Yeah it is an RAF plane and should be kept the way it is so it is available for dual use by our armed forces. There was always a virtue to having the plan anonymous and in RAF grey. Instead it is now to be entirely obvious to anyone with any dubious motives that a Royal or senior UK government official is on it. The benefits of turning up somewhere in a UK branded plane seems negligible to me.

As former RAF pilot Andy Netherwood says “The paint scheme gives away the fact that No 10 is re-purposing an aircraft acquired to provide defence. If Johnson wants a VIP jet fine, but make the argument and pay for it.”

Maybe someone could inform me just what the government have got right .

They got elected, saving us from Corbyn, other than that not much.

Wouldn't need one, he could power an airship with his own hot air, rather like yourself.

Hot air and Johnson go very much hand in hand


Without his pre rehed tag lines, he seems to offer very little indeed.
That and overstating the "success" of everything


There's a huge difference in being positive and spouting nonsense and he's a lot closer to the latter.

His pledge of "world beating" test and trace for the 1st June is a classic example - the app, which was to be the USP in the test and trace may not even be ready, or is than oven ready, by the end of the year.
At least he got "Brexit done", although were still miles away from the "oven ready" deal that was good to go in November ??

The original royal yacht was built to be used as an hospital ship at the time of war. When the Falklands came along rather than send this ship they commandeered the Canberra instead. I expect that the RAF plane will cease to be used for its intended purpose, mid air refuelling.
What do we hear today but a suggestion from a Government minister to build two new yachts, one for the Royals and one for the government. I may have missed something but aren’t we in a recession. They are clueless and have no idea what the general population would feel about this.
The magic money tree is now apparently a magic forest.

What I learnt from the Brexit debate and general election is that those of us from the centre-ground or left of the political spectrum over-estimate dissatisfaction in the general public. The myriad of Facebook Groups I am a member of are unashamedly echo-chambers. For me personally, they represent pro EU, Liberal mindsets with no or negligible diversity of thought. Crucially I am self-aware enough to recognise I’ve built myself an echo-chamber world on social media and that the truth of what "the people" actually think can't be found in them.

In those chambers, we discussed at length that we would inevitably be getting a people’s vote, that no one in their right mind would vote Tory or that even if they did, the LDs and Labour would be able to form a coalition and keep them out. We started to believe it because we never stopped to ask anyone with a different point of view.

The mistake that those who do not like the Conservative Party or this government make is to assume the indignation and outrage we express is actually felt by the general population. Once you wake up and realise that this isn’t the case AT ALL, then you’ll change tack. Quite simply, the masses do not feel any great antipathy towards this government yet. No great dissatisfaction is brewing. Some of us may fervently WANT the general public to have some sort of epiphany but it really is not the case. This thread is interesting to me because it has view points from people who I fundamentally disagree with and it adds a sense of perspective about the barriers to the sort of UK I would like to see.

He'll be in good company then.

I found this post very sensible, you are quite right, having a one track mind often puts one onto the wrong track. Although I have strong views, and sometimes over passionate, I do try to keep an open mind, a lot of views on here I tend to disagree with, but sometimes I have to think more seriously about them. Let’s all try to keep an open mind.

The beauty of online news apps is that they can pull all of the different versions of the same story together in one place. That way you can read how a story has been reported, and commented on, across the whole political spectrum.

It never fails to amaze me how some outlets can spin bad news, however bad it is, into an almost credible story. You'll rarely get a truly balanced report across the whole spectrum, but it's depressing the levels some outlets will sink to to protect 'their man'. And it's even more depressing to see the commentariat blindly cheering it on.

Vera Lyn dies at 103. Sadly as a Churchill loving patriot and thus a racist I do hope there is no statue erected in her honour.

If this happens I will be sure to loot my nearest electrical appliance store in protest. I sincerely hope nobody disagrees with my attitude on this as I clearly represent the opinions of everyone on this planet and also some parts of Mars. Mars by the by is no longer the red planet, it is now a Non gender, non colour specific special entity

Decent will not be tolerated in this issue by the way. You have been warned.

Uganda was the hospital ship and served both British and Argentinian injured. Canberra was a troop ship.

I seem to remember that Brittania was deemed "unsafe and unsuitable" for the South Atlantic by the Royal Navy.

Don’t always agree with you Vasty but %100 on this

I know that but the reason given for the public to fund was its dual purpose when required at a time of war. I am sure it was always going to be declared unsuitable even if the need was the other side of the English Channel because it would be a target for the enemy. I wonder after the 10m Cameron spent on modifying the plane as it been used for its purpose as a mid air refuelling aircraft and do we expect that once it is emblazoned with the Union flag the same reason will be used.

Enjoy it while you can the days of humour and free speech are numbered.

I’m surprised this post has lasted.

Well, I’m also right behind BLM on this one. That’s the BLM from the little town of Horbury

LOL. You'll have to do better than that get deleted off this thread.

I'm with you on this one too actually.
I'm very bothered about other people's feelings but it's just been taken too far.

HMY came into service in 1954 it was probably not deemed mechanically fit or big enough for a long distance role in a conflict. It was built as dual purpose at the time of the Korean War at a time of world instability. In 1997 she started to be decommisioned as the then Labour Govt refused to carry out a 17 million pound refit.
The Queen as late as 2019 is still contemplating another Royal Yacht out of her own funds but as yet nothing has been commissioned. As an ex Seafarer and at sea in the 1980s Iran Iraq war and volunteering for the South Atlantic( I never went as my company insisted I took leave then sent me back on the ship in the Iran Iraq war zone) The Royal Yacht woul have possibly gone as a last resort but the resources sent were ample to support the military.
As for the jet its a multifunctional A330 Airbus that can quickly return to refuelling or carrying the Royal Family and Govt. Perhaps you understand the logistics of VIP travel or maybe you don't but British Airways carries our flad but is owned by AIG so its a private enterprise. The value for money the plane gives far outweighs the need to travel commercial for numerous Royal and Govt activities. So the 10 million was good value and I also think branding the plane for 99k is a steal, we are the 5th biggest economy in the zworld we are out of the EU we need a corporate and effective look for our nation. We have Japn, Australia and now New Zealand all but a gut for trade deals I am all for it.

They are now shafting student nurses who were supposed to be contracted until September by cancelling said contracts in July.

The Forum desk calendar. Every day we flip over the page and read a new schoolboy sound bite.

I’m just giving daily examples of the Government’s screw ups. No one is making you read this thread?

Haven’t seen any marching in Horbury

thank god we have no statues. Having said that we’ve a pot duck in the back garden.

Speaking of hot air, there’s no sign of that “world class” test and trace app they promised by June 1st.

Isn't there a Rhubarb Statue in Horbury. And those poor buggers are kept in cramped dark warehouses. Forced in fact.

bloody forgot about that, locals have had a dabble at them before all this malarkey