Cam’s flight saves

The Sun ^ | 21 JUL 10 | TOM NEWTON DUNN

[kbennkc]

For the first time on a major official visit, the Premier turned down chartering his own plane to make the two-day trip to Washington DC.

And he even spurned First Class tickets to travel in the far cheaper Business Class. The move saved £200,000 in costs, Downing Street officials said.

Passengers were aghast when Mr Cameron and his team of officials boarded the plane to Dulles airport and took seats beside them.

In the past, PMs travelling on long overseas trips have always chartered a Boeing 747 or 767 - at a cost of £300,000 - or used RAF jets.

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3060952/David-Camerons-flight-saves-200k.html#ixzz0uLQTPqhJ

[kbennkc]

I bet he left his dog at home.

[ConservativeMind]

My kind of guy.

[OldDeckHand]

Sorry, I think this is an idiotic idea. He's a man who has troops in a theater of combat. He took a 5-hour flight on a plane that probably didn't have any mode of secure communications. This is style over subtance (and safety), and it's too bad a guy who touts himself as a conservative would engage in it.

The British government could easily outfit a used G550 or BBJ with all the appropriate comm gear, and it's cost per hour operation would on be nominally more than the cost of flying a staff of 15 in business class.

[Pessimist]

Can we trade the Brits?

[Pessimist]

He’s pressing substantial cuts there, so I guess the imagery was worth it to him.

I’d take him over Royal Obama anyday.

[Fred Hayek]

Agreed about the need for secure comms.
Part of this is a leftover Cold War thinking, but the UK has an independent nuclear deterrent, even if it is a small handful of boomer subs. Even if it was not a “fancy” 767, still a military transport with secure comms and the contingiency of being able to operate as an airborne command post. Cam’s still likely accompanied by someone with the equivalent of the “football”.

[OldDeckHand]

'Cam’s still likely accompanied by someone with the equivalent of the “football”."

That certainly seems logical. I'm not at all familiar with how the UK manages it release of nuclear weapons. Here in the states, by law, that may only be ordered by the President. He is unable to delegate that authority short of asserting the 25th Amendment, like has been done a handful of times when presidents have gone under general anesthesia.

I just think it's foolish to have your command-in-chief out of pocket for so long, especially considering the threat environment we all live in today.

Perhaps the UK has the ability to delegate that authority. I just don't know.