More like big disorder, actually.
Major redundancies?
Worse. The company wants to drop British from its title.
And I thought we were all working for an even cooler Britannia.
Get real. CB is naff.
But it was only yesterday that Mr Tony...
Yes, yes. But nothing changes faster than a corporate or national image.
I always thought that BAe looked daft. What's the point of the little e?
So dumbos like you don't think it stands for British Airways European branch.
Silly me. But didn't BA once drop British from their logo?
No, they dropped the word Airways.
Now I remember. Bizarre: jumbos with nothing but British painted on their bodywork, like huge graffiti.
Well there's nothing new about us Brits getting into a lather over our logos.
What's the big idea at BAe?
They think merger talks with other European aerospace competitors would be easier if the B word was removed.
Of course the real B word they'd like removed is Boeing, their big rival!
Don't be smart.
What else is on their agenda?
The usual stuff and bluff: huge international company; 90% of its sales are exports; worries about being perceived as insular in world markets.
So get rid of British?
I'm afraid that's it.
What do other EU members call their aerospace corps?
Aerospatiale (France); Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace (Germany); Casa (Spain).
Surely BAe can do something less drastic?
Well last year, their red, white and blue logo was quietly dropped in favour of something less patriotic, as the company put it.
What was that exactly?
Now it's a design in pure blue.
Pure blue? Isn't that what the ancient Celts painted themselves in?
Don't be facetious.
