Cottesmore to close

[NURSE]

The BBC has just announced Cottesmore closure

[WildRover]

Unbelievable, Cottesmore has had millions and millions spent on it.

Is it the final nail or is it on Care & Maintenance?

This government needs to be told a few facts of life by the military.

[KarlADrage]

Still unconfirmed but surely if, as the Beeb are suggesting, the Force is to relocate to Wittering, we must be looking at the loss of at least two Squadrons - unless of course the RN are to ship the NSW off to Yeovilton?

[WildRover]

To pay for helicopters according to the BBC.

BBC News - Job cut fears as new Chinooks ordered for Afghanistan

To pay for helicopters in a conflict that Bush's lapdog got us into for no other purpose than to back up Bush in the UN.

[Hamish 123]

In five year's time, the RAF's available fixed wing strike/AD capability will be the equivalent of something like a single US marine squadron.

[Duckandcover]

I don't think it's melodramatic for me to now conclude that at 31, I may actually live to see the UK Defence Force.

If that...

[XV490]

This government needs to be told a few facts of life by the military.

Yep - I reckon the rumoured closure is based purely on the facility sounding, to the hatchet squad, like "RAF Costsmore".

[OCCWMF]

Someone probably noticed that the quality of life was too good. What with pleasant local villages/town, good transport links it was a sure thing it would close.

[Blacksheep]

I was in the local government offices this morning to sort out an Inland Revenue demand for National Insurance payments that I had already made. There was a young foreign woman in there, accompanied by her social worker, to complain about her free school dinners being withdrawn. There is a high rise apartment block in the town centre that is completely occupied by "asylum seekers" and "travellers". It often seems to me that the reason we can't afford to pay for the primary services of state - Defence, Law Enforcement and Public Health - is because so much of our taxes are used to pay for services to the ever growing underclass formed by economic migrants and our own "single-mothers" and dole dependant drop-outs. In several years of working in other people's countries I have yet to find a single one that provided non-citizens with free health care, free education, or indeed free anything. We've becoma a paradise for parasites to the extent that we can no longer defend our shores - despite our government's penchant for interfering in other countries' internal affairs.

I'm out of breath; Rant over.

P.S. and they still want me to pay four years' N.I. contributions a second time unless I can find the P60s from 1989-1993. You've all kept yours of course, haven't you?

[dctyke]

You never know, the Indians might take Harriers instead of the £835 Million we are giving them in aid....................

[The Gorilla]

Careful, if you start talking about uncontrolled mass economic immigration the noo labour supporters will accuse you of being a serial racist and demand your immediate arrest.

Multiculturalism is good for us don't you know, but I will have my revenge at the ballot box next year!

[Hamish 123]

I wouldn't be so sure . . . . the way the opinion polls are moving (and I can't quite believe this considering what this government has screwed up), it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Labour could get back in.

[Navaleye]

You can thank the last CAS for this. His lack of commitment to JFH made this inevitable. More to come across all three services.

[teeteringhead]

You never know, the Indians might take Harriers instead of the £835 Million we are giving them in aid...................

... remind me again ... why are we giving aid to a country that can afford a space programme

[XL319]

This is disgusting.....playing with people's jobs and careers like a game of monopoly. Lets hope we have a change of Government and soon to (hopefully) overturn this. Coltishall, now Cottesmore .... lets just close them all . I'm sure there is other cost cutting measures which could take place. It's going to effect the local economy, both civvy and military. DISGRACE!!!!

Do we need these extra Chinnooks? Considering Merlins have just been sent over.

[Al R]

Shocking news for a small local economy, although I expect the quarters will stay open until Harrier finally waves goodbye. Didn't 1(F) move from Witt in the first place, because there was no room? Can someone explain how sending more of them back, when there are so many more ground units there anyway, make things easier?

So.. is locking one front gate, chopping a few jobs, a couple of Sqns and a ship really going to pay for this new ability? Come on, what are the true cuts? I expect the news will be filtered out quietly over time. Anyway, one good aspect to come out of Harriers going 'home' is that these whining cnuts will be really dripping tonight.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Lincolnshire | Couple win jet noise claim

[Braddersb]

Is there nothing that can be done to highlight this seemingly unfair situation. Seeing as the current government only invests when pressured by the media/public, short of going on strike is there anything that can be done to raise publicity about this issue???

[orca]

Interesting that the war cry appears to be 'cut stuff to fund Afghanistan' but the two FJ types to get hit are the ones that have served in that theatre.

[4321]

Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Equipment and Logistics | Defence Budget reprioritised to support Afghanistan operation

From our own website (or should I say labour propoganda site). Not my bag, but if the MR2 is out in 2010 and the MRa4 is not in until 2012 (?) then what will all those guys do and what about a significant capability gap/skill fade or have I missed a "cunning plan"?
Appreciate Afghan is the main effort now, but yet again short termism (media pleasing) will be regreted before too long. Taxi anyone?

[higthepig]

I wonder, is the MP for Rutland (covering Cottesmore) a Conservative and the MP for Grantham and Stamford Labour, or am I too cynical?