I agree with what you say, Martin. In the current era of European
"get-togetherness" it appears increasingly out of step that we have all
these overlapping and competing national met services. It would surely
be far more cost-efficient to have a single European Weather Service.

Don't you mean cheaper rather than cost-effective, Norman? They're not
necessarily the same thing, except to those of the fundamentalist-accountant
tendency.
Each of the various models gives a different output, and sometimes one is
right, at other times another one is. The fewer models in operation the slower
the rate of improvement, it would seem to me. There is a scientific case for a
certain amount of diversity.

Tudor Hughes, Warlingham, Surrey.