Just a quick question

dopester

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Can all those who were supporting the early scrapping of our Aircraft Carrier & abandonment of our Harriers to the junk yard please confirm whether they are still happy with these budget cuts now that it is getting rather unstable around North Africa & The Middle East?

What would you expect us to do with a new expensive bumper fleet of Aircraft Carriers and Harriers and Nimrods anyway? And ever new replacements at great cost per plane or ship? There are internal pressures for change in many of these countries. Not a pressing threat to the UK itself from the revolutionary pressures.

Intervene in the internal affairs of another country? Police the region? Prop up Gaddafi or some other regime so we can get cheap oil without interruption or something, and them continue to buy our weapons, or protect our investments over in these countries? These countries have to go through their own internal changes. You'd rather suppress them?

If it were me I'd be charging the UK people trapped in Libya £5,000 a head for evacuation. They chose to live or work over there. Got to assume many can afford it. Why should taxpayers pick up the bill? Also evacuations.. private sector should be helping with that, and charging for it.

Anyway we should retain enough by way of Naval and Air power to defend ourselves and engage in minor OPs, and there is NATO as well, but not to go policing the world with trillions of pounds of new ships and aircraft we can't afford.

Mallotum_X

1984ReturnsForReal wrote: »

Please refer to the above.

And obviously no longer go abroad for business &/or pleasure.

What utter nonsense. What is it you actually suggest, we have an army/navy/air force so we can fight anyone anywhere anytime?.

We are a small island, in northern Europe, we need a defence force suitable for dealing with threats we suffer at home.

We are part of various pacts with other nations to provide collective responses where applicable. If anything with the defence cuts we will still be punching above our weight.

Being a large military power costs money, maybe we could scrap the NHS to pay for your blood lust?

What impact on the UK from the residents of parts of North Africa/Middle east chucking out dictators require all this power, perhaps you are suggesting we need to fight the population of Libya for some reason.

Get real.

zcrat41

We probably won't have any pilots left to fly these planes. Those that aren't being made redundant are getting so angry with the way they're being treated they'll be off anyway.

zcrat41

Sorry, wee bit of personal anger there!!

I actually think we need to be very ready re the situation in the middle east. Most volatile its been for 40 yrs and will have a massive impact on the world economy and culture.

1984ReturnsForReal_2

Mallotum_X wrote: »

What utter nonsense. What is it you actually suggest, we have an army/navy/air force so we can fight anyone anywhere anytime?.

We are a small island, in northern Europe, we need a defence force suitable for dealing with threats we suffer at home.

We are part of various pacts with other nations to provide collective responses where applicable. If anything with the defence cuts we will still be punching above our weight.

Being a large military power costs money, maybe we could scrap the NHS to pay for your blood lust?

What impact on the UK from the residents of parts of North Africa/Middle east chucking out dictators require all this power, perhaps you are suggesting we need to fight the population of Libya for some reason.

Get real.

Thanks for the insults & your shortsightedness.

Mind the step on the way out.