Uk Defence Cuts

[manxy]

Talk about cutting things to the bone!

BBC Link and also this one

 

I found the axing of the Ark Royal 4 years prematurely was strangely interesting but the building of another aircraft carrier and having no aircraft to go on it was a bit mind boggling

Axing the Harrier and Ark Royal means no planes will be able to fly from British aircraft carriers until 2019

I could be wrong, but aren't planes supposed to be on aircraft carriers and isn't the clue in the name?

 

Seriously though, there's some mega cuts being imposed which will cause one or two problems and how this affects things around the globe, then your guess is as good as mine.

[gazza]

maybe they know they cant afford to fight 1 any more wars from million of miles away.

and will prob use the USA for air cover from ships if it is ever needed

[Terse]

Are we ready to invade the bastards? Amadeus, we await the word.

[angrydave]

I served on the ark in 1992-4, cant beleive shes going, i followed in my grandads foot steps who was a pilot in 2nd ww, also when she visited the island not so long ago i was called by the northwest comander only to be told that a ships visit wasnt on the cards although our illustrious TB and various people got to visit... which service did he serve in? She was deployed during my time to the gulf war and we also experienced friendly fire which severely injured a number of good mates. Mostly happy memories, especially sitting in the ships crane by the flightdeck ramp gesturing to the pilots as they took off!

[VinnieK]

It seems dramatic, but are those cuts really 'to the bone'? After all, it still represents a cut of around 8%. Sure, what remains might not be spent efficiently, but it's still a sizable spend - some would say disproportionately so for a small, non-descript archipelago at the extreme of North Western Europe.

 

By contrast, if Browne's report is implemented the cuts in higher education will be far more severe: 80% of the teaching budget gone, and up to one billion pounds cut from a civil research budget of six billion. When you consider that the UK higher education system has been underfunded since at least the 1980's; that public spending is already comparitively low as a share of GDP (a mere 0.7% compared with about 1.6% for places like Denmark, Finland and Canada); and that even the best higher education in the UK is generally inferior to that on offer in France, Germany, and Italy, that really is to the bone!

[slinkydevil]

[MilitantDogOwner]

Been speaking to some of my old RAF crew and the word on the ground there is 10,000 to go (5,000 through redundancy and the other 5,000 through natural wastage.)

 

In my opinion cutting air defensive/offensive capability is the worst thing we can do being an island nation (I mean the UK by the way.)

[P.K.]

According to this piece in my Grauniad a real economist, David Blanchflower, thinks Osborne has got it completely wrong.

 

However he also refers to the bunch of self-centered bastards Coalition as the "ConDem" government - the clue is in the name.

 

By the way, was anyone actually stupid enough to believe all the spin-bollocks around Cameron "saving" some of the Armed Forces cuts?

[spook]

Time the UK defence forces were used for just that. Defence of the UK. As for what we will all now face as the UK cuts start to bite, blame that on the evil of socialism, even in its perverted form of New Labour led by the self confessed liar, Blair.

 

The only problem that I see iss that the cuts are nowhere near as deep as they should be. and as for retaining foreign aid, that's just perverse.

[MilitantDogOwner]

Time the UK defence forces were used for just that. Defence of the UK. As for what we will all now face as the UK cuts start to bite, blame that on the evil of socialism, even in its perverted form of New Labour led by the self confessed liar, Blair.

 

The only problem that I see iss that the cuts are nowhere near as deep as they should be. and as for retaining foreign aid, that's just perverse.

 

Just what the economy needs more unemployed people. Shall I pass your details onto the 5,000 RAF servicemen who are going to be made redundant and tell them that you think that there should be more cuts?

 

Plonker.

[spook]

Time the UK defence forces were used for just that. Defence of the UK. As for what we will all now face as the UK cuts start to bite, blame that on the evil of socialism, even in its perverted form of New Labour led by the self confessed liar, Blair.

 

The only problem that I see iss that the cuts are nowhere near as deep as they should be. and as for retaining foreign aid, that's just perverse.

 

Just what the economy needs more unemployed people. Shall I pass your details onto the 5,000 RAF servicemen who are going to be made redundant and tell them that you think that there should be more cuts?

 

Plonker.

 

Yes, actually the UK does need a serious increase in unemployment combined with a massive cut back in benefits payments in what is supported as well as the amounts being paid.

 

How can a situation be permitted to exist where the outgoings of the UK so far exceed the foreign earnings with no prospect of the situation being reversed without a massive reduction in the standard of living of everybody in order to reduce manufacturing costs to a point where they become competitive on the global market?

Where so much of even the every day essentials have to be imported and paid for by continual borrowing, borrowing that can only be serviced by even MORE borrowing?

And WE face exactly the same problem now that our principle foreign earning source dries up.

 

Unemployment and a marked fall in living standards from where they have been artificially raised to is a price that not only now will have to be paid but is a price well worth paying if not for ourselves then for future generations.

Actually it’s not as if we have a choice anyway.

 

The "plonkers" are those who can't or won't see this.

[John Wright]

Not sure why the Defence budget has not been cut by much more. There shold be an integrated EU defence force and much less spent. Who does the UK think will invade?

 

Ark Royal and the planes and the future aircraft carriers is obvious to anyone who has read the report in full. There is a cut off late cancellation at 2015 immediately after the next UK election, no planes means no carriers, why order planes, or keep them if long term you aren't really going to have the ships.

 

its politics, all smoke and mirrors

[magneto]

Be interesting to see what cuts our European allies propose... Could this be another step towards a European Defence Force?

 

Personally I think the UK should look towards an integrated defence force akin to the US Marines Corps, One force that covers Air, Land and Sea.

 

Do away with the costly inter-forces rivalries, the out dated pomp and ceremony & a major cull in the overstaffed, top heavy managerial (read MOD) and senior officer classes.

 

The overreliance on BAE Systems should be given the heave ho also. I mean how many outmoded, over budget, under-spec’d, late and frankly abysmal projects does it take?

[Cambon]

Yes, actually the UK does need a serious increase in unemployment combined with a massive cut back in benefits payments in what is supported as well as the amounts being paid.

 

How can a situation be permitted to exist where the outgoings of the UK so far exceed the foreign earnings with no prospect of the situation being reversed without a massive reduction in the standard of living of everybody in order to reduce manufacturing costs to a point where they become competitive on the global market?

Where so much of even the every day essentials have to be imported and paid for by continual borrowing, borrowing that can only be serviced by even MORE borrowing?

And WE face exactly the same problem now that our principle foreign earning source dries up.

 

Unemployment and a marked fall in living standards from where they have been artificially raised to is a price that not only now will have to be paid but is a price well worth paying if not for ourselves then for future generations.

Actually it's not as if we have a choice anyway.

 

The "plonkers" are those who can't or won't see this.

You actually had me agreeing with you until you started spouting the rubbish "And WE face exactly......"

 

The uk situation is far worse than here, and they basically have no way out except drastic change. If the IOM lost it's entire financial centre and the VAT that is going, that would be still less than 50% gdp. All IOM has to do is stop the stupid overpriced government spending on jobs for the boys. We dont have a massive deficeit to pay off as well as savings to find. It is TOTALLY different.

[La_Dolce_Vita]

Yes, actually the UK does need a serious increase in unemployment combined with a massive cut back in benefits payments in what is supported as well as the amounts being paid.

You sneaky troll. Go on...how do you think it is right to have unemployed but WITH a cutback on the benefits associated with it. Do you want a return of the workhouse?

 

Time the UK defence forces were used for just that. Defence of the UK. As for what we will all now face as the UK cuts start to bite, blame that on the evil of socialism, even in its perverted form of New Labour led by the self confessed liar, Blair.

Doesn't make sense. I would agree that defence ought to be designed to protect UK citizens, but it is the capitalist world we live in that leads those in power to seek ways to maximise economic and strategic influence by having such a large defence force.

 

The evils of socialism are not why the economy fell apart and Labour were not certainly not shy about grand spending on UK defence.

 

Be interesting to see what cuts our European allies propose... Could this be another step towards a European Defence Force?

Hope so. Though I think it is almost a sure thing in the near future.

 

Do away with the costly inter-forces rivalries, the out dated pomp and ceremony & a major cull in the overstaffed, top heavy managerial (read MOD) and senior officer classes.

 

Personally I think the UK should look towards an integrated defence force akin to the US Marines Corps, One force that covers Air, Land and Sea.

Wouldn't provide savings. And inter-service rivalry isn't much of an issue these days given the 'jointery' that is essential to conducted warfare these days, especially in the form of Britain's expeditionary campaigns.