Those Magnificent Tories and their Flying Machines

Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines.
They Go Up, Tiddly, Up, Up.
They Go Down, Tiddly, Down, Down.

Those Magnificent men in their Flying Machines - Ron Goodwin lyrics

What is about the Tories and aviation, as the F35 procurement plan unravels and the opposition smells a bit of blood in the water, the Globe and Mail offers up a historical note for Prime Minister Harper, looking back at the Avro Arrow days and how that damaged the Conservatives for at least a couple of decades.

A timely reminder for the Conservatives who suddenly find themselves in a similar mess that Good Ole Dief found himself in back in the days before twitter and blogs could spread the trouble faster than a fighter jet.

With the Government looking rather out of touch with what it was being sold on, the escalating cost of the replacement plans for the Royal Canadian Air Force is looking to be the first major setback for the Harper Conservatives since they won electoral victory last year.

The F 35 mess had the Opposition in good form this week in the House of Commons, Liberal leader Bob Rae clearly got the line of the week in with his comparison of the Prime Minister as the piano player at a brothel pretending that he was unaware as to what goes on upstairs.

A pretty funny line all in all, though we doubt if as suggested the Prime Minister will resign over the issue, though that doesn't mean that the opposition may not get a sacrificial lamb for after Easter.

The implosion of the procurement strategy is leaving Ottawa observers with the impression that a cabinet shuffle may soon be in the works, something that does seem rather likely.

When the normally Conservative friendly National Post refers to the F35 procurement as a debacle which plays Canadians for fools, well the optics aren't good and someone is going to need a helicopter airlift we think.

While we're not sure how this is all going to play  out in the end, the Royal Canadian Air Force is clearly going to need some kind of replacement plan in place for the ever aging CF 18's.

All we can say to that is, if the British Government calls up with an offer of some "used planes", hang up the phone and make sure you have call block activated...

National Post-- F35 debacle see Canadians nearly played for fools
National Post-- Peeling back the layers of misconduct in the F-35 fiasco
National Post-- Blame Peter McKay for the F-35 mess
National Post-- Tories freeze F-35 funds and open door to alternatives in wake of scathing AG report
Globe and Mail-- Conservatives hit the 'reset button' on plan to buy 65 fighter jets
Globe and Mail-- Rae's verdict on F-35 fiasco: "Harper should resign"
Globe and Mail-- Conservatives scramble to save face over fighter jet plan
Globe and Mail-- Tories boost oversight -but heads won't roll- on F-35 purchase
Globe and Mail-- Tories' economic reputation shot to pieces by fighter jets
Globe and Mail-- Weighing the factors in buying a warplane
Globe and Mail-- Fewer jets, higher costs, nervous buyers
Globe and Mail-- Government's resolve wavers in plan to buy F-35 fighter jets
Globe and Mail-- Crash or burn? The Conservatives' F-35 dilemma
Globe and Mail-- Latest Tory line of F35 jets: 'All options are on the table'
Globe and Mail-- Harper's handling of F-35 file further erodes accountability
Globe and Mail-- 'Overly confident' DND failed to properly assess F-35 costs: auditor
Globe and Mail-- Deep cuts to military mark reversal for Harper
Globe and Mail-- F-35s needed to fight alongside Allies, Mackay says
Toronto Star-- Ghost of the Avro Arrow haunts the F-35
Toronto Star-- Auditor general slams Canada's plan to buy F-35 jets
Toronto Star-- Ottawa to overhaul purchase of F-35 fighter jets in wake of AG report
Toronto Star-- Auditor-General Michael Ferguson prepared to hit high-flying Conservatives
Toronto Star-- Conservative government pledges support for Walter Natynczyk
Toronto Sun-- Time to ground F-35 jet setters
Toronto Sun-- F-35 jet turbulence
Toronto Sun-- Grits want Harper to resign over F-35s
Toronto Sun-- Tories flying blind on F-35 purchase: AG
Toronto Sun-- Opposition hammers Tories over fighter jets
Toronto Sun-- F-35 could survive AG criticism
CBC-- True F-35 cost likely known by cabinet, auditor says
CBC-- MPs battle over F-35 fighter jet costs
CBC-- Tories rush to contain F-35 fallout
CBC-- Should Canada drop the plan to buy F-35 jets and start over?
CBC-- F-35's exorbitant cost clouds its future
CBC-- Harper government accused of rigging F-35 purchase