Very true MGOH, but their letter offered no solutions, merely criticism and as such cannot be considered helpful. While in their jobs they could keep the FO informed, but the degree of discretion they could could use was strictly limited to towing what the FO line was at the time, as directed by cabinet and Whitehall - the content of the joint letter was subject to no such constraint.

By the bye, the US "endorsement" of what they call the "Sharon Plan" in effect only creates a barganing position, nothing more.