Les, I don't think i've ever heard Jackie Fisher as being regarded an idiot, he was a great supporter of modernising the Royal Navy. His support for new technology helped make important changes to Britain's naval forces.

Churchill's reason for not supporting self-determination for India was because he knew that eventual split of power between Nehru and Jinnah would lead to division of India. He could foresee the religious differences would never work, and he knew Jinnah would never agree to establishing one India. Churchill made comment on the cost in human lives of such a civil war and he was ultimately proved right.

Again another perspective. Great men are human beings and as such have their faults, but Churchill was never the less the only man for the job in 1939. If you make allowances for his upbringing and social standing in the time period he lived, he was a very caring human being. He was an avid supporter of social insurance, and was very instrumental in supporting the introduction of pensions for workers. I recommend reading "A Thread In The Tapestry" by his daughter Sarah. There is no end of criticism levied against him and as he always opined "I have always benefited from criticism and seldom recall a time I was ever short of it"