Please pay attention children! My point was that if Coastal Command had been a RN command from the outset instead of RAF, there is no certainty that it would have ended up going down the ultimately disastrous Nimrod path anyway. More likely that they would have followed the example of other friendly navies, operated Orion or Atlantique and now be introducing P8 into service.
Utter hoop! Ultimately flawed? The MR1/MR2 worked pretty well for 40 years. At the end it was the most capable MPA in the world. There was no way that Atlantique was ever going to be chosen. In fact there were a number of UK designs that scored better, including the Trident-based MPA, ahead of Atlantique in the queue.
I worked in MoD when a lot of the QEC work was being done and saw what the RN CoC traded out to protect the carriers. Anyone wondered why there are so few Astute boats and T45s? The RN mortgaged their future on QEC. There is no reason to believe they would have been any more keen to protect (the seriously flawed - Sorry Betty) MRA4. Mind you, the RAF has done the same with its FJ sqns with the stupendously expensive F-35.
Pigeons, home, roost!