There were 27 units in those days, and I do accept that a very small number were failing to keep up with the others. But in the main they were the ones who's existance was always questionable.
But never in a month of Sundays would I have included Merseyside and the Bedfordshire unit of Chilterns in that very small group.
No! Again I come back to the slash & burn mantra of saving money! The whole Holy Grail became saving money, - The one and only consideration! To hell with efficiency, moral and sustainability.
Proper leadership would have declared, " Look Guys, we have to cut our costs, so for the next 12 months we are going to take an in depth look at the whole operation. Some of you will go, - but only those who are not delivering" Go to it!
Then when the axe had to fall the guys and gals at the front end would have seen the logicality of it and worked with it. AS WE ALWAYS HAVE DONE!
But no! slash & burn, - reduce the fleet by a third! Get rid of those who know what they are about! Lets just have the puppets.
Hang on a minute, that sounds familiar! Didn't Stalin do that to the Soviet army? Get rid of anyone who disagreed?
It all comes back to leadership! Its a dirty word today.
My old Chief, KWL Steele, one of the last Trenchard men held that leadership was the most important gold standard that he looked for in his men. It didn't matter how clever they were accademicaly, if they didnt exhibit leadership skills by the bucket load, they would never get anywhere with him. He was our Chief for 25 Years, and most of us loved him. Except of course the weak "Yes Men" who bent this way & that as it seemed appropriate. They couldn't lead anyone out of a brown paper bag, and so it seems is the style of the service today!
tigerfish
