Britain set to slash its armed forces

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Herr-Berbunch

If only we'd spent the last 30 years investing in 'local' manufaturing and continuing our once great naval and aviation industries providing jobs all round rather than spending lots of the budgets on CONsultants telling us we need to cut funding on all areas except CONsultants.

It's not tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum's fault - there is a huge hole in the bank account and something's gotta go, but labour pushed through lots of things in their last six months that they knew we couldn't afford - purely to get it cut by the next government which wasn't going to be them, to make them out to be evil-cost-cutting-bastards. Guess what - it worked. The media fell for it, the unions fell for it, and now - it appears - some of the most highly intelligent people on subsim have fallen too

What precisely did Labour push through in the last six months of their tenure that is now planned to be cut?

Surely not the public services in every town and city in the country, state benefits to the most needy in society, the Police, NHS etc. that are about to be decimated....some of those have been around for the best part of a century now (even longer in the case of the Police).

When the full extent of the cuts become public knowledge, April of next year should see unemployment becoming the only growth industry in the UK.

Keep a watchful eye on Clegg during the next Lib-Dem conference when his grass roots mebers see the national outcry against the envisaged cuts and ask why so many of the parties fundamental principles and promises to the electorate were cast aside so he could become Deputy PM.....and after possibly the worst election outcome ever seen by the Lib-Dems (55 seats IIRC)....a pathetic turnout in anyones language.

I accept Labour failed to get things right after 14 years in power but that was because of the in-house fighting for power between the people that made the decisions on the way forward and not enough scrutiny on the policy front.

The aftermath has a potential negative consequence on most of the people in our communities but the bitterist pill to swallow is the realisation that most of the burdon will be born by those least able to afford it.

Rant over

[Oberon]

I do recall a last minute spending spree by Labour, in all fairness, I think one of the points was to do with money spent on schools. Let me check.
Free swimming sessions, a eighty million pound loan to Sheffield steelworks, four hundred and fifty million pounds to North Tees and Hartlepool hospital and a five hundred and fifty million pound 'Jobseekers guarantee', all announced in March 2010, with the election in May.
It was a clever ploy to leave the next government, and let's face it I think Labour had a good idea that as long as Brown stayed at the helm that Labour wasn't getting in, Lib-Dem or otherwise. However, I still think that Tweedledum and Tweedledummer are going to cut a little too deep and cut in the wrong places, industries will be destroyed, not encouraged, unemployment will rise, not fall and public unrest will increase, fueled by the encouragement of the unions, the cuts in public services and attacks on the poor.
The coalition government will fall within, oh, two years, three at the most I'd say, and then we'll see what happens then...if Labour has got their act together, perhaps they'll come back in, or perhaps the Tories will get a firmer stronghold. The voting system may or may not have been reformed so that may or may not effect things.
Either which way, it's going to be a very interesting winter this year...very interesting indeed...

[Jimbuna]

money spent on schools

To help the future educational needs of our offspring and to help a construction industry gripped by recession and making thousands of people jobless.....a worthwhile investment IMHO.

Free swimming sessions

To help people fight obecity, improvr their health and fitness and utilise currently underused public leisure services....don't see much wrong in that, surely.

eighty million pound loan to Sheffield steelworks

An investment that will help keep many in work, far cheaper in cost than the damage done to whole communities if the steelworks were to close....remember Corus on Teesside?

four hundred and fifty million pounds to North Tees and Hartlepool hospital and a five hundred and fifty million pound 'Jobseekers guarantee'

I suppose the Tories would object to the above when you consider the cuts soon to be announced regarding the NHS and the resulting unemployment figure rise.

This is as cynical as governments can get....they announce cuts in spending and benefits prior to carrying out their policies that will surely result not only in drastic funding cuts but an inevitable steep rise in unemployment figures.

Why not tax the banks on their vast profits and those that earn the most income or withdraw from Iraq?

I've one serious concern and that is the simple fact that those most in need are going to pay the heaviest price.

[Oberon]

Oh, I never said they weren't worthy causes Jim, heck there's a million and one worthy causes out there...but there just isn't the money for them and there wasn't the money for those. Well, not if you do things the same old government way, that is hit the poor and protect the rich.
You know what I read the other day?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11279763

Yeah, great ain't it?

“MAY THE GREAT GOD, whom I worship, grant to my country and for the benefit of Europe in general, a great and glorious victory: and may no misconduct, in anyone, tarnish it: and may humanity after victory be the predominant feature in the British Fleet.

For myself Individually, I commit my life to Him who made me and may His blessing light upon my endeavours for serving my Country faithfully. To Him I resign and the just cause which is entrusted to me to defend.

AMEN AMEN AMEN”

Lord, Admiral Horatio Nelson

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Oh, I never said they weren't worthy causes Jim, heck there's a million and one worthy causes out there...but there just isn't the money for them and there wasn't the money for those. Well, not if you do things the same old government way, that is hit the poor and protect the rich.
You know what I read the other day?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11279763

Yeah, great ain't it?

Yeah...absolutely disgraceful

It must just be a coincidence then that the vast majority of cabinet members in this present coalition government are millionaires

[XabbaRus]

Looks like it is the RAF that is going to get hit.

There are calls to reduce the RAF and merge most of it with the RN or the Army.

Now since the RAF really came from the RNAS that would be ironic.

I do think that the RAF could be slimmed down. Move strike assets to the FAA once the Tornado is retired and go with the F-35. Keep Typhoon for air defence and tactical strike, and maintain the Heavy lift with the RAF.

Transfer all helicopters between the army and the Navy.

Any CAS assets move to the Army just like the US Marines have their own aircraft.

Interesting times ahead.

[Tchocky]

If the RAF can find a buyer for all those excess Typhoons, then it may survive. The Typhoon is a great aircraft, but I can't see it's place beyond a LGB/Brimstone truck and occasional Bear-pusher.
The RAF certainly doesn't need two hundred of them.
I'm not sure what they want with the F-35 either, to be honest. If you want to get a decent warload or range out of it, then stealth is compromised with external stores. If that, why pay for a stealth aircraft anyway?

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

It must just be a coincidence then that the vast majority of cabinet members in this present coalition government are millionaires

Then they should know a thing or two about saving a pound.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Tchocky

The Typhoon is a great aircraft, but I can't see it's place beyond a LGB/Brimstone truck and occasional Bear-pusher.
The RAF certainly doesn't need two hundred of them.

Kinda a waste to use a Typhoon to shoo away Bears. A BAE Hawk armed with 'winders would be sufficient.

Heck isn't shooting down Bears what the Harrier was intended for!