Yet more bad news?
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: much-soaring-in-the-clouds
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yet more bad news?
Channel 4 news has broken a story about major defence cuts to be detailed next week.
EXCLUSIVE: The government is to announce a package of defence cuts next week including the closure of at latest one RAF base and a scaling back of the British base in Cyprus, after overspending massively on large scale military construction projects. Cathy Newman reports.
EXCLUSIVE: The government is to announce a package of defence cuts next week including the closure of at latest one RAF base and a scaling back of the British base in Cyprus, after overspending massively on large scale military construction projects. Cathy Newman reports.
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 769
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Here's the link:
RAF base to close after Ministry of Defence cuts
RAF base to close after Ministry of Defence cuts
Next week's cuts will be contentious enough, but much worse is to come. Senior Whitehall sources admit the future of the Navy's two new aircraft carriers and the A400M aircraft is in doubt. Defence could face cuts of up to 16 per cent over three years because of the government's decision this week to protect spending on schools, hospitals and police.
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
Posts: 32,754
Received 2,738 Likes
on
1,166 Posts
Looks like you are up sh*t creek without a paddle....... the paddle being lost in the last round of defence cuts........... still they will be happy in Africa with our latest Billions of pounds of handouts......
Notice how the blundering buffoon mentioned the Global warming budget in Dollars today, then our Bigger than everyone elses cut in Sterling so as to make it appear smaller....... then he had the audacity to say he was commiting us to over our share of the budget in years to come.... The man wants putting in a straight jacket, still reeling over his fopar with his expenses and the painting of his shed on his second home allowance........ WTF is he being paid a second home allowance for when he has No10 ?????
Notice how the blundering buffoon mentioned the Global warming budget in Dollars today, then our Bigger than everyone elses cut in Sterling so as to make it appear smaller....... then he had the audacity to say he was commiting us to over our share of the budget in years to come.... The man wants putting in a straight jacket, still reeling over his fopar with his expenses and the painting of his shed on his second home allowance........ WTF is he being paid a second home allowance for when he has No10 ?????
Originally Posted by NutLoose
still they will be happy in Africa with our latest Billions of pounds of handouts......
And we can afford to stump up in excess of £1Bn at the drop of a hat for this EU climate change piggy bank - you know, the one where we bank roll some 3rd world dictatorship to reduce their CO2 output, but which actually goes on Presidential bling and weapons.
Time this absolute shower of sh1t were shown the door. I don't want to wait for an election - this once great nation will be little but scorched earth come next spring.
In the name of God man - Brown will you just go.
Time this absolute shower of sh1t were shown the door. I don't want to wait for an election - this once great nation will be little but scorched earth come next spring.
In the name of God man - Brown will you just go.
In the name of God man - Brown will you just go.
Much as I completely support your viewpoint regarding the one eyed Scottish idiot, do your really think that any other UK mainstream party would do anything different? WTF are "we" doing donating more money than any other European Govt when "we" are the only one still in recession?
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Devon, England
Posts: 816
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Much to my surprise tonight was the same on ITV news which stated Cottesmore as the main contender for closure but that was known.... the surprise was they mentioned Lossiemouth as a possible closure.
I thought this station was safe?
1.5 Billion quid to other countries so they go 'green' whilst slashing 6 billion of our budget.
I thought this station was safe?
1.5 Billion quid to other countries so they go 'green' whilst slashing 6 billion of our budget.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: norfolk
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
It will not be their problem after next May, what is left of them will be sat in opposition slagging the next government over increased taxes and spending cuts that have been forced on them by the one eyed snake and his lackies.
It would almost be amusing for them to be re-elected, if it would not be such a disaster for the country as a whole, exept Scotland.
It would almost be amusing for them to be re-elected, if it would not be such a disaster for the country as a whole, exept Scotland.
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Waiting to return to the Loire.
Age: 54
Posts: 386
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
With such incompetence to see a £6Bn overspend, should not the person(s) responsible for blowing the budget so outrageously not be disciplined?
Oh, would that not be at Ministerial level perhaps?
Off to the Lords then.
Oh, would that not be at Ministerial level perhaps?
Off to the Lords then.
With such incompetence to see a £6Bn overspend, should not the person(s) responsible for blowing the budget so outrageously not be disciplined?
Oh, would that not be at Ministerial level perhaps?
Off to the Lords then.
Oh, would that not be at Ministerial level perhaps?
Off to the Lords then.
I generally take a more benign view of Ministers. After all, the reason they become MPs is because they are sod all use at anything else; and becoming a Minister or Lord means they haven't learnt anything so can't be set loose in the real world again.
Nevertheless, Moonie, Ingram, Caplin and Ainsworth have all confirmed they are content with the level of deliberate waste in MoD so, yes, I'd say they have attained the necessary level of incompetence to become Lords. (One already is. Have a look at his list of Directorships).
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Falmouth
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The RAF has 57 bases around the UK
If one RAF base were to close that would mean that each base was home to 20 aircraft.
There are 44,300 people in the RAF which means that each base is home to 778 people.
If one RAF base were to close that would mean that each base would be home to 791 people.
Whilst I for one would not want to see any airfield close, using those figures you can see how the bean-counters work.
I'm sure that the FDR will be far reaching and will be very painful. However, I am not concerned much about airfields or bases or ships or aircraft but what does concern me is jobs. The FDR will introduce some very scathing cuts to our people. Compulsory redundancies are going to hurt.
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Nr.EGHI, UK
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
........... still they will be happy in Africa with our latest Billions of pounds of handouts......
Then there's the rest of the overseas DEVELOPMENT aid pot - more like funding for Merc's and Single Malt's....
Not forgetting the GBP 40 Million PER DAY - GBP 65 Million from April '10 - to the Bureaupean Protection Scam...
Vec....
What makes you think there will be compulsory redundancies?
Given that redundancies, if there are any, will probably not be announced until after the election (May/June 10) in order to save political face, and the MOD will take at least 6 months to sort it out, we will be talking about people leaving in late 10 or early 11.
If, and it might well be a big if, the economy is picking up by then, and the employment market is better, there are probably sufficient people who have had enough of a military being hacked to pieces, and the prospect of at least 3 years with at best a 1% pay rise (almost certainly effectively a pay cut), to allow for voluntary redundancies to fulfil any requirement to decrease personnel.
In order to "spin" any reductions in numbers both the politicians and MOD will look at all other alternatives - reductions in recruiting, reducing re-engagements and extensions and voluntary redundancies - before they resort to compulsory dismissals. It makes them "look" like a more caring employer!
Or are you hinting that the manpower reductions required will be so HUGE that only compulsory redundancies will provide the numbers required?
Personally I have no doubt that there will be reductions in personnel, as to the numbers involved.....who knows?
What makes you think there will be compulsory redundancies?
Given that redundancies, if there are any, will probably not be announced until after the election (May/June 10) in order to save political face, and the MOD will take at least 6 months to sort it out, we will be talking about people leaving in late 10 or early 11.
If, and it might well be a big if, the economy is picking up by then, and the employment market is better, there are probably sufficient people who have had enough of a military being hacked to pieces, and the prospect of at least 3 years with at best a 1% pay rise (almost certainly effectively a pay cut), to allow for voluntary redundancies to fulfil any requirement to decrease personnel.
In order to "spin" any reductions in numbers both the politicians and MOD will look at all other alternatives - reductions in recruiting, reducing re-engagements and extensions and voluntary redundancies - before they resort to compulsory dismissals. It makes them "look" like a more caring employer!
Or are you hinting that the manpower reductions required will be so HUGE that only compulsory redundancies will provide the numbers required?
Personally I have no doubt that there will be reductions in personnel, as to the numbers involved.....who knows?
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 769
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vec,
Sometimes your simple view of life staggers me! So I'm being generous and assuming that you've got your tongue firmly in your cheek and have your fishing line firmly in both hands.
But just in case any innocent people are taken in by your post, I have to point out that quite few of the "57 RAF bases" actually have aircraft based at them. Which just goes to show what a large contribution RAF personnel make to defence overall.
If you count the red RAF Flying Stations on this link, you'll see that there are only 19, and I think even that is out of date.
To get a real idea of what RAF personnel get up to at many of the non-flying "RAF Bases", try clicking on some of the blue circles on the map. Start with the one on the south coast, just above the Isle of Wight. You should read the following:
Please note that it's not even an MOD establishment! Neither are many other of the so-called "RAF Stations" on that link.
So Vec, the number of 57 RAF bases is just spin to make the loss of another RAF airfield seem not so important (if that's what's going to be announced next week). You haven't been taken in have you?
Sometimes your simple view of life staggers me! So I'm being generous and assuming that you've got your tongue firmly in your cheek and have your fishing line firmly in both hands.
But just in case any innocent people are taken in by your post, I have to point out that quite few of the "57 RAF bases" actually have aircraft based at them. Which just goes to show what a large contribution RAF personnel make to defence overall.
If you count the red RAF Flying Stations on this link, you'll see that there are only 19, and I think even that is out of date.
To get a real idea of what RAF personnel get up to at many of the non-flying "RAF Bases", try clicking on some of the blue circles on the map. Start with the one on the south coast, just above the Isle of Wight. You should read the following:
LATCC(Mil), an Air Command Unit which is embedded within the London Area Control Centre. It is the home of the London Area Control Centre (LACC). It is a civilian establishment run by the National Air Traffic Services (NATS), with military Air Traffic Control staff working alongside civilian colleagues in a joint civil/military radar operations room. The controllers are responsible for the safe and expeditious passage of aircraft flying over England, Wales and their associated coastal waters.
So Vec, the number of 57 RAF bases is just spin to make the loss of another RAF airfield seem not so important (if that's what's going to be announced next week). You haven't been taken in have you?
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Falmouth
Posts: 1,651
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Personally I have no doubt that there will be reductions in personnel, as to the numbers involved.....who knows?
I'm certain Vec was just offering a possible insight into the way a bean-counter's mind works, not actually trying to suggest this is the way we should be thinking....!
As far as closing airfields goes, if it's not Wainfleet they're referring to, what else is seriously in the firing line? How about Wittering? An airfield with lots of ground units, but just one flying squadron? Must be room for 20(R) to move to Cottesmore?
As far as closing airfields goes, if it's not Wainfleet they're referring to, what else is seriously in the firing line? How about Wittering? An airfield with lots of ground units, but just one flying squadron? Must be room for 20(R) to move to Cottesmore?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Now lets play Heinz.
Name 57 RAF bases. Only rule, they must be bases without any aircraft squadrons based there.
Starter for 10, Digby.
