Originally Posted by Tuc
In 2001 John Day threatened to resign if the House of Lords went against him on the Mull of Kintyre matter. They did. He didn't.
So, it failed to influence the politicians.
Actually, in a lot of cases, that kind of opposition could even harden a politician's resolve, not wanting to be publicly defeated by a public servant on a matter of principle. The threat of resignation, probably even less effective. In the leadership's collective mind, there are plenty more people waiting to fill Stars' boots.
In Lord Chalfont's words, the possible resignation of an Air Marshall was the main factor in the MoD's minds. Not in the politician's minds.