Difficult question...
 

I was talking to someone in the bar not long ago about BuffHoon. The question arose: Does anyone in the Armed Forces have anything positive to say about him?

Discuss....

Mmmmmm..........he has very shiny shoes?

SBG

Isn't he a lawyer by trade? Oh heck you wanted positives didn't you!!

:O

Erm the only thing that springs to mind is that he's a complete c**t!

............ With a nice smile!

People keep telling me he is sharp as well






Does that make him a smiling knife?:confused:


Edited such that it doesn't appear as though I actually fancy him.................... although if it means he brings back FRI1!!!!!

Having actually worked with him on many projects I can certainly say that he is:-

Focused
determined
aggresive
hard working
caring
sensitive
sharp as a pin
memory of an elephant
recognises bull**** from 200 yards

and has been the longest serving SofS for many years...if he wasn't any good at his job then he wouldnt be there would he...

Phew, that's handy. Totalwar will get all the banter now!

Shame he comes across as a complete **** then:E

totalwar

You must be his wife/mistress/boyfriend ---- (PS - aside from vomit, I do share your Lynx views though)

Anyone care to suggest his successor post-election?

I'm sure Fozzy Bear is available or how about Gonzo?

How about Crossbow?:mad:

I'll tell you who it won't be and thats Fatty soames...please... lets be serious..too be able to be SofS for defence you need to be able to fit through the door at MOD MB....

Another question: Does anyone have anything positive to say about ANY Secretary of State for Defence since 1970?

Honest question

Nott springs to mind.














Sorry I meant Not One springs to mind.

My dad had to brief Heseltine a couple of times, and was impressed with his grasp of the facts, the amount of prepartion he'd done and his attention to detail.

In a non-defence matter I met him once, and he was better than the few others I've dealt with.

Totalwar, you've just dropped (or climbed) into the Crossbow league. I would hope that any senior cabinet minister would have the attributes which you have stated but none of them neccesarily make for a good Defence Minister judged by military standards. However you have worked with him (whatever that means) and most of us have not so my comments are only formed from what I read and see reference the Armed Forces, and little of it is positive.
If he is only part of what you say why is he still refusing to overturn the appallingly wrong decision in the Mull of Kintyre Chinook accident?:(

People say that buff is sharp?

Guess that makes him a pr1ck then.

Ooh Sebastian, you are *so* butch when you defend your SoS! ;)

.....For fans of Little Britain!

On a serious note, has anyone ever seen him squirm in fromt of the House of Commons Defence Committee?

Pathetic!

HCDC are a highly effective bunch who genuinely care about the Armed Forces on a nonpartisan basis; unfortunately they can do little other than criticise, which they do on a frequent basis.

Navaleye

Sleepy Fred Mulley gets my vote! He fell asleep not very far from where I was at the time!! Cracking, oh and he did indicate originally that he had no objections to the Armed Forces having a Federation or Association to put forward their views. This was swiftly changed when the error of his ways was pointed out by CDS at the time.. just a few days after the TUC tried to force his hand!

TG

I too have seen the SofS working at first hand and can confirm all of the things totalwar says (I must know you TW but as you're probably a naval aviator I shall pretend I don't). I would add that he is also decisive and insists on evidence not conjecture to support his decisions (that'll be the lawyer then).

That leaves the very fair question of why doesn't he come across as the man he clearly is? I find his performance in the House to invariably be self satisfied to the point of smuggness and in front of the HCDC well I'm glad he's not my brief. The root cause I think is that he is a genuinely nice bloke but he doesn't particularly like the limelight and when reading statements prepared by his civil servants he goes all flat and lifeless. Much rather he had a few points on a fag packet and spoke from the heart.

As to a replacement in the near future well there is a bottomless pit of Cronies out there not one of whom fills me with joy. What is really needed is not a Tony Crony but a Gordon's Gopher - money is the key and a if a mate of the Chancellor could ever be a Defence Secretary then that's the one to back.