posted by ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
purplecthulhu at 09:32pm on 28/01/2008
purplecthulhu at 09:32pm on 28/01/2008Gemini as TSR21.
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(no subject)
(no subject)
Sadly, despite the cock-ups with the replacement (F-111s! Erm, maybe not! Massive cancellation fees!), I suspect that many of those programmes (and perhaps I should restrict myself to military projects here) were funded with an unrealistic view of the strategic and economic environment, belonging to an east of Suez empire. I really need to read up on this - I will have to bother my History of Tech friends.
But yes, it is somewhat depressing.
(no subject)
It may be that Black Arrow and TSR2 were relics of empire, but I'm not convinced. I think they were more the result of a country that was looking to the future and wanting to play a large role in it. You can say a lot of bad things about Blair, and i do, but when he arrived in 97 there was something of the same atmosphere. Now, however, we are not looking to the future. Instead the science budget is raided to pay off Rover and to cover other gaps in funding. The future that the science represents isn't believed in and instead we look for short term gains, be they technological or political. In this atmosphere there will be no fundamental advances and the blue skies research that could provide them is cancelled.