Letters - April 26, 2017

In 1938, Winston Churchill said in a speech about defence policy that “ignorance is widespread. The most ignorant are those who pretend to have knowledge about defence matters when in fact they know very, very little”.

He could have been talking about Jeremy Corbyn and those who share his ideology. It would also include one or two letter writers to your newspaper.

The key point about the nuclear weapon system is it exists to deter a would-be aggressor from blackmailing you with a nuclear threat. Your enemy knows that he would receive an unacceptable response.

In brief, his threat would be implausible.

Corbyn has again said that if he were ever Prime Minister he would never sanction using our nuclear deterrent. Very laudable and very humane. Unfortunately, he clearly is incapable of realising that by stating this he has at one fell swoop destroyed our ability to deter.

The nation could not entrust him with its defence, especially at a time when North Korea is about to possess intercontinental missiles armed with nuclear warheads.

Colonel (retired) Barry Clayton

Thornton Cleveleys

BREXIT

It’s a waste of time 
dealing with the EU

The British electorate voted to leave the EU on June 23 last year, so why are we wasting time negotiating with these self-appointed, self-serving nonentities?

Donald Tusk has made his opening demands for £52bn and a say in how Gibraltar is dealt with.

The Prime Minister should now say that these terms are totally unacceptable and, if further negotiations are to proceed, they must be completely withdrawn.

Britain should clearly state now that we will not pay a single penny of a so-called divorce settlement.

These demands have once again shown that we British cannot negotiate with these people and should not waste time and money trying.

How can you negotiate or why would you want to negotiate with an organisation that bans you from any of its meetings while you are still a fully paid-up member?

This is the result of the trap that is Article 50.

There are about 160 countries in the world who are not in the EU, and only 27 that are, so who needs the EU? A far bigger market awaits us.

Don Wood

Address supplied

HEALTH

Decline of the NHS 
in England

The recent article in The Times, describing how a successful cancer treatment is going to be available in Scotland but not in England, demonstrates yet again the decline of the National Health Service in England under Cameron and May. Now that we have a General Election in June, there will be an opportunity for voters to reject the right-wing obsession with cuts and privatisation. Our NHS is under threat. If you value it, vote for it.

Dave Savage

Via email

PRAISE

Thanks for help with trip to Normandy

I would like to thank your newspaper for publishing my letter about Remembrance Travel’s search for all surviving D Day veterans. Thanks to the media’s support we’ve managed to find four more times more veterans for this year’s tours to Normandy than we ever have before.

This year we shall running a further five trips, which have now started and will run until September.

In addition to the Normandy tours, we shall also be offering D Day veterans, especially those who are no longer fit to travel to France, the chance to visit the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire on the anniversary of D Day in June.

All of these tours of remembrance have been enabled by the Treasury thanks to LIBOR fines, which pay for a veteran, carer and a member of the family to join a tour free of charge.

Once again, thanks so much for helping us spread the word about these vital tours. Thanks to you Normandy veterans - now mostly in their 90s - will get the chance to pay respects to their fallen comrades, perhaps for the last time.

Nichola Rowlands

Head of Travel

Remembrance Travel

Royal British Legion

HEALTH

Praise for campaign on Alzheimer’s

I am writing to praise the work of Adele Doherty, who is leading a campaign to raise awareness of Alzheimer’s disease after the death of her grandmother (The Gazette, April 24).

I know what a cruel disease Alzheimer’s is and also about the seemingly lack of information or help out there for families affected.

It is all too easy to put the conditions down to ‘old age’.

Adele’s reminder that ‘help is out there’ and ‘we are not on our own’ is helpful and encouraging.

Thank you.

Nathan Skelly

North Shore

POUND COIN

Looking for £1 coin divine inspiration?

I have recently started collecting the old £1 coin. On E Bay one of the coins I need is £15, below someone is selling the set of 24 for £14-99.

Below them a £1 coin is going for 99p, I am so confused I think I will change my name to Ethel and join a convent and become a nun.

Is it true they get nun of this, nun of that and nun of the other; I am wondering if they have a vow of silence can I get away with it?

Name of address supplied