Have finally got round to/found time to (delete where inapplicable) sending a reply to the obfuscatory letter I received from the Min of State for the Armed Forces. Which you can see at
http://s79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...amletbuck1.jpg
(my post 2200 24 May)
Here's what I said (by snailmail)
The Rt Hon Adam Ingram MP
Minister of State for the Armed Forces
Floor 5, Zone B, Main Building
Ministry of Defence
London
SW1A 2HB 2 June 2006
Dear Minister
My MP, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, has sent me a copy of your letter D/Min(AF)/A1 1666/06/L/sb dated 9 May 2006, in which you responded to my mail to GCB regarding the Chinook crash on the Mull of Kintyre.
In your letter, you agree that “Prior to ..... May 1997, Dr Reid and colleagues believed that there were sufficient grounds to question the finding of the Board of Inquiry.” So far so good. You then go on to list ten or a dozen eminent and distinguished people who have been consulted in the process of coming to your departmental decision not to change the finding of Gross Negligence. You include in your list the two air marshals who changed the original Board of Inquiry findings, and one is tempted to comment “Well they would say that, wouldn’t they?” Anyway, impressive as this list is, I have to say that its relevance to the question I asked escapes me, especially as nowhere in your letter do you actually answer my question.
So I ask you one more time - and this time I would really appreciate an answer - what was the further evidence, presented to him (the Secretary of State) in 1997 and since, that changed his opinion from one of an injustice to that of negligence with absolutely no doubt whatsoever? In my mail to my MP, I also suggested he ask you to provide him with a copy of such evidence.
You end your letter hoping that what you have said is helpful. I have to disappoint you - it is not. Please would you try and make the next one really helpful? We’re not going to go away, you know.
By the way, I am perfectly happy to receive your reply by email (....), especially if that would speed up the process of getting a reply, which has not been noteworthy for its alacrity so far.
Copy to Geoffrey Clifton-Brown by email
airsound