ARmy Rumour SErvice

If it is a big fat lie about the black hole, perhaps you could explain why when I worked on the equipment programme, helping do the sums, there was a very large black hole indeed? More to the point, this was ocurring during the last labour government, of which the Admiral was a rather enthusiastic proponent.

I have a friend at the NAO and his boss is an ex general so I'll ask him, MOD used to be his dept but they moved him up.

Originally Posted by jim30

If it is a big fat lie about the black hole, perhaps you could explain why when I worked on the equipment programme, helping do the sums, there was a very large black hole indeed? More to the point, this was ocurring during the last labour government, of which the Admiral was a rather enthusiastic proponent.

So explain your take on things?

I really do not care which administration this happened under but then again I do not seek to absolve any party from responsibility either.

According to the article the Labour hole was 2 - 3 Bn which... blossomed... to 38Bn, so who has been telling porkies and please keep the party political out of it, there.s a good chap.

Kromeriz

So, if there's no black hole, does that mean I can have a new keyboard with a reliably working n key now?

"So explain your take on things? "

Simple - the military had the problem of putting too much replacement kit into the programme at a point when operational costs were soaring, and requirements changing. This was added to the political pressure to avoid cancelling major projects to avoid embarrassment, and direction to instead delay expenditure even if it cost more.
The end result was that we had billions of pounds of equipment in the programme and no real idea of how it was going to be afforded - everyone kept planning (hoping) for a real terms budget increase and many of the PRs were done on the magic assumption of real terms growth to save the day.
The reality is there was no real terms growth, and we found that the sums didnt add up.

Originally Posted by sunnoficarus

So, if there's no black hole, does that mean I can have a new keyboard with a reliably working n key now?

Of course you may; just pop down to PC World and buy one, take it back to your IT guys for checking and after about 2 weeks they will give you a completely different keyboard which may or may not have a working letter "N". Your new keyboard in the meantime will have been issued to one of their mates/managers.

Quite simple really.

apparently they did find something rather unpalatable in the accounts but mod wouldn't admit it. as it hasn't been sorted pre recess it will come out in september.

I don't know any more but the term unpalatable fix was used in the reply to me!

I think they put iccys keyboard out to tender and BAE got hold of it along with a german french and uzbek conglomorate which is why it is fitted for but not with an N key but will still be the most expensive and best keyboard ever supplied to UK forces, even though it will not have stealth technology it shoudn't need it. the N key is modified upgrade to come in tranche two set for 2015 with tranche one being mostly laid up for spares or sold overseas to buyers who have no need of an N key like the chinese.

As mentioned above, when the Admiral talks about "political will and incompetence" we should all remember that he was a Minister in the last Labour Government, and a previous 1st Sea Lord. So he has a foot in both camps, and therefore I guess can be held doubly responsible for the financial mess.