Although the MoD was responsible for this deadly catalogue of failures long before he was promoted to his present post, the one man at the top of the MoD who could have had the clout to ensure that our troops in Afghanistan were equipped with mine-clearing machines as a top priority was Sir Jock Stirrup. But still, for lack of the Buffalos and Huskies that protect their allies, men like Captain Shepherd continue to die. Scarcely a day now goes by when we do not hear of another British soldier being blown up, usually by an IED. And still Sir Jock continues to draw his £245,000 a year. The more all these public servants are paid, it seems, the less they understand what it is the rest of us are paying them for.