What would possess someone to say it?

When the Harrier GR9 was conducting missions in Afghanistan for five years, a request for urgent ground support for our beleaguered ground forces would result in Royal Navy or Royal Air Force Harrier aircraft being launched within 12 minutes of the urgent request being made.

Since the arrival in the Afghanistan Theatre of the Tornado GR4 aircraft..........Ground support missions in both theatres now require 24 hours’ notice.

Know everyone, take a guess as to where those two quotes are from?

Were you right?

It was of course, Saviour Of The Falklands himself, Sharkey.

Now, my first thought, and I'm sure the first thought of everyone who read that was, what a bare faced liar.
Now, lets for a moment assume thats not the case, does anyone really believe that all CAS is done on a 24hr delay?
Or is it simply that one of the many other airforces operating in Afghanistan is handling CAS, and the Tornados have taken over the bombing role?

Jagged Alliance, when games were for MEN

Well, Jagged Alliance 2 actualy.
After composing myself, and my elite team of international mercenaries armed to the teeth with revolvers from 1812, we helicoptered into alruco, rapelled down, and were slaughtered in a hail of gunfire.
A half dead ice made it into cover, whereupon he bled to death due to the afforementioned slaughter of my medical staff.

An idea for Borris?

Acorrding to the guido quote of the something or other,
Livingston, who I'm guessing is Labour Candidate for Mayor, has called Lib Dems "a venal sub species".

Should Boris recruit Lembit Opik as deputy Mayor?

Awesome piece on Tankettes

by Monty from Think Defence

My view remains pretty much unchanged
If we intend to fight expeditionary wars, we need expeditionary equipment.

That means we need serious stuff, like Challies and Chally Derived Section Transports and the assault ships and fast landers to land them.

But it also means we need light weight equipment that can get anywhere, either under its own power or by heavy lift helicopter, CH53K tops 15tons of payload, to a 12t vehicle is easy.

Concept D would be my choice, protected against any infantry arms short of anti tank weapons, a 20mm cannon for some quite impressive firepower and a couple of Javelins incase the unexpected happens and it does get a shot at something heavy, or merely needs to blow open a serious strong point.

But I think we can do better than that....

Why just the one?
I think an enclosed APC for even a fireteam is probably pushing it a bit.
However, I dont see any reason we couldnt replicate most of the CVR(T) roles.
A direct fire, or two even, 20mm and two javelins is a fair bit of firepower, but using the same basic hull, is it really that hard to fit a 40mm cannon in some of them?
Indirect Fire, 120mm mortar? Possibly turreted, but even if its just bolted on, thats quite a bit of fire support.
Stores Carrier? You'd (probably) need a front mounted engine, but the vehicle looks like it could carry a pallet, maybe two, on an austere DROPS system.
And, well, I suppose in an emergency, a fireteam could crouch down in the back....

Now, dont get me wrong, these are empaticaly not designed to take on tanks. They are designed to take on light infantry who didnt expect to face armour, and so didnt bother to bring along anti tank weapons, dont laugh, it happens.

Sometimes the weapons issued simply arent front line (like what happened to Task Force Smith), although this is the least likelyas it was front line armour they faced.
The Indians rolled up a Pakistani Army as part of the Ladakh campaign in 1948, they disassembled about half a dozen stuart tanks, carried them up a mountain, rebuilt them, drove through every defensive position the Pakistani Army could raise against them. They simply didnt think to take even medium anti tank weapons up into the mountains, and so had little recourse but to retreat against even cautiously used armour.
Even later, we have the Falklands, I've read several papers as to how useful the CVR(T) was in the Falklands. At Goosegreen, they werent used, and the Paras suffered 81 casualties, at Wireless ridge it was used, and the Paras suffered 14 casualties, at Mt Tumbledown, they were rendered ineffective by a minefield, and the attacking force suffered 63 casualties.

Now, I dont expect any to believe these are an "I win" button, they are however supremely effective tools.

Mutual Write Offs?

Is it this simple?
Surely not?

The exercise appears to treat the various states as single entities, when in reality, this is not the case.

Although it could be said that France owes Germany E130bn, and Germany owes France E180bn, would it not be more correct to say that The French Government owes German Savings Banks E130bn and The German Government owes French Pension funds E180bn?

Now of course, for reasons of contagion, it would make sense for as much of this work to be implemented as possible, but the French State and Private Debtors would still owe several hundreds of billions of Euros, but they would simply owe it to French banks, not German ones.

But for reasons of credit risk, why would a greek savings bank tolerate havings its German Bunds turned into Greek promises?

Wonder if he'll answer

On one of Sharkeys usual rants about how the Argentine Womens Vegetarian Collective is a clear and present danger to the Falklands without Carrier Air to retake them, some has asked the fairly interesting question.

Sharkey
What do you think your chances would be of hitting a T45 with an unguided 1000lb bomb if you were flying a Skyhawk?

Wonder if he'll answer

Daves next EU-Turn?

The ECHR is unlikely to let it slide that you can deprive people of their right to life are they?

Just a damned fool!

Fool speaking in the Telegraph

Cant we just, you know, find out whats for the best and then do it?

Off to the bank to discuss a 5yr fix tomorrow

Not financial advice, but just thought I'd mention what I'm up to......

its musical buffy!

this episode rules

Start with what must be, and go from there

In response to fools

Greek National Debt is careening towards 200% of GDP.
That means that at even mild interest rates, of 5%, 10% of Greek GDP will go on interest payments.
Thats 20-30% of Government revenue, and a greater proportion than the UK spends on healthcare.
Just for interest.

If Greece adds another 10% of GDP, whioch is more than the UK spends on the Welfare state, it will still take 15 years to pay off.
And they are merely fantasy numbers.

Greece CANT borrow at 5%, nor can its politicians convince its people to give 1/10th of the next 15 years production to foreign creditors, let alone 1/5th.

Greece is going to default.
That is unavoidable.
It was unavoidable in the late 1990s when the Euro was being formed, its unavoidable now.

When you accept that Greece is going to default, you're then faced with the question, how do we minimise that crisis?

Norways SWF and Greece?

Does anyone have a handle on how much Norway sank into Greece and the iPigs?

Good God I'm out of shape

Benching 20kg was a struggle!
I used to curl 30kg!!!

archer is just so cool

it is amazing.

WiiU

perhaps i've missed something, but i just dont get it.
I get the odd feeling a console and four controllers will set me back neaely a grand

Well, it looks like I need a book

My efforts to learn piano via the internet have pretty much failed.

The best website I've found has me doing dodgey childrens song, buty even that cant be done right.
Everything is on a video, but you cant rewind, or select sections, so to view section 7 again, you have to watch 1-6 again.

Oh well, books tomorrow.

I have 5 fingers, so why 8 notes?

Why?
Why not 5, or 10?
Which idiot decided 8? Or 13 even if you count the black keys?

Did anyone else get a goodbye vibe from southpark??

Kinda worrying, the fact that its kinda worrying is extremely worrying, but I've watched south park more than half my life.

The sheer stupidity of it!!!!

And People say Fox can lead the Tory Right!!!!

The mans a fuckimng moron!!!!

An Anti Cameron Tory right would deliver a majority in England, probably even a UK without Scotland, and yet what does the alleged last great hope do? He's giving scotland reasons to stay!!!

Ok, hes a veritable savant compared to the SNP muppet

“In Scottish yards, there is that quality, there is that competence, there is that value for money, and that is not in any way affected by the question of independence,” he said.

But still, this is amatuer hour at an altrock pub, not minister of the crown.

Can do a semi passable smoke on water

Well, the CD'F CD'F'F CD' FD'C bit anyway

Maybe just the first seven, nope, got the lot, get it, if only they'd dont this at school

Why is there no C Flat?

TrT, the man withoput rythm, has taken it upon himself to learn piano keyboard.
After sitting through a 10 minute intensive youtube lesson, so far, I've gleened that whatever workshy frog invented the thing bilked us out of a C flat / B Major, and an E Major / F Flat

After 10 minutes, I dont feel capable of playing a damned thing.

We'll always be in a coalition

No, we wont

Nothing new, but its important to remember none of our friends (perhaps with the exception of a few ministates) are anything but fair weather friends.
I know I can sound like a stuck record, but being unable to "go it alone" is very likely to mean we're unable to fight wars our allies dont wish to fight for us.

Despite merely days ago, gushing about how great the esential relationship is, and praising the 10,000 men and women fighting and dieing in Afghanistan, Obama is now trying to hand over British territory to the milk men.

Long Term protection of the Falklands means nothing less than forcing a surrender on a Beligerant Argentina and a none beligerant but involved Brazil, Venezuala and possibly several others.
You aint doing that with a Capability Plus balanced force.

Unintentionaly funny

Police: No bodies found in Texas mass grave


But it kinda gives me the heebie jeebies.
I can just imagine a future EU court

Judge: You have been found guilty of running a meth lab and will be executed shortly

Defendant: But there was no meth, meth precursers, meth making equipment or meth using equipment.

Judge: True, there was no evidence that the meth lab was a meth lab, but self evidently, it was a called a meth lab, therefore it was a meth lab.
Next defendant!

The ECB is fucked, so the EUro is too.

Only needs a paragraph

The bank is now "23 to 24 times levered" as a result of bailing out Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain.

The London-based think tank argued: "Should the ECB see its assets fall by just 4.23pc in value . . . its entire capital base would be wiped out."

I'll wait for someone else to figure out how much the ECB actualy has in "assets" and to prove that at least 4.23% of that is worthless, but, there it is, we have an insolvent central bank, unable to print its way out of trouble

Do you not think you got the wrong injunction?

Giggs has apparently spent 8 years shagging his brothers wife.
He injunctioned a slapper from big brother.
Surely any sensible legal feeble would have silenced the family not the bbslapper?

Cumeth the Hour, Cometh the Dave

Spending up, Debt up, Tax rates up, Tax take Down, military intervention turning into full scale war
Wheres Dave?
He's reading a report on the sexualisation of childrens clothing and worries about access to inappropriate clothing.

Truely, he is a mousee amongst rats.

Arrse on Arsenal Ships

PTT made a rather daft suggestion on an Arsenal Ship as a Carrier back up

Quite how they thought a ship capable of fireing 3600 long range guided missiles in about half an hour was "back up" for anything short of The Galactica, I darent guess, but the idea was pretty soundly derided.
However, I took the opportunity to float the idea of sticking a, somewhat, sensible number of missiles on the Back of the escorts (a bit late for T45 now I know) and that seemed to get a fairly warm response, although apparently 128 missiles only qualifies it as a cruiser.

Still, I'm quite sure I suggested lengthening the T45s, maintain PAAMS and adding bow and towed sonar and a big pack of VLS missiles.
PAAMS, 64 short range AAM, 64 medium AAM, 128 long range ground attack missiles, T23 level sonar, half a dozen goal keeper.
Alone it could take on most third power navies, and be a hell of a threat to even a second tier fleet.

Just felt like bragging that my idea wasnt roundly laughed out.

Coming round to Referism

I was originaly sceptical of referism, the UK usualy has 10million somewhat sane economic voters, and 15million fucking loopie voters.

But if a referendum on the buidget doesnt get the anti gioverhnment vote out, wht the hell will?

What could kill the government state more definatly than making the funders agree each and every year?

All going according to plan?

Trickey Tichet seems to think so

The ECB is pushing for semi direct economic governance, extending as far as a veto over national budgets.
My first reaction is to laugh, but EUrope hasnt failed in a power grab yet.

If pressed, the EU still hasnt grasped that the train went down the wrong line a while back, they still believe this is their beneficial crisis that will lead to a full debt union and a protostate. I still believe the train went off the rails some years back, and the beneifical crisis they hope to control is an existential crisis that will ruin them, or us.

THE DAM ISNT BREAKING

A bunch of TV luvies calling for, well, anything, but specificaly, the abolition of prohibition is not and will never be a dam breaking.

I want an end to prohibition as much as the next rational adult, but it aint coming soon.