Govt support for Westland:
SO MUCH DAMAGED CAUSED - look at what Govt 'help' did for our amazing car industry.
It's done similar job on our beautiful aircraft industry.
Killed the UK as the main jet airline manufacturer from Comet to VC10
Look at Islander and Shorts being 'helped to death' by pro twin legislation against cessna caravan and PC12
So many firms killed, not least several helicopter manufacturers.
It's a dead end way to achieve success.
Closed shop, work to rule, establishment stitch-up (Westland), regulatory bias, subsidy, insincere specification.
BMW engines are quite reliable - would you 'risk your life' over the North Sea at the reliability level of a 2 year old 3 Series? Of course you would...
Reliability evolved through market insistence - not regulatory mandate.
Look at how successful Range Rover, Mini, Rolls Royce are now that they have escaped the National Interest curse
Maybe Westlands superb talent might have been unleashed to pass the untimate test - that of the free market.
There is a synical and incorrect assumption that the private field lacks the talent - as judged by arrogant narrow minded self satisfied civil servants and regulators.