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.

That'll be Wainfleet then?

At last the minister got yo see the paper?

Here's the link:

RAF base to close after Ministry of Defence cuts

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 ?????

I see the one-eyed monster was over in Europe today proclaiming the fact that the UK overseas aid budget isn't being cut - all £8bn of it :ugh:

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.

Melchy

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?:ugh::ugh:

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.

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.

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.

On the Air side (as this is an aviation forum) the two main "culprits" from my viewpoint are retired. One was a Knight before taking up post, the other made CB in-post, having been blamed, but not named, for the "gold standard cock-up" (Chinook Mk3).

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).

The RAF operate 1100 Aircraft which means that each base is home to 19 aircraft.

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.

Don't forget India. How many 'carriers, P8's, etc., are they buying?

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?

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?

Very true...Who knows. However, I have heard rumour that the redundancy package is very attractive. So much so that a good friend of mine who is very senior and a complete "lifer" is seriously considering banging out and taking the money.

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?

True, to a point, but Collyweston might be the stumbling block there and its proximity to North Luffenham.

Now lets play Heinz.

Name 57 RAF bases. Only rule, they must be bases without any aircraft squadrons based there.

Starter for 10, Digby.

St Athan.

And wtf is Wainfleet. I did the 80s and never heard of it!

CG

CG

Bombing range on the east coast (Wash). And its closure has already happened (or is very close to happening)!