Lord Stirrup
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Lord Stirrup
Goodness me! Just been watching today in Parliament and the speech on Libya by Lord Stirrup. Good one too!
But then I reflected that how much our two lives have changed and diverged since we were young junior officers flying Jaguar. Could it have been the other way round? Sliding doors?
Interesting thought!
But then I reflected that how much our two lives have changed and diverged since we were young junior officers flying Jaguar. Could it have been the other way round? Sliding doors?
Interesting thought!
Yes, I saw that too, purely by chance as I flipped channels between BBC News and Sky News. A vastly more lucid and flowing speech than a lot of the codgers that inhabit the upper House! 
Last saw Lord Stirrup when he was staish at RAF Marham in the early 90s. I was on Victor K2s.
Last saw Lord Stirrup when he was staish at RAF Marham in the early 90s. I was on Victor K2s.
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He's been more of a politician than an airman for the best part of 20 years. Interesting that he should only start to make these noises once he's safely ensconced, plus pension, in the Upper House.... 
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Jabba
In the end we are all the tools of politicians and are all bound by a particular code. That is what we are paid for. I prefer they actually make the case for the Armed Forces behind closed doors rather than watch another spat as we saw between some Services when the axe was about to fall.
In the end we are all the tools of politicians and are all bound by a particular code. That is what we are paid for. I prefer they actually make the case for the Armed Forces behind closed doors rather than watch another spat as we saw between some Services when the axe was about to fall.
From my recollection Mr B, he was a bl##dy good pilot. He was a Tornado pilot, but as Stn Cdr, he also flew the Victor. His pre-decessors were never let loose on the thing on their own as Commander, always flying with an instructor in the other seat. Not s with Jock. He was a natural and often flew the thing as a Captain in his own right. I sat next to him on a flight once thinking "This man really knows how to fly".
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I remember him well at Marham, seemed to do a lot more flying than your average CO. He also delegated a lot of his CO's inspections as well, cannnot remember him doing even one in Victor Serviceing Flight during his tenure, RHIP I suppose 
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I too remember flying with Jock, in a Victor at Marham, when he told us that he had tried hard to fight his promotions and at Wg Cdr wished to go the specaircrew route so that he may continue to fly, but he wasn't given that choice. I wonder if he remembers that and whether he sees it now as the right decision.
''He also delegated a lot of his CO's inspections as well''.
One he didn't delegate was the inspection of the indoor range when I was OIC shooting. It was during the GW1 preparations and having been away for a month, I hadn't been reading SROs as diligently as I should have! Actually, I never read them - I relied on OCGD Flt warning me about the inspections - but having been away I missed the phonecall.
So at 9am on the morning after my return at about midnight, Sir Jock was standing outside the range while I was tucked up in bed pushing out zeds. Unfortunately, he was also the chairman of my command board a week later. Luckily for me, he has a great sense of humour and saw the funny side.
One he didn't delegate was the inspection of the indoor range when I was OIC shooting. It was during the GW1 preparations and having been away for a month, I hadn't been reading SROs as diligently as I should have! Actually, I never read them - I relied on OCGD Flt warning me about the inspections - but having been away I missed the phonecall.
So at 9am on the morning after my return at about midnight, Sir Jock was standing outside the range while I was tucked up in bed pushing out zeds. Unfortunately, he was also the chairman of my command board a week later. Luckily for me, he has a great sense of humour and saw the funny side.
I never knew him, so am happy to accept that as a person, he is an all-round good egg.
However, he was also the man who presided over the growth of the black hole in the procurement budget to the tune of £38 Bn. Not once did we hear a peep out of him on this. Never did he get together with the PUS, get SofS onside, and force the issue with the Service Chiefs. He led bad corporate behaviour in the same fashion as Adam Applegarth at Northern Rock or Fred Goodwin at RBS.
The reason we ended up ploughing £4 Bn into MRA4 and signing contracts such as HPAC for Harrier, was that no-one had done the strategic leadership thing and looked ahead. It wasn't innately difficult to see the looming problem, but it required true character to deal with it. Instead, Stirrup kept quiet and went with the flow. In my view, that makes him culpable.
However, he was also the man who presided over the growth of the black hole in the procurement budget to the tune of £38 Bn. Not once did we hear a peep out of him on this. Never did he get together with the PUS, get SofS onside, and force the issue with the Service Chiefs. He led bad corporate behaviour in the same fashion as Adam Applegarth at Northern Rock or Fred Goodwin at RBS.
The reason we ended up ploughing £4 Bn into MRA4 and signing contracts such as HPAC for Harrier, was that no-one had done the strategic leadership thing and looked ahead. It wasn't innately difficult to see the looming problem, but it required true character to deal with it. Instead, Stirrup kept quiet and went with the flow. In my view, that makes him culpable.
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'In the end we are all the tools of politicians and are all bound by a particular code. That is what we are paid for. I prefer they actually make the case for the Armed Forces behind closed doors rather than watch another spat as we saw between some Services when the axe was about to fall.'
1. True enough, not in dispute.
2. On the point of making the case, I agree, I would prefer that he did, but given the outcome of SDSR, pardon me for being somewhat less than convinced that this mission, as CDS, not just a single-service head, actually achieved what it set out to.
He wasnt just chief of the air staff, he was CDS. If anyone should have had a full handle on it, it should have been him.
My apologies, but I've never been a "fan" since the day I first saw him.
1. True enough, not in dispute.
2. On the point of making the case, I agree, I would prefer that he did, but given the outcome of SDSR, pardon me for being somewhat less than convinced that this mission, as CDS, not just a single-service head, actually achieved what it set out to.
He wasnt just chief of the air staff, he was CDS. If anyone should have had a full handle on it, it should have been him.
My apologies, but I've never been a "fan" since the day I first saw him.
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I think the actual quote was something along the lines....
'Jaguar pilots are more gifted and rounded individuals than their F3 counterparts. I would rather have a Jaguar pilot with 2hrs, than an F3 pilot with 2000hrs flying Typhoon.....'
'Jaguar pilots are more gifted and rounded individuals than their F3 counterparts. I would rather have a Jaguar pilot with 2hrs, than an F3 pilot with 2000hrs flying Typhoon.....'
