The Starmer Years - Can The New Broom Sweep Clean?

[badgerx16]

5 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Old ships? It is an entire  capability that has now been killed off

Albion and Bulwark were both mothballed by the last Government, and Northumberland is beyond economical repair due to structural failures.

[AlexLaw76]

1 hour ago, badgerx16 said:

Albion and Bulwark were both mothballed by the last Government, and Northumberland is beyond economical repair due to structural failures.

Err, they were under control on the primary contractor, with work packages to regenerate bulwark at least.

This has left the navy now negotiating with said contractor to take back control of a recently sold frigate 

Edited Thursday at 16:41 by AlexLaw76

[badgerx16]

10 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Err, they were under control on the primary contractor, with work packages to regenerate bulwark at least.

This has left the navy now negotiating with said contractor to take back control of a recently sold frigate 

"What we’re actually seeing with HMS Bulwark is extended readiness, just under a different name. Despite previous announcements about returning to service, I think most people knew that was unlikely. The reality is that the ship is unlikely to be deployed for any significant operations. The notion of being ready ‘if required’ subtly but unmistakably points to this being the case.”

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-bulwark-unlikely-to-return-to-sea-unless-needed/

[AlexLaw76]

30 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

"What we’re actually seeing with HMS Bulwark is extended readiness, just under a different name. Despite previous announcements about returning to service, I think most people knew that was unlikely. The reality is that the ship is unlikely to be deployed for any significant operations. The notion of being ready ‘if required’ subtly but unmistakably points to this being the case.”

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/hms-bulwark-unlikely-to-return-to-sea-unless-needed/

Of course that is going to be said. The real world is a regeneration programme just needed the commitment.

 

[badgerx16]

15 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Of course that is going to be said. The real world is a regeneration programme just needed the commitment.

 

Which amounts to the ships being 'mothballed'' pending any decision to initiate the 'regeneration programme'. Neither Albion or Bulwark have been operational for at least 12 months, and the previous Government showed no inclination to act on bringing them back into service.

 Such a situation mirrors the Thatcher Government's actions in the Defence Review immediately before Argentina invaded the Falklands - the number of RN ships listed to be decommissioned was a significant factor in the Junta's perception that the UK would not try to counter their actions. ( Hermes was to be decommissioned, Invincible was to be sold to Australia, and both Intrepid and Fearless were to be listed as surplus to requirements as the Navy was pivoted to a predominantly anti-submarine force ).

Edited Thursday at 17:38 by badgerx16

[Gloucester Saint]

23 hours ago, trousers said:

Anyone else seeing the irony in a Scottish Nationalist citing nationalism as a bad idea...? At least it'll give Alanis Morrisette a new verse should she ever feel the need to write a sophomore version of her most renowned piece of work...

Fair point 🙂

The jocks managed to stop short of the cliff edge and there were loads of hidden costs in their leave campaign, not least a lack of clarity of whether they could carry on using Sterling, whether the EC would let them join the Euro (very unlikely as Spain didn’t want the Basques kicking off) and/or the EU itself. 

[hypochondriac]

This sounds a bit conspiracy theory for my tastes, but given that Starmer has namechecked Blackrock directly, it's an interesting prediction nonetheless. Would explain the farmer strategy. 

https://x.com/DanielPriestley/status/1859888520740958371?t=PSIrwUF7tEaEpywJlJwN1Q&s=19

Edited Friday at 10:54 by hypochondriac

[sadoldgit]

Can’t believe that anyone with any level of intelligence still falls for the guff on conspiracy theorist heaven that is X. 
Where was all this during the last 14 years of Tory rule hippo? You have suddenly woken up but hardly a peep out of you during one of the most corrupt and incompetent periods of government in our lifetime.

[Weston Super Saint]

49 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

This sounds a bit conspiracy theory for my tastes, but given that Starmer has namechecked Blackrock directly, it's an interesting prediction nonetheless. Would explain the farmer strategy. 

https://x.com/DanielPriestley/status/1859888520740958371?t=PSIrwUF7tEaEpywJlJwN1Q&s=19

When he started waffling on about illegal immigrant labour I made my mind up about him being certifiable.

[hypochondriac]

5 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

Can’t believe that anyone with any level of intelligence still falls for the guff on conspiracy theorist heaven that is X. 
Where was all this during the last 14 years of Tory rule hippo? You have suddenly woken up but hardly a peep out of you during one of the most corrupt and incompetent periods of government in our lifetime.

 

[hypochondriac]

8 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

When he started waffling on about illegal immigrant labour I made my mind up about him being certifiable.

Yes you are probably right. Like I said a bit too much of a conspiracy theory. It will be interesting to see what moves Blackrock does make in the UK though and also what hands farms do end up in. One claim is that young people who want to be farmers will be able to do so. Let's see if that happens. 

Edited Friday at 11:53 by hypochondriac

[AlexLaw76]

9 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

Can’t believe that anyone with any level of intelligence still falls for the guff on conspiracy theorist heaven that is X. 
Where was all this during the last 14 years of Tory rule hippo? You have suddenly woken up but hardly a peep out of you during one of the most corrupt and incompetent periods of government in our lifetime.

[rallyboy]

2 hours ago, hypochondriac said:

This sounds a bit conspiracy theory for my tastes, but given that Starmer has namechecked Blackrock directly, it's an interesting prediction nonetheless. Would explain the farmer strategy. 

https://x.com/DanielPriestley/status/1859888520740958371?t=PSIrwUF7tEaEpywJlJwN1Q&s=19

Sounds absolutely bonkers - I think you were right initially.

Trust your gut feeling.

 

 

 

[sadoldgit]

56 minutes ago, rallyboy said:

Sounds absolutely bonkers - I think you were right initially.

Trust your gut feeling.

 

 

 

His gut feeling was to take a conspiracy theory from X and spread it on another social media platform.

[AlexLaw76]

https://inews.co.uk/news/rachel-reeves-banking-roles-revealed-cv-3390856?srsltid=AfmBOorDJFvKQnN5WoAtZ38Dr-3mVQTYvDT0TJpc2viQmnJgXOX2BJdZ