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Plane spotting at public expense

From Lords Hansard:

Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 17 October 2007 (WA 52), on how many occasions since last October Royal Air Force aircraft have been launched to monitor Russian aircraft approaching United Kingdom airspace. [HL1436]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): Between 1 October 2007 and 18 January 2008, RAF Quick Reaction Alert aircraft were scrambled on 11 days to identify Russian military aircraft.

If all the flyboys are doing is identifying, could this not be left to someone with a pair of binoculars? Back on planet reality, perhaps the Baroness (in actual fact the lantern-jawed Ann Taylor) could use less absurdly euphemistic language.



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Anonymous Anonymous said... 9:34 am

...and one "day" now appears to equate to one "occasion" which also serves to muddy the waters. I wonder what term would she have used had the RAF been scrambled say half a dozen times in one 24 hour period.

Perhaps this is the Nulab comp school maths in action, but is it really necessary to obfuscate quite so much when a simple number would have provided the answer required?  



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