They didn't call Hoare "Soapy Sam" for nothing - he was the Mandleson of his time!
Today's Torygraph also covers BRNC closure - without saying where a replacement would be.
Have to agree that single-Service "front gates" are essential, not only for zobs but for blighters/jacks/erks too. (IMHO)
It's all about the ethoi... (plural of ethos, I've been waiting for years to use it!)