Thread: Spending Review

Baby Broon is due to give his statement to the Commons in about 15 minutes.

Lunhtime news hinted that the defence budget would be raised to around £40Bn to pay for CVF, Trident replacement, better accommodation and more Mastiffs.

With CVF and Trident being mentioned I think we might need a lot more than that!

Unlikely I feel, this morning they were crowing about how Health & Education would beneit. How do you think they will fund them.
I hope I am wrong (usually am)

Perhaps the sale of Typhoon to the Saudis will raise us a bit of spare cash?

I understood that some Navy ships were being mothballed as well as other cuts to afford CVF et al.

Isn't the proposal to increase, in "real terms", the budget for the MoD by a paltry 1.5%? Shocking but unsurprising if true.

Defence Budget rises to £37Bn by 2010 - a real term increase of what?

£400M for ongoing ops - a ringfenced extra fund, or just a ring fencing of existing budget?

£500M for accommodation - worrying considering the last bill for upgrading SLA alone was about £2.2Bn.

All of it's just tinkering at the edges; they've run out of big ideas, apart from 'must spend more on the NHS'.

Originally Posted by angular

All of it's just tinkering at the edges; they've run out of big ideas, apart from 'must spend more on the NHS'.

Even though the NHS is clearly more of a money pit than Typhoon, Astute, MRA4 or T45 ever where. Can't got upsetting the nurses or the babys though can we.

Its not tinkering at the edges its sandpapering off the edges, and then keeping sandpapering. Its madness.

Originally Posted by CrapSpy

Defence Budget rises to £37Bn by 2010 - a real term increase of what?

£400M for ongoing ops - a ringfenced extra fund, or just a ring fencing of existing budget?

£500M for accommodation - worrying considering the last bill for upgrading SLA alone was about £2.2Bn.

Honestly mate, were you expecting anything else? My Mrs is working for Defence Estates and by her reckoning the place is a disaster, beauracrats more worried about their own little fifedoms than SLA, MQ's etc.

One bonus of the non-election is the opportunity the Tories now have to develop a sensible defence policy and work out how to fund it. I think Liam Fox is up to/for it but it will be interesting to see which way 'Dave' goes. If they don't commit to major investment and budget increases then I can't see where else the boys and girls have left to turn.

My cynicism tells me that most of the proposals really kick in financially in 2010 by which time there will have been a general election and this disgusting lot in power will either be out on their collective ear and so the proposals will be an irrelevance or the Torys will be in power and it will be an er....................a cudgel to swing at the next lot in power for not implementing what is a load of crap. The Conservatives will, if elected have to inflict enough pain on the electorate because of the profligacy of this wasteful lot as it is.

And doubtless MPs will be able to increase their House of Commons expenses to whatever they feel like.

Going back to Defence Estates - anyone feel that they should be broken up, and their money put back to the garrison qm's/dcos? Time to start "leaning" the civilian staff as well!

Originally Posted by Spanner

Going back to Defence Estates - anyone feel that they should be broken up, and their money put back to the garrison qm's/dcos? Time to start "leaning" the civilian staff as well!

Good plan, 'allegedly' a good portion goes on 'team building' and admin. Her solution was to militarise the whole thing if for no other reason than to install an effective CoC. It's a jobsworth's PC heaven but on the plus side they all think Twigg is a plank too. :D

£400m? For Acommodation and operations? Peanuts...absolutely disgusted.

Dudders