Parlez~me~'n~Tory

Rightly wry, satirically right

Following quite possibly the worst day for the MOD (XV230 / TA) for many a year it seems that the Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth is increasingly isolated in his ivory tower, so much so that even the Prime Minister has sought to distance himself blaming Ainsworth for the TA training cut fiasco.

Taxi for the Defence Secretary?

The Defence Secretary had sought to get the TA cut under the barrier without too much fuss but had forgotten to inform his boss that such choices were in the offing, if he did inform the PM then somebody is not telling the truth. This became evident when a Downing Street spokesman claimed

The Prime Minister is not going to be aware of every single proposal in every single department. Clearly the TA is one that has been of interest to people both inside and outside Parliament

Quite what the PM has in mind for the Defence Secretary will become clear within the next few days but Bob who’s clearly never been comfortable in the role (and more importantly never been up to the challenge) will never again hold such a powerful role in the Government or even in the official Opposition.

What you don’t do when your leader is as weak and desperate as Gordon Brown currently is is to sideline him in your decision making process unless you have delusions of grandeur or unless you are totally inept and not fit for purpose.

I don’t think Bob Ainsworth MP has any desires to be leadership material so that just leaves…

Time: 15:47hrs
Date: 2nd September 2006
Location: Kandahar airspace (Afghanistan)
Last known action: Air-to-Air Refuelling

Immediately following a routine air-to-air refuelling (15:30hrs) XV230 a Nimrod MR2 from 120Sqn RAF Kinloss suffered a fire within the Bomb bay (15:41hrs) minutes later a second fire spread throughout the fuselage (15:46hrs) before XV230 exploded (15:47hrs) immediately killing all 12 crew and 2 passengers:

May they be at peace with their Creator

Flight Lieutenant Allan James Squires, 39, from Clatterbridge (Pilot and Captain)

Flight Lieutenant Steven Johnson, 38, from Collingham, Notts. (Weapon System Officer (Navigator))

Flight Lieutenant Gareth Rodney Nicholas, 40, from Redruth, Cornwall (Weapons Systems Officer (Air Electronics Officer))

Flight Lieutenant Steven Swarbrick, 28, from Liverpool (Pilot)

Flight Lieutenant Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore, 28, from Bournemouth (Weapon System Officer (Navigator))

Flight Sergeant Adrian Davies, 49, from Amersham, Bucks. (Air Engineer)

Flight Sergeant Gary Wayne Andrews, 48, from Tankerton, Kent (Weapon System Operator)

Flight Sergeant Gerard Martin Bell, 48, from Ely, Cambs. (Weapon System Operator)

Flight Sergeant Stephen Beattie, 42, from Dundee (Weapons Systems Operator)

Sergeant Gary Paul Quilliam, 42, from Manchester (Weapons Systems Operator)

Sergeant Benjamin James Knight, 25, from Bridgewater (Weapons Systems Operator)

Sergeant John Joseph Langton, 29, from Liverpool (Weapons Systems Operator)

Marine Joseph David Windall, aged 22, Royal Marines

Corporal Oliver Simon Dicketts, 27, Parachute Regiment

Why am I choosing to write this now?

Today, finally, the results of an independent review into the tragedy carried out by Charles Haddon-Cave QC will be published.

We already know that following an inquest in 2008, a coroner ruled that a serious design flaw in the ageing aircraft meant the entire Nimrod fleet was unsafe to fly and it never had been airworthy [causes of the accident listed at foot of post]

Why am I overly concerned? Because this time it’s personal!

When you read the list of names above that is probably all it is to you, a list.

To me it is a walk down memory lane.

I can count at least 3 on the list that I call friends.

I can count 12 on the list who would come into my office on a daily basis to collect certain equipment to allow them to do their job.

I can count 5 on the list who I have served overseas with on Operations. Furthermore, I have flown in XV230 on a number of occasions courtesy of 120Sqn.

Every name on the list was and in my opinion still is a professional. Doing the job they chose, the job they loved and I can assure you they all had a great time doing what they loved.

The crew knew the state of the aircraft, the RAF knew the state of the Nimrod fleet, we all knew but it was still damned good at its job so it kept on doing it.

I am proud to say I served the Nimrod fleet on my penultimate tour within the RAF towards the end of 24 years service and it was one of the best times I had.

You can be assured that I shall be reading the findings this afternoon with a little more interest than most and hoping that it goes someway to comforting the families and loved ones of my friends and colleagues.

RIP.

CAUSES:
As the Board was unable to investigate XV230’s wreckage at the crash site and it proved impossible to recover more than a few small components from the aircraft, the Board has been unable to determine positively the source or cause of the fire which led to the loss of XV230 and its crew. Nonetheless, through investigation of the limited data available, the Board was able to deduce the most probable location of the fire, a number of probable causes of that event and factors which possibly contributed to it:
a. The escape of fuel during AAR, occasioned by an overflow from No 1 tank, or a leak from the fuel system (fuel coupling or pipe), led to an accumulation of fuel within the No 7 tank dry bay. Although of a lower probability, the fuel leak could have been caused by a hot air leak damaging fuel system seals.
b. The ignition of that fuel following contact with an exposed element of the aircraft’s crossfeed/ SCP pipe work.
CONTRIBUTORY FACTORS:
a. The age of the Nimrod MR2’s non-structural system components.
b. Nimrod MR2 maintenance policy in relation to fuel and hot air systems.
c. The lack of a fire detection and suppression system within the No 7 tank dry bay.
d. The fact that hazard analysis did not correctly categorize the potential threat to the aircraft caused by the collocation of fuel and hot air system components within the No 7 tank dry bay.
e. The formal incorporation of AAR capability within the Nimrod did not identify the full implications of successive changes to the fuel system and associated procedures.
AGGRAVATING FACTOR:
a. The loss of flying controls through fire damage to the hydraulic systems or cables and pulleys.

If I need to speak this video is not doing its job

Both the PLP and the Conservative Party have committed to a full Strategic Defence Review after the General Election. Sounds fair enough.

However, given that these reviews come around every 7 years or so in one form or another they should always be completely independent.

The problem is though, the PLP is in danger of briefing out certain parameters before any review is conducted or even sourced.

The Royal Navy has an order in place for 2 65,000 ton Aircraft Carriers (Queen Elizabeth and the Prince of Wales) that will carry up to 40 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) and have been billed as the biggest and most powerful warships ever constructed for the Royal Navy.

It’s just that it isn’t likely to happen. It is too late for the RN to pull out of the contract due to financial penalties so the Government are likely to propose that the Prince of Wales be downgraded to a commando ship that would carry only helicopters and troops.

If this act of sabotage comes to pass this once great sea-faring nation will be forced to ‘borrow’ an Aircraft Carrier from the French! This has already been addressed by French president Nicolas Sarkozy when he suggested to Gordon Brown that both countries ‘co-ordinate’ carrier building programmes.

Dr Liam Fox MP the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence went on record as saying

any decision to axe a carrier before the review would be absolutely unacceptable and typical of the Government’s chaotic, inconsistent and incompetent defence procurement policy.

He further stated

The Government is saying it is fully committed-to the carriers while at the same time forcing them to be cut…it is confusing for the Navy, it is confusing for industry and it is completely inconsistent with the whole concept of running an independent defence review.

An MOD spokesman stated that Bob Ainsworth MP ‘remained 100% committed’ to the Aircraft Carriers.

Why is the MOD briefing out for the Defence Secretary? Is there something he is not telling us?

I fear for our Armed Forces, Civil Servants and Public Services in the coming months as the Government does what it can to cling to power whilst using all and sundry as their pawns resulting in the Conservative Government post General Election having their hands tied with terrible financial restriction as Darling and Brown attempt to spend every last penny this country has to its name.

As the title suggests, it is logical to conclude that a Defence Review should be just that, a review undertaken without prejudice and a series of findings produced for which to act upon, NOT the other way around.

So now the furore has died down (at least outside the BBC Studios) and both the protestors and the BBC Question Time (#bbcqt) panel have gone home.

Like it or loathe it, what’s done is done.

Looking back, I think Diane Abbott MP made a fair point on This Week (the show that follows #bbcqt) when she said that if a member of the public who wasn’t particularly into Politics, or wasn’t a regular viewer of #bbcqt and equally didn’t know the format was viewing because of the news coverage that individual would’ve watched an entire audience and panel with host gang up one panelist. That panelist, in this instance Nick Griffin may have gained support or sympathy from that member of the public.

What Diane says is correct and in my opinion the BBC were quite wrong to make the entire show based around the BNP instead of other issues of the week with the odd question on immigration.

It also seemed that a larger than normal representation of the audience was in Nick Griffin’s terms ‘non-indigenous’ compared to every other week.

I wholeheartedly agree that Nick Griffin should have been allowed to represent his party on such a high level. He is an elected MEP whether people like it or not.

Last time I looked we were still a Democracy unless Gordon has sold that too recently and therefore we have the right to FREE Speech although protestors outside Westminster may to choose cite a different version of events.

However, that said, the damage is done and the job of the media today is to wrap up the job that the BBC has started.

There are whole swathes in this country who rely totally on what their best mate tells them down the pub and recites that line as though it were his own. There are entire groups that gain their views from Page 6 of The Sun ‘The SUN says’ or similar.

‘The SUN says’ is an editorial, the vast majority who read it do not realise this. As an editorial this is just one person’s view and is not necessarily factual but these people take it as factual content and repeat the words later at work, in the cafe or in the pub to their best mates and so the cycle continues.

I believe the job of the British Media today is to report accurately and to report well on how Nick Griffin was defeated on issues of policy and debate not on how he was gagged or almost muted by the establishment.

It appears that 82 days was not enough time for our beloved MP’s to get those [last minute] bargains on their expenses to give as gifts for Christmas.

Dear Santa...

Whilst most people in the country struggle to secure time away from their desks or worse still if you are a contractor or freelancer and struggle to reconcile the time off with your budget, the Government has announced that the House will take a 3 week break over the Christmas period.

If you want something done by the House, the Government or your MP you need to ensure you enter that discussion prior to 16th December as that is the last day in the office and they won’t return until 6th January!

Still disgusted at MP’s after their expenses row?

Still maintain you wouldn’t do the job for all the money in England? [Ed...Er, we don't have any money]

Ask yourself, would you do the job for 128 days holiday? I sure as hell would.

Whilst making the announcement Harriet Harman defended the extended holiday period stating

MP’s have two places to work, Westminster and their constituencies

She would say that, wouldn’t she?

Parlez~me~’n~Tory wonders whether she’s written a list for Santa and if he’s going to even bother checking if she’s been naughty or nice!

Harriet Harman, by not disclosing the dates for the Easter recess and by imposing even more days off when you should be more accountable you have #failed!

NB: Before any Socialist hits me on Twitter asking what The Tories would do. Simple answer is we have voiced concern and have pledged to vote against it and have asked other Parties to consider the same.

NEXT!

Will we see the real Nick Griffin tonight on BBC Question Time?

Following her summer of madness in which she claimed

if two candidates were equal then businesses should consider employing the woman over the man| and also claimed one of the two top jobs within the PLP should always be held by a woman

…and don’t forget during the summer she was responsible for pushing through the motion to create Baron Martin of Springburn, of Port Dundas in the City of Glasgow without a vote.

It seems that Hattie has once again been warming up on the sidelines. It’s as though the recent talk of Balls preparing a bid campaign and the secrecy of the desire of the Miliband brothers has frightened her into action.

For the first time Hattie has admitted that men are as clever and worthy as women with her following statement to the Treasury select committee

If you’re only looking at half the population, you’re only looking at half the brains and half the commitment

Obviously this is an attempt to allude to the fact of what she calls the ‘nightmare‘ of men-only boards.

Ms Harman went on to say

barring women from top jobs was bad for business and risked the UK’s prosperity as a leading global financial centre

Could somebody please point out to Ms Harman that the Chancellor is doing a first rate job of risking our prosperity on his own and doesn’t need guidance from business!

More ‘off the wall rhetoric’ or rather ‘veiled threats’

‘further steps’ would be taken if the City refused to act

Including the firms losing lucrative Government contracts

Companies with male-only boards were less likely to spot new opportunities and deal with risks

Typically of Ms Harman she presented no evidence for this last statement. I put it to you that there is no evidence for such a statement.