"What little the poor old RAF is currently capable of doesn't really merit much positive comment..." Thank you for that reasoned opinion, wageslave.
Tourist if our defence policy hinges on refighting the Falklands campaign then I agree with you. But it's pretty unlikely we'll have to -because of land based air power. For all the undoubted benefits of carriers, you don't seem prepared to acknowledge the difficulty and cost of maintaining a group on station..every drop of fuel, every bullet, every weetabix has to be got out to it. As to your hotel cost/nights on town argument -surely you're scraping the barrel? Even there, "Lusty" managed to earn some legendary tabloid column inches!