Medizin

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
-= MI5: cost of. the operation -=
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Heres what a couple of other people. on Usenet (uk.misc) had to say
regarding the cost of running such. an operation...

PO: >Have some sense,. grow up and smell reality. What you are talking about
PO: >would take loads of planning, tens. of thousands of pounds and lots of
PO: >people involved in the planning, execution and maintenance of. it. You
PO: >must have a very high opinion of yourself to think you. are worth it.

PM: >But why? And why you? Do you realize how much it. would cost to keep
PM: >one person under continuous surveillance. for five years? Think about
PM: >all the man/hours. Say they just allocated a two. man team and a
PM: >supervisor. OK., Supervisors salary, say,. #30,000 a year. Two men,
PM: >#20,000 a year each. But theyd need to work in shifts. -- so it would
PM: >be six men at #20,000 (which with. on-costs would work out at more like
PM: >#30,000 to the. employer.)
PM:. >
PM: >So, were. talking #30,000 x 6. #180,000. plus say, #40,000 for the
PM: >supervisor. #220,000. Then youve got the hardware. involved. And
PM: >any transcription that needs doing.. You dont think the Big Boss
PM: >would listen to hours and. hours of tapes, do you.
PM:. >
PM: >So, all in all, you. couldnt actually do the job for much less than
PM: >a quarter million a year. Over five years. What are. you doing that makes
PM: >it worth. the while of the state to spend over one and a quarter million
PM:. >on you?

Those are. pretty much the sort of calculations that went through my head
once I stopped to consider what it must. be costing them to run this
operation. The partial answer is, there. have been periods when the
intensity has been greater,. and times when little has happened. In fact,
for much of 1993 and the first half of. 1994, very little happened. Although
I dont think. that was for reasons of money - if they can tap into the
taxpayer theyre not going to be short of. resources, are they?

The more complete answer is. in the enormity of what theyre doing. Relative
to the cost to British pride. of seeing their country humiliated for the
persecution of their own citizens, isnt. is worth the cost of four or five
people to try to bring things to. a close in the manner they would wish? To
the government a million or two is quite honestly nothing - if they. can
convince themselves of the. necessity of what theyre doing, resources will
not be the. limiting factor.

8048