Hi Guy's long time no prune!!
Sorry to finaly hear about the Merlin down here, glad to hear all OK.
But, the fact that the Merlin is a major step forward and more capable then the Sea King etc. does not mean that it should be defended at all costs!! If something is wrong it should be fixed and waiting until the BOI comes out with their considerations is a little blind. The rotor brake tale should be warning enough! I don't know the details of the bits in question (still on SK here), so I'll stay out of the tech details, it's the principal of this dangerous sport of ours.
If something is broke....Fix it
If something is suspect ...Investigate it, don't go on until it does it again!