England V Wales
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 96
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
England V Wales
Cosford's big try for the MoD goal
RAF Cosford is ready to do political battle with our Welsh neighbours to become home for armed services training.
John Hipwood reports
Mar 10, 2006
http://www.expressandstar.com/articl...icle_87857.php
Think of England versus Wales, and most people's minds nowadays would turn to Twickenham or the Millennium Stadium where the battle for supremacy in the Six Nations rugby union championship is fought each year.
But this year a new contest is being waged at Westminster and on the airfields of Shropshire and the Vale of Glamorgan - Cosford vs St Athan.
RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton - pushing for an English victory in the battle to become home of the armed services combined training establishment
On one side of the border is a formidable team which includes the Welsh Assembly, the Welsh Development Agency, local authorities and MPs from South Wales.
On the other, Shropshire County Council, Telford & Wrekin Borough Council, Bridgnorth District Council, Advantage West Midlands, Wolverhampton City Council and Wolverhampton University are scrummaging together to push for an English victory.
They are being assisted by an unusual coalition at Westminster. Unusual in that Labour and Tory MPs are overtly working together instead of trying to score political points against each other.
Not that this should be surprising. They are, after all, campaigning for the good of the area, for jobs and for an economic lifeline which could bring in billions of pounds of investment.
The prize of becoming the new home of the armed services combined training establishment has concentrated minds across parliamentary constituencies like no other single issue since the collapse of MG Rover.
In recent weeks, MPs have bombarded ministers with parliamentary questions, lobbied ministers in the Commons tea room and corridors, and been briefed by the regional development agency, Wolverhampton University and the MC3 Cosford consortium.
MPs have set out their case before Defence Secretary John Reid in his Whitehall office, and generally not missed an opportunity to press the Cosford argument.
At the same time, of course, MPs from South Wales have mounted a similar offensive on behalf of St Athan, which is in the process of losing 500 jobs through the withdrawal of fast jet maintenance from the base.
Not wishing to tread on the military boots of the Ministry of Defence, which will make the choice between Cosford and St Athan, the Welsh Assembly Government approaches the issue carefully.
"The Welsh Assembly Government, working together with its Team Wales partners, is committed to bringing new commercial and other MoD contracts to St Athan and the adjoining Welsh Development Agency-owned aviation park," said a spokesman.
But it would be strange in the extreme if the Cardiff assembly wasn't batting hard for St Athan and the huge economic boost that the award of the contract would bring.
RAF Cosford lies in the parliamentary constituency of The Wrekin, but the impact of a successful bid (and, unfortunately, an unsuccessful one) would spread like a sonic boom from an airforce jet fighter.
Mark Pritchard, Tory MP for The Wrekin, said that a good working relationship has been created among MPs in the area to win the bid. "The Government says it wants more efficient, effective defence training, but my suspicion is that this is estates-led, and they will take the view of what's the most profitable site to sell off - Cosford or St Athan," he said.
"It should be pointed out that the majority of the Cosford site is green belt land so it would not be acceptable to sell it off for housing," he added.
Mr Pritchard is also worried about the resources those backing the St Athan case can call upon - the Welsh Assembly, the Welsh Development Agency and the rest.
"Shropshire should be given a level playing field, and taxpayers' money should not be used to promote the Welsh bid to the disadvantage of Cosford, which does not have the same access to public funds.
"It's right that more jobs should be moved from London to the regions. Wales has had its fair share of government jobs in recent years. Good for Wales, but now we need some good news for Shropshire," said the Conservative MP.
Equally vocal on Cosford's behalf has been Pat McFadden, Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, who was quick to recognise the importance to the wider area of a winning bid.
"This campaign is supported by MPs right across the parties as well as local authorities, the regional development agency, educational institutions and the business community," he said.
"Both South Wales and Shropshire can justifiably argue that they have had significant defence job losses, but I don't think this should be won on an auction of past pain.
"The Ministry of Defence will take a cold, hard look at what both regions are offering and decide what's best for future defence training," said Mr McFadden.
This England vs Wales match is due to run for some time yet, following last week's decision by the Ministry of Defence to defer a decision from July until later in the year while the Ministry of Defence spends more time looking at the two bids.
Just one more point of interest in the titanic struggle. The minister at the heart of it all is Don Touhig, MP for Neil Kinnock's old constituency of Islwyn in South Wales.
Not that he could possibly be biased, of course.
RAF Cosford is ready to do political battle with our Welsh neighbours to become home for armed services training.
John Hipwood reports
Mar 10, 2006
http://www.expressandstar.com/articl...icle_87857.php
Think of England versus Wales, and most people's minds nowadays would turn to Twickenham or the Millennium Stadium where the battle for supremacy in the Six Nations rugby union championship is fought each year.
But this year a new contest is being waged at Westminster and on the airfields of Shropshire and the Vale of Glamorgan - Cosford vs St Athan.
RAF Cosford, near Wolverhampton - pushing for an English victory in the battle to become home of the armed services combined training establishment
On one side of the border is a formidable team which includes the Welsh Assembly, the Welsh Development Agency, local authorities and MPs from South Wales.
On the other, Shropshire County Council, Telford & Wrekin Borough Council, Bridgnorth District Council, Advantage West Midlands, Wolverhampton City Council and Wolverhampton University are scrummaging together to push for an English victory.
They are being assisted by an unusual coalition at Westminster. Unusual in that Labour and Tory MPs are overtly working together instead of trying to score political points against each other.
Not that this should be surprising. They are, after all, campaigning for the good of the area, for jobs and for an economic lifeline which could bring in billions of pounds of investment.
The prize of becoming the new home of the armed services combined training establishment has concentrated minds across parliamentary constituencies like no other single issue since the collapse of MG Rover.
In recent weeks, MPs have bombarded ministers with parliamentary questions, lobbied ministers in the Commons tea room and corridors, and been briefed by the regional development agency, Wolverhampton University and the MC3 Cosford consortium.
MPs have set out their case before Defence Secretary John Reid in his Whitehall office, and generally not missed an opportunity to press the Cosford argument.
At the same time, of course, MPs from South Wales have mounted a similar offensive on behalf of St Athan, which is in the process of losing 500 jobs through the withdrawal of fast jet maintenance from the base.
Not wishing to tread on the military boots of the Ministry of Defence, which will make the choice between Cosford and St Athan, the Welsh Assembly Government approaches the issue carefully.
"The Welsh Assembly Government, working together with its Team Wales partners, is committed to bringing new commercial and other MoD contracts to St Athan and the adjoining Welsh Development Agency-owned aviation park," said a spokesman.
But it would be strange in the extreme if the Cardiff assembly wasn't batting hard for St Athan and the huge economic boost that the award of the contract would bring.
RAF Cosford lies in the parliamentary constituency of The Wrekin, but the impact of a successful bid (and, unfortunately, an unsuccessful one) would spread like a sonic boom from an airforce jet fighter.
Mark Pritchard, Tory MP for The Wrekin, said that a good working relationship has been created among MPs in the area to win the bid. "The Government says it wants more efficient, effective defence training, but my suspicion is that this is estates-led, and they will take the view of what's the most profitable site to sell off - Cosford or St Athan," he said.
"It should be pointed out that the majority of the Cosford site is green belt land so it would not be acceptable to sell it off for housing," he added.
Mr Pritchard is also worried about the resources those backing the St Athan case can call upon - the Welsh Assembly, the Welsh Development Agency and the rest.
"Shropshire should be given a level playing field, and taxpayers' money should not be used to promote the Welsh bid to the disadvantage of Cosford, which does not have the same access to public funds.
"It's right that more jobs should be moved from London to the regions. Wales has had its fair share of government jobs in recent years. Good for Wales, but now we need some good news for Shropshire," said the Conservative MP.
Equally vocal on Cosford's behalf has been Pat McFadden, Labour MP for Wolverhampton South East, who was quick to recognise the importance to the wider area of a winning bid.
"This campaign is supported by MPs right across the parties as well as local authorities, the regional development agency, educational institutions and the business community," he said.
"Both South Wales and Shropshire can justifiably argue that they have had significant defence job losses, but I don't think this should be won on an auction of past pain.
"The Ministry of Defence will take a cold, hard look at what both regions are offering and decide what's best for future defence training," said Mr McFadden.
This England vs Wales match is due to run for some time yet, following last week's decision by the Ministry of Defence to defer a decision from July until later in the year while the Ministry of Defence spends more time looking at the two bids.
Just one more point of interest in the titanic struggle. The minister at the heart of it all is Don Touhig, MP for Neil Kinnock's old constituency of Islwyn in South Wales.
Not that he could possibly be biased, of course.
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Cottam Tower
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It's all in the name
But it's DCAE Cosford - which is, apparently, 'Home of RAF Cosford', you can just make it out on the sign in the photo (if you look hard enough). And the reason for the change of the name is......?
Red On, Green On
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Between the woods and the water
Age: 24
Posts: 6,487
Likes: 0
Received 2 Likes
on
2 Posts
Originally Posted by junglyAEO
God forbid we close an RAF station - what would all those Gp Capts do?
jungly
jungly
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: South Wales
Age: 63
Posts: 729
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
[QUOTE]
"The Ministry of Defence will take a cold, hard look at what both regions are offering and decide what's best for future defence training," said Mr McFadden".
Yea! Right. and who here believes that.
"The Ministry of Defence will take a cold, hard look at what both regions are offering and decide what's best for future defence training," said Mr McFadden".
Yea! Right. and who here believes that.
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Cosford
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Why DCAE ? its simple
The reason is simple. Having sold off the family silver we are now reduced to sitting with a begging bowl. We are so skint that we are selling courses to every man and his camel. DCAE stands for Defence College for Arab Engineering, our mission is to train tomorrow's enemy today.
Defence College for Arab Engineering
Let's see......... If they apply their hard earned knowledge as well as those I was supposed to help train, them I'm sure we have nothing to fear!
Let's just say there were some of the most brave aircrew I've ever met out there before it was fashionable to go to the desert.
I quote " Allah has control"
" No he Feckin doesn't, you do, now put your hand back on the stick"
