An interesting article on UKIP tax and spending policies:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/politics/article3751480.ece

edit: apologies that you need to subscribe to see full article, but initial paragraphs set out an interesting conclusion.

I think I’v made my opinions about the abortion the CVF is well known here. I will say that if it were up to me, the RN would have two 60000 ton three catapult CVs in service or on the way (perferably three ships) , each with a standing air group of three fast jet squadrons (Rafale would be my first choice but SH would do) one of helos, and an AEW flight. (Hawkeyes) that is as far as I’m going to go tonight cause you dont even want me to start on what the RAF should have, or the British Army for that matter. Suffice to say that it really really pains me to see how far the British have declined. And if you disagree……fine.

If it were up to people on this forum then defense matters would be taken much more seriously indeed, but when you see people saying the UK is better off with ski jumps and F-35B etc it’s because we are thinking of how to make the best of a bad situation. As it stands it seems like the British public seem to be happy with the idea of a military that is just about big enough to act as a defense force but nothing more, but still want us to intervene around the world from time to time. I think it will take a massive political shift or a humanitarian disaster where the military has to admit they are incapable of intervening for anything to change.

That would be unlikely, since he’s been dead for about 20 years. Even so, he is still the official Head of State, making North Korea the world’s only necrocracy.

I’m sorry Nic, but just because most people don’t approve of something doesn’t necessarily mean people shouldn’t be allowed to do it, this is just tyranny of the majority. So long as they aren’t hurting anyone else or getting in their way then the government has a duty to protect the liberty of people to do whatever they wish (with the above proviso).

Many people claim to be against letting gay people marry because it would infringe on their own freedom – it seems to me that this is just a tacit admission that they don’t actually believe in freedom for all, they just want everyone to be limited to things that they personally approve of.

I see no reason China and North Korea would not have similar setup.

I can think of plenty of reasons.

1) China doesn’t want to shackle itself to a corpse
2) Why would China jeopardise their much more important trade relationships with the west?
3) What would China have to gain?

You also don’t seem to understand the structure of logical arguments – you don’t accept a proposition as true until it is disproved, it’s the other way around. You only accept a proposition once you have a good reason to.

Is there any evidence or motivation for China passing such information to NK?

As for Japan, Japan is out of North Korea’s reach except for ballistic missiles.

The PLA would be the primary combatant should they decide to join the war as the North Korean military would be disintegrated within a week, just like the last time.

China has stated they would be fine with a Korea that is entirely under the leadership of the South so long as US forces don’t build any new bases in the North. Even if this didn’t happen, the only thing China cares about is their own stability, North Korea once helped achieve that, but no longer. China has zero interest in defending NK militarily, any analysis would clearly show the costs outweighing the benefits.

As for the KPAF, they might be able to insert KPA commandos in small numbers and fly what would amount to suicidal wave attacks on the South, but ultimately they wouldn’t last more than a few days imho. Their equipment (what’s left of it) is probably in poor condition, they have little fuel, little training and probably not even many weapons in reserve.

wrt price, aren’t a number of Eurofighter nations trying to get rid of Trache 1 aircraft (I know Spain is)? If they are then Denmark could get these at a bargain.

Given that all of the assets for the heli-rescue service will have to be UK based, I don’t imagine it will have much of an impact on UK jobs, the only thing I would be worried about is profits being shipped overseas.

My only gripe about privatisation is that private firms will do whatever makes them a profit, whatever the results. An example could be private prisons in the US, which spend vast sums buying (sorry, I meant lobbying) politicians to pass ever more draconian laws, so they get more prisoners for longer, thus making them more revenue. A private company’s only duty is to its shareholders, everything else is just a means to an end, and I’m not sure that public services should be run like this.