Forum: Public Forum

I would not worry too much about EMRPGG rolling dice on the deck of HMS Ark Royal any time soon. She is currently "awaiting disposal", she can stay like this until HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales come into service in, respectively, 2020 and 2023. HMS Ark Royal is technically decomissioned, but not yet sold or cut down to pieces. If the Argy-Bargies try to get to the Falklands again...

As for the Royal Navy not having an aircraft carrier, this is plain wrong: HMS Illustrious is still floating and sailing. Sailing is something the French aircraft carrier CDG does not do much when not close to Toulon. Libya is an excellent theatre of operation for the CDG, if its engines fail, or if she loses one of her propellers, she can be towed back across the Mediterranean.

The defence cuts in the latest two budgets have been here to make us swallow various pills. Assuming growth coming back strongly this year and the next, the Royal Navy should get its toys back pretty quickly. Right now HMS Prince of Wales is due to be mothballed/"state of extended readiness", or worse sold (potentially to India) as soon as it is out of the production line. Same thing for the F-35B joint strike fighters that are supposed to be landing on them.
If it was down to me, I would cut funding to the arts, schools, hospitals, unemployment benefits, send five year olds up chimneys like in the good old days and fund a dozen fully equipped aircraft carriers...

In passing, I would not be surprised that our recent "humanitarian" endeavour in Tripolitania and Cyrenaica (yes I know, one needs to be a long lived Roman to use these words ) will change the Government's attitude towards defence funding.

Anyway, back to the point of the Welcome thread:

Craig, you should head to the April Big Meet thread. This month we have two games and no registered players yet. One could be switched to the Evening session if need be.

Laurent,