-22's, the British government won't invest in F-15's (and F-18's were never intended to be an air superiority fighter, they are fleet interceptors and strike a/c as I'm sure you know) so what other options did (and do) we have?
When fully operational, the Typhoon will be right up there with the very best of them. The only thing UK Defence now needs is an aircraft that is unique, that nobody else has. The US has done it (again) with F-22's. Now we need something......