moonraker

No she isn’t, but it illustrates the problems with keeping a complex engineering structure viable. Aviation preservation is in reality far less complex than maritime and especially something like the QEII. Strangely for a maritime nation aviation heritage seems more able to get public support than maritime heritage.

The costs and source of funding will never add up for this type of vessel. People point to other maritime heritage attractions the vast majority of these live hand to mouth and have to establish a brand much wider than a single ship. The sheer scale of the QEII means that she would not be an easy vessel to interpret and present to the general public and I cannot see any business case where she would be self financing. HMS VICTORY does not pay her way, the MoD subsidise her upkeep to the tune of several million pounds and yet she is possibly the most famous preserved ship in the UK if not the world. The current project to ensure the continued preservation and viability of HMS ALLIANCE, the only WWII designed SM in the UK, will cost close to £7m and has required a significant grant from the Lottery (approx 50%). The reefing option is not as simple as people seem to think HMS SCYLLA was the first ship reefed in the UK in 2002 (I think), not accounting for all of the work by the MOD in striping her of equipment and asbestos prior to transfer for the reefing preparation work that cost £1m. Asbestos is only one of many environmental issues that need to be addressed, also to ensure divers safety a great deal of the structure and systems has to stripped out. The desire to preserve historic icons must be tempered by the reality that the preservation and maintenance of complex engineering structures is an extremely costly enterprise, for an example see the recent stories on VULCAN XH558, and not everything can be preserved and funded.

Boris is a breath of fresh air, the current political class are soulless, uninspiring and boring, shame he's a Tory.

Just one thing to say Gaston

I expect it is part of thier sponsorship strataegy that according to their website started in 2008. "From UEFA EURO 2008™ to the 2014 FIFA World Cup™ and beyond… At Castrol we’ve cemented our commitment to football over the years by supporting some of the biggest footballing events on the planet."

Its the MC and Wigan games, certainly some interesting outcomes, the Guly and Fox knockers wont like it. The video explanation points out that all other rankings are subjective, including the great player debates on here.

Just for the fun this would be my line up ------------------------------------Shilton-------------------------------------- Mills------------Watson ----------------Wright----------------------Bridge Paine--------------Keegan------------------Ball------------------Le Tiss ---------------------------------Channon Shearer---------------------------------- Subs Flowers Chivers Williams Chamberlain Reid Ruddock

Seems we are now very popular in Zambia, particularly liked this comment on one on the Zambia Watchdog website "I’m buying a Mayuka Southampton t-shirt whilst the rest of Zambia goes around wearing their man U ones with a picture of lucifer on the heart….."

The biggest surprise to me is QPR who based on the survey draw their fans form a wider area than Saints?

TDD I fully understand your frustration 20 years operating and now nearly 20 years designing, believe me there is no easy answer. Design teams are very professional and truly try to provide the best possible solution to the front line but have to operate within the available budget and technology constraints. The 2 elements that designers cannot plan for are politicians and service driven requirements creep. The politician interfere and the series change their mind depending on the latest events. One of the reasons so many projects overspend is changing requirements (QEC will cost more because of Cameron’s complete mis-judgment on the type of Aircraft).

Ah Astute, please tell me which current SSN's available in the world are better. The design of a nuclear submarine is recognised as one of if not the most complex engineering systems in the world. The design process requires that technology is de-risked before it can be included in the design, I would bet my shirt your examples were not mature enough when the design freeze decisions had to be taken hence designers include growth margin in all designs to allow for capability inserts/upgrades throughout the life of the system. Minor question TDD do you understand DLODS?

Well as I said I speak daily to your colleagues in the Navy and Army (rarely the RAF) who have also been on the front line, on land and at sea (above and below the water), and they tell it differently. I can assure you what you have today is far superior not just in technical capability but also in quality to what I and my oppos put up with in the 70’s and 80’s.

Your comment on the size of the armed forces is spot on, I am no shoulder shrugger, unfortunately no party understands the importance of strong properly constituted armed forces, the Tory’s happen to have the worst record on cuts, not just this incarnation but all post war Tory govs. My point on aid was that it is a cross bench view not a LD only view.

The aid programme is essentilly a tory policy yes the LDs support it but it would be there anyway. And what has it to do with armed forces equipment. The UK armed forces currently have the best equipment available, I speak daily to members of the armed forces and whilst there will always be grumbling kit is a minor issue on the other hand force reductions are areal concern, and as history tells us vote tory and you reduce the size of the armed forces.

Not at all, who one supports is a matter of free choice, however whenever the LD's part in the coalition is brought up on here the usual suspects just jump on the media bandwagon. They criticise the LD’s as though they are the government not the minority partner in a coalition, a coalition that despite our voting system is what we voted for, not as individuals but as a nation.

Sadly no national media want to tell this story. The press barons are only interested in the Tories or Labour; misrepresenting the LD's is nothing new. It’s a shame so many voters are either too thick or to ideological to understand / acknowledge this. The one good thing will be that Cameron and his unpleasant self serving backbenchers are going to be a one term government.

I have no issue with a local authority lending money to a local organisation, even the local football club. In the case of our nearest and dearest the loan should be on the basis that the Fans own the club) and all FL requirements are adhered in full, no appeals and no campaigns. I can’t see what the basis for a legal challenge would be. Trust ownership and fans control is now the only solution I could stomach if the few are to survive. Such an arrangement would guarantee that they forever remain below us and in our shadow much more satisfying than them becoming a footnote in football history.

What happens if everyone on the flight purchases speedy boarding?

A quote form the New York Times might cheer Dune up "Britain offered a display of humor and humbleness that can only stem from a deep-rooted sense of superiority."

It was not about them as individuals, they were representing the future, or is that a bit to difficult for you.

Me my 2 kids, it was excellent. The interpretation of our history was also excellent, proud British citizens celebrating it, the colour of thier skin does not distort history. Using your perverse logic would mean that the sealed knot would have to have a bar on non white members. And the cauldron was an absolute masterpiece.

I have a feeling this is another Tory attmept to deflect the fire away from the real issues of Tax avoidance. Public opinion is building and demanding action against the tax avioidance schemes used by the big corporates and the wealthy, a large % of whom are the very good freinds of the Tories. Their attempts to blame our finnacial ills on benefits claimants have not had much traction so now the have lined up their sights on small mainly self employed tradesman and women, this will not turn out well for them.

Mark Wright

If you like a good steak to Vincent's Restaurant http://www.restaurantvincent.com/

At St Marys often!!!!!!!