Originally posted by AirForceAggie: I'm sure this think tank has a picture of Neville Chamberlain in their main lobby.
The First sentence says it all.
"Left leaning think tank says"
I am sure that would be just as acceptable as
"Right leaning think tank says"
Todays politics remind me of an old saying. - "Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?" - Joseph Stalin
Originally posted by AirForceAggie: I'm sure this think tank has a picture of Neville Chamberlain in their main lobby.
Unlikely. Chamberlain oversaw a massive increase in armaments spending. Baldwin was more responsible for disarmament.
The f35 is rather expensive for what it is and the CVF project has become so bloated (two 40,000t vessels have become two 60,000+t vessels) that there's a very real danger that it will be too expensive a project an all the RNs scrimping and saving will have been for nothing.
The STOVL F35 in particular has begun to look less attractive as the limitations of the rather Heath-Robinson lift fan have become clear, however the FAA doesn't really want to go back to a catapult/arrester cable setup. Once again there are mutterings of complaint over the cancelling of research on the Harrier's vectored thrust system and the twin-engine Superharrier.
Reads like the F35 is only part of what this think tank is saying about projected defense spending ("a black hole") in the UK.
Seems they've noticed that it's hard to run a welfare state and a protracted war in a 'free market' economy when the latter is going in the opposite direction of everything else.
Now, if they were prepared to mortgage the futures of their grandchildren in some super-duper weapons systems that, more than likely, will only be used if somebody lies their way into another spurious war, they might be able to appreciate the 'investment' for what it is.
Then off to see the Banks (Ha-Ha) for some moolah.
