You are correct that Investors in People is a farce, and apart from being a huge waste of cash does nothing 'at the coal face'.
But again, I think you are wrong when you say that people are 'whitewashing their minds' into thinking the job is good. As in any job there are good and bad elements, and whilst yes Tony and his mates are doing their best to undermine the RAF, people aren't stupid! Theres a huge difference between getting on with the job and having pride in what you do rather than liking it. In this day and age the trips out to funny places come around all too often. No-one will look after you, you have to be cunning and use forethought and planning to even try to get the next posting you want.