So, the BAE/EADS merger is off, and it sounds like it was the UK Government's fault.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19897699
Meanwhile, BBC News 24 blame the Germans for scuppering the deal. Get your message straight, Auntie. To make things more confusing, the French President just now released a statement saying that the scuppering was all "the companies' decision". Sounds like a good wholesome game of "Pass The Buck" to me.
What think ye of this, GAF?
I think good, defence is already too much of a monopoly, between the BAE tax and MoD incompetence we are already suffering from a surface fleet that couldn't invade a duck pond, a larger group with even less interest in British defence with fingers from France and Germany is not a good recipe. Just think of the Eurofighter, decades late and billions overbudget thanks to trying to satisfy several different countries, a single company cant accommodate such a area, several are needed for competition and choice.