Hoon may well be popular, but I have oft been told that 'leadership is not a popularity contest'.
If the message coming out of Whitehall was that the armed forces were well led then perhaps there wouldn't be any manpower shortages. If Hoon's a good leader, why do so many people want to leave his employ?
Anyone taking a quick look at the many serious threads would believe that the most experienced and able servicemen are leaving the military in droves. Their places, apparently, are to be taken by a bunch of semi-literate 'wannabes' (see other threads). A cynic might suggest that Hoon would attain maximum popularity by closing down the armed forces altogether!