TonyUn-freaking believable…..this is when police act like they’re in a police state….if you watch the clip the homeless man was posing no threat….no human deserves to die like that….shot like a dog…..his hands were by his side….
I can’t comment on America but I’m glad this is fairly rare here (though I remember the Brazilian killed in the tube when the police plain lied on the night of the killing to cover their mistakes by deliberately creating doubt and confusion when the actual facts were the complete opposite….I followed that story closely having just flown back to London from Guernsey the day of the tube bombings….and even now wonder why no one got done for such a blatant lie.
Some of the lies on the night of the shooting included: he wore “heavy clothing” (supposed to be concealing God-knows-what but actually he wore normal clothes and had a small jean top on) and they also lied that he jumped over the tube turnstiles in some kind of hurry (he didn’t….he had walked calmly in the train to work)…..by the time the truth is out most people forgot the police lied their socks off to deliberately create doubt and cover their mistake…..classic throwing sand in people’s eyes.
Cressida Dick (it’s her real name ; – ) ) who gave the order to kill has been promoted to be the most senior police woman in the country.
This is a danger that could happen to anyone at any time….you could be out minding your own business and no threat to anyone and bam!
TonyI bet no one has seen this.
Weird but definitely Mayall!
Never seen this…when did Rik Mayall do this? ….looks around the time of the New Statesman (also had great writers).
…weird but nostalgic trip down memory lane with the ABBA tunes…can’t believe it was more than 30 years ago
TonySad news to go so young….3 minutes of gold…it’s got the lot.
Thanks bridesmaid…like the beard….gives me something to hang on to!
Nursie…am I pleased to see you or have I just put a canoe in my pocket!
She’s got the tongue of an electric eel and she likes the taste of a man’s tonsils 😉
TonyIt’s ok to have an opinion different from the jury and at the same time respect the verdict of the Court because thankfully you have to provide sufficient evidence in order to convict someone.
The reason why Coulson’s boss and former lover got off is that Newscorp deleted millions of emails….nothing to look at …no trail!
So while there was circumstantial evidence there was not direct evidence linking Brooks.
One can think that Brooks as the boss knew about payments (because as the boss she had to sanction them and the boss knows where company money goes) and it also seems unbelievable that her former lover, close friend and underling did not tell her what was going on in the company she was running and closely supervising….but in the end we have to respect the court verdict because it did not find sufficient evidence to convict her and perhaps unlucky for her subordinate that he was found guilty.
On a separate matter, newspapers have an important role in uncovering wrong doing within the law in the public interest (as Woodwood and Bernstein did in uncovering the Watergate cover up) and any steps to have French style protection for “celebrities” over here will hopefully be avoided here.
It can’t be right that some people use the media when it suits them and then, having the money, can place expensive gagging orders to stop the world finding out when they’ve done something wrong (remember Robert Maxwell stole £400m from the Mirror pension fund and he would sue at a drop of a hat any one who questioned him courtesy of Sue, Grabitt and Runne ; -))
TonyMoggy, you mean snipping like this leaving just the salient points?
Now that would make Johnny-boy foam at the mouth……[/I] bow down before me, say and do nothing to displease me, do not question my wisdom since you are not worthy, and NEVER make a spelling mistake in any communication with me and expect me to take you seriously[/I]… Pompous, self important windbag.
I agree this does make following threads easier without having to look up post numbers.
Snafu, keep fighting the good fight (and cheering us up mate ;- )….often I’m dying to write a reply but it’s not always possible because of work but invariably you’ve written a far better reply than I could have managed (and funny at the same time)….live long and prosper!
TonyThank you very much James and that is much appreciated.
Meanwhile, I look forward to the restoration of the other valuable threads with stores of hard-earned knowledge bases that were similarly deleted in the past year or two.
Part of the richness of the forum was that posters came from all over the world; all with different viewpoints, unlike one -dimensional sites with a narrow focus such as F-16.net.
Many posters put in time and effort to share knowledge and that is what helped to make it one of premier international meeting places for modern aviation.
Hopefully the restoration of the missing threads will encourage many knowledgeable posters to return to the forum.
Meanwhile, have a good weekend!
TonyHi James,
Thank you for clarifying the threads haven’t been deleted, just moved while they are being cleaned up.
There were many valuable photos and tons of information built up over many years and it would be good to be able to retrieve this information.
Some of the missing threads include Su-57, Franco-German project, Tejas, Syrian thread and many more. It would be good to get them all back!
Many thanks,
Tony
Tony@tomcatVIP
Worth noting Dassault revenues from military sales constitute only 39% of its income….business jets form its core income stream.
Most of the others are wholly defence companies and get all their income from military sales….if Dassault included civilian sales it would jump 30 places…
European companies in time of austerity spread out production over as many years as possible…has the added benefit of preserving a skilled workforce and retaining technology know-how for future projects.
On the other hand if you hit the jackpot with the American taxpayer you can get your sales paid for by US government treasury bills to make up the shortfall of tax revenue yet to be earned to spend more on the military industrial complex than the rest of the world put together….current US debt of £21 trillion is like a giant Ponzi scheme that will never be repaid.
I see you never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity to denigrate Dassault where possible…. even though you are a French aerospace engineer….surely the passing years have mellowed you sufficiently to allow you, after so many years, to forgive and forget?
TonyThe UK is looking for the widest possible partnership, with some partners bringing technology, others cheap production capacity, and some bringing investment. Bear in mind that this will not be an aircraft programme in the sense that we have all been used to, but a system of systems programme, covering a suite of vehicles/platforms and weapons.
I’d expect Turkey, Japan and Sweden to be likely partners, along with Saudi Arabia. Beyond that? Perhaps some or all of the Eurofighter partners and customer nations (current and future). I found the warmth of Airbus’ response very interesting…..
Thanks for that Jackonicko….I believe is it important to maintain the high level of aerospace that has been so carefully built up over the years. A capable workforce will help contribute to the exchequer and the future prosperity of UK plc. This is best made possible with collaboration with other parties who can bring something to the table. With Sweden you have the proven SAAB project management and technology heritage; Turkey might have cheaper production capacity; Japan over-engineered the F-2 and made it much more expensive than the F-16 and their “son of F-22/ F-35 hybrid” is rumoured to be in the ballpark of $200 million each but technically I am sure they can bring something; and Saudi I suppose would contribute funds in the same way UAE did for the F-16 Block 60 and this would no doubt help with mid-east sales….an important consideration when you look at DJCross’s list of potential sales a few posts up.
I find it interesting that you found the ‘warmth’ of Airbus’ response interesting 😉
There are of course many reasons why the French diverged from the Eurofighter project and went their own independent way with the Rafale and they have maintained a level of competence that may otherwise have been lost. EagleI outlined above the pitfalls of a project with too many cooks and political interference leading to delays and increased costs and reduced capabilities due to differences in requirements by some of the partners (like the Germans and Typhoon compared to the RAF’s need for greater capability)….
This will be a long road an require resilience in the face of changing governments etc. but interesting times ahead….
Tony@Jackonicko
Thank you for clarifying that “Italian” involvement.
Clearly BAE is the driving force…what are your thoughts on any potential international partners?
Tony@Orion
You are correct…Ferranti was a great company involved in almost every aspect of post war avionics in the golden age of UK aerospace….it went bust due to buying International Signal & Control…an American front company used for illegal arms sales by secret American organisations…..after buying the company based on fake profits these clandestine sales obviously dried up causing Ferranti to go into administration as a result of its acquisition….a question based on this exact case (which luckily I recognised) was actually in one of my professional exams!
The best bits of Ferranti were hoovered up by GEC-Marconi which was eventually bought by BAE.
Tony@Sintra
Thanks, the old GEC Marconi is a great pedigree.
Being based in Scotland kills two birds with one stone…local employment and support from both local Scottish and Italian governments!
TonyCan’t argue with the beautiful lines of the Northrop YF-23 in the photo above….the side view is really elegant….in fact it looks good from any angle….closest in beauty in recent times is the T-50…final production model will be interesting.
TonyMrmalaya, we understand this is the early stages….Bae’s commitment is £2.7 billion over a number of years…getting partners is important for a number of reasons, including political support, not just finance.
Leonardo (formerly Finmeccanica) which is one of the top 10 defence contractors in the world (order book €33 billion). The Italian state has a one third stake in the company and has a commitment to help social cohesion. Italian government support would be one way to help their economy and to help provide employment in hi-tech sectors.
You will remember the two new carriers were ordered by a Labour government!…..Gordon Brown was pleased to spend £ billions to help Scottish shipyards…..BAe can take a leaf out of LM who’ve spread their plants over 40 states to get support in Congress….The 2020 elections are by no means a forgone conclusion….in any case Jeremy Corbyn might surprise a few people by supporting hi-tech jobs in conventional weapon programmes.
TonyPerhaps Marcellego could comment on the reported Leonardo involvement?
The Italians being frozen out by the French-German combo might see a worthwhile collaboration a la Tornado?
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