David Davis demanded RAF plane for Brexit talks.
 

David Davis 'demanded private RAF plane for Brexit talks' | The Independent

A linky to story about the minister for negotiations and chaos asking for a lift. Well,maybe its not an unreasonable request. A Fairey Battle would have been about right, possibly. 3 seater wasnt it?
Whats the true story, G men? What does he fly about in?

Presumably because if anyone else on board recognised the wretched Davis, who has all the reasoned bargaining power of a slimy secondhand car dealer, they'd have a few words to say to him?

Davis, Johnson and Gove - what a trio Mother MayDay has in her (temporary) government...

Barnier must have the patience of a saint to deal with DD!

That's what I thought 32 Sqn's job was.

To be fair he had a point. He is a minister doing work on our behalf. Give him a...Herc? Merlin?

How about a Lancaster bomber? :E

Get the Lanc out the hanger, even better if they have a few meetings over Merkel's way!

That rather rules out DD then...

I knew there was a reason the RAF should have kept at least one Anson.

A pusser's travel warrant. 4 per year only, not valid via London stations and by cheapest route possible. Now that would make him sit up.

Cheap shots, chaps. As Fareastdriver highlighted, that's what 32 is all about.

The fact that there are some arssseholes in Government is not a topic for Military Aviation, even if one of them is my MP..

It would seem perfectly reasonable to me for the RAF to provide transport for a senior minister who is engaged in difficult negotiation but, of course, that wouldn't be The Indy view, would it?

Would it be cheaper if he didn't have to take a 146 and had a nice little exec jet to fly?

Is it only in the UK that providing transport to senior Govt is seen as wasteful?

As it was the 'Independent' dead tree press (It doesn't seem to match the definition of the Trade Descriptions Act) I'm pretty sure the wording that should have been used was 'requested' and not 'demanded'.

I can see him pulling up in the provided Grob.

What are the aircraft doing that's more important to the UK than these negotiations?

BEagle,

You are becoming rather tiresome. The question was a valid one about ministerial rights, do you really have to use it as an opportunity to flog your increasingly turgid agenda?

Couldnt he just get the train?

I agree with the plane BTW, it allows for being able to commute to meeting without being limited to train timetables, the question is why are we having to go there and not a 50 / 50 split. You are always in a weaker position in the other guys home turf so to speak, as they are controlling the agenda.

Without getting too political, as soon as we agreed to pay a 'leaving bill' they controlled the agenda.

He's a minister, ministers are entitled, its in the rules. End of. There should be no griping, the RAF carries them according to order, it should have no opinion about this it is the government's business.

Flap62
 

You took the words out of my mouth.

Beagle

Thank goodness you and your like were either not around or seen off in 1940 - otherwise we would all be speaking German now.

For goodness sake man, the country has voted democratically to leave the wretched EU, it is about time you supported the choice!

A 52/48 split based on lies misdirection and bull**** is not what I'd call democratic

The whole thing is a shambles and will send us into a huge recession to sate the needs of the little englanders......

@@@@@@@ marvellous

We who didn't want this will keep reminding you of this when we are an offshore tax haven with no NHS, schools or public services, a military that can fit every person into a tennis court and lots of homeless

But the rich will be fine

Today it's David Davis, but it wasn't so long ago (well twelve years to be exact) that The Independent was complaining about Margaret Beckett the then Environment Minister who was given the sobriquet 'Air-Miles Margaret' for overusing 32 Sqn for her jaunts around Europe.
See here: 'Air-Miles Margaret' faces criticism for private flights | The Independent - "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"!

I may be wrong here, but I thought we defended the right to freedom of speech along with the right for self determination and freedom from oppression back then.

Just because others voted to push the self-destruct button, doesn't mean I have to support their stupidity. :=

Back on topic, not too long ago these pages were full of discussion about the utilisation of private charters for ministerial or royal travel and how it showed some 'lesser status'... it seems you can't win whatever you do.

Sums up everything that is wrong with the Brexit mindset - the EU is not the Third Reich and Europeans are not our enemy.

If I am on a bus with 99 other people and 52 of those people vote to drive the bus off a cliff, I will not support that choice.

I didn't start this thread drift, but back on topic. If it's government business, I see no reason the RAF shouldn't be used.

Whatever anyone’s views on the decision (must we really reargue it on every thread?) politicians will be travelling to Brussels to negotiate. Is our national interest served by sending them by mini cab?

And would those who object that it’s Tory ministers prefer their Labour counterparts (also committed to Brexit) went instead, when they’ve agreed in advance not to leave without a deal however ruinous the terms?

Neither would I recant if 47 people voted to keep driving into a black hole.

Inanely repeating the cliff analogy doesn't make your sort right.

Duchess,

Your argument about free speech is well made. B48Nav was exercising his right as well!

ACW

'scuse me Brian, where does it say you have to change your opinion after a vote? :*

OAP

One thing which Germany learned from the Third Reich era was that plebiscites are dangerously vulnerable to propaganda. When the likes of Goebbels promised to restore national strength, of course a lot of people believed him - but they didn't know the true picture as they only had his propaganda and the bully boy enforcement activities of the Sturmabteilung breaking up opposition meetings to persuade them to vote for their new chancellor.

So it wouldn't have been possible to have held a plebiscite, such as Cameron's referendum, in Germany - because they are now illegal. While the mood of the people can influence, the constitution allows only the elected government to makes decisions on national policy.

The propaganda, spin and lies of the likes of Johnson, Gove and Davis hoodwinked many into voting as they did, because they weren't given the true picture - as is now becoming ever more obvious.

As for Davis using RAF corgi-carriers to take him to various meetings? Only if the door-to-door time is critical should that be acceptable, provided that the government actually pays the true cost of such flights.

Where else does the RAF's funding come from?

'Different budgets', I believe is the expression.

Back when VVIPs used the VC10 for overseas jaunts, the Foreign Office only repaid a fraction of the true cost - so for every such flight the MoD budget suffered a loss.

Perhaps it's different now?

Treasury reimburses the MOD budget ... Simples!

I have a cunning plan to transport him on the cheap and bring back some of the RAF's finest

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/P66-Pembr...MAAOSwX3FaEvGQ


:)

I thought it was me and millions like me. There is no such thing as Government money unless they print it.

You'll have to forgive my 'sort', Willard. We tried using complex arguments but that didn't work, so we're now reduced to repeating inane analogies.

I'm not a Pilot, Nav or NCA. Aircraft flies Pax from A-B, Pax gets to where he needs to be. Crew get ticks they need to stay current. I would prefer to fly a route than circuits at some same old airfield. The frame must have a monthly allocation to use, so why not use it for what it is intended for?

I would have thought military transport for the Minister and the team negotiating Brexit would be fully justified on counter intelligence grounds alone.

I quite like DD as a chap who pulled himself to high office by his own bootstraps:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davi...ish_politician)


WWW

This story was lifted from Tim Shipman’s new book on Brexit. He claims it was a Civil Service v Davies spat and Davies had to go direct to the PM. No suggestion that the RAF or 32 objected in any way. Being cynical it sounds a good story whatever the facts and Shipman wants people to buy his book!

Has to be a '146 as they got rid of all the '125s didn't they? Course if they'd kept some Jetstreams he'd be welcome to use one and serve him right.
Could take a leaf out of the book of certain 'Royals' living at Bagshot and Windsor Great Park who usually use a chartered civil bizjet (up to 8 seats) when flying from Farnborough.