"According to Gordon Brown at PMQs today, he is very respectful of the armed forces and indeed, asked CDS if there were enough helicopters in Afghanistan. Indeed, he always ensures that there are sufficient resources for all military operations."
"So, it would seem, CDS (Sir Jock) and his service staffs gave the wrong 'advice'. It is hard to imagine that such officers are so incompetent. They really ought to have been removed from their posts!"
However hard it may be to imagine.... give it a try. Try your hardest.
Stirrup is a place-man left in post over and above his normal "tour length" precisely because he is the least politically disruptive for Brown. As for his competance in post... make of that what you will, given Brown's history.
I know I'm biased. Never liked Stirrup, never will. Not that he'll lose any sleep over that.
