Dear Mr Purdey,
As you correctly intimate, I am somewhat sceptical but history dictates I am right to do so, as others have pointed out.
On the other hand, I am also convinced that the new defence ministers are determined to do so very much better in this case than did their predecessors. After all, the new govt spent a lot of time in opposition and are far better briefed than ever before - I know that Dr Liam Fox and Nick Harvey come into that category, not to mention David Cameron himself. I just hope they have the sheer bloody-mindedness and courage to ignore the insidious machinations and the self-serving, back-stabbing lobbying of the so-called RAF 'Star Chamber' - which is anything but 'star'. You're not one of them are you, Mr Purdey?
I trust that there are a number of these retired VSOs and 'cold-war warriors' who are not sleeping well at the moment - well, it is all they deserve after denying so many families relief and closure for so long.
However, I am also hopeful that there are relative newcomers to the 'Star Chamber' who do have morals, who wish right to be done and to 'put this one to bed'. Certainly, it is very interesting to watch the 'old guard' of the chamber desparately trying to implicate the senior Civil Servant who was Contoller Aircraft at the time of the Mull Travesty; I don't think that will wash as I think the Civil Service are fed up of such underhand MoD Service tactics. Don't forget, it is the Servicemen who brief the civil service and it is the civil service who brief the politicians - I suspect that the civil service are tired of being lied to.
I will watch with interest.