You’ve lost the Army’s trust, Mr Cameron
It’s hard to convey the depth of the anger that the arrest of a ‘Bloody sunday’ paratrooper has caused among the military.
the decision to arrest a retired lance-corporal the day before Armistice Day could only have been made at the highest level of government. And as David Cameron prepares to take us deeper into Middle East conflict, not one serviceman or woman isn’t wondering what might happen to them if they pull the trigger.
the £191million saville Inquiry into Bloody sunday was a onesided stitch-up in which Lord saville used all the resources of the state to persecute anyone on the Armed Forces side.
Clearly, the Bloody sunday lancecorporal was thrown to the dogs as a further act of appeasement due to problems over the impasse on the peace process.
those responsible for the majority of deaths during the troubles remain unaccountable for their actions, while those who did their duty are persecuted.
In 38 years, the Army killed 301 people (Republican terrorists: 121. Loyalist terrorists: ten. Civilians: 160. Blue on Blue: ten).
In a merciless sectarian war, the Republicans killed 2,148, including 162 of their own. the Army was responsible for only 40 per cent of Republican terrorist deaths.
A total of 300 RUC officers were killed and the prison service lost 31 staff to terrorism.
It’s time the Government ended legal aid for the troubles, and give the Armed/security services protection parity with the IRA.
If you want a war, Mr Cameron, you need to restore military morale. the covenant between the public and the Armed Forces has never been better but there is no covenant of any value between the Government and service families, past or present. ANTHONY BROWN-HOVELT,
Major RA (rtd), Salisbury. On OCtOBER 27, I wrote to Her Majesty about sergeant Alexander Blackman: ‘If ever there is a man who deserves a royal pardon, it is he. I believe every member of your Armed Forces will agree with me.’
I duly received a letter telling me that the Queen acts only on the advice of her ministers, and that my letter would be forwarded to the secretary of state for Defence for consideration.
I have now received a long letter from a civilian in Royal navy Command HQ, Portsmouth, in which he explains to me all the judicial processes being considered — most of which I already knew, having served on several courts martial in my 32 years as an Army officer.
Meanwhile, sgt Blackman is in jail for killing a dangerous and fanatical enemy on the battlefield. Meanwhile, too, our Armed Forces are suffering poor recruitment and low morale. It’s hardly surprising.
A pardon from Her Majesty for sgt Blackman would raise a cheer throughout the land and cut short the appeal procedure. MICHAEL STRONG (Major rtd),
Ilminster, Somerset.
Cyprus danger
IF the migrants who landed at a British military Base in Cyprus are a representative sample of syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian migrants in to Europe, and one in three of them is considered to pose a security risk by Cypriot officials, then European states are facing a very difficult and uncertain future.
Politicians across Europe have done all in Europe a major disservice and now need to instigate urgent and immediate action to contain the situation.
H A MACKAY, Croy, Inverness.
Out of the bag
LIkE B. Dye from Harpenden (Letters) I too was amazed not to be given a paper bag or small ‘un-handled’ plastic bag when I bought two bras from Debenhams recently.
However, I just popped them into the free paper bag I had been given for my very small purchase at Primark! It is time retailers thought ‘out of the box’ or, rather, bag!
MAuREEN FORSYTH , Glasgow
Risky leap to GM
tHE FDA’s approval of GM salmon represents a super-sized slap in the face to consumers as well as real risks to wild fish.
Buyer beware – Frankenfish is coming to a supermarket near you soon.
Despite legitimate food safety concerns, consumers in the United states (at least) will be kept in the dark as GM salmon will not be labelled.
Unlabelled GM salmon sets a dangerous precedent in the marketplace and will open the floodgates to more unlabelled GM foods.
now there will be increasing pressure for scottish salmon farmers to make the giant leap into genetically-engineered pharmed salmon.
the only sure-fire way of avoiding GM salmon is to boycott farmed salmon full stop, period.
Better be safe than sorry about salmon. DON STANIFORD, Director, Global
Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture, Dundonnell, Ross-shire
Smart power plan
sO-CALLED smart Meters are the latest rip off by greedy energy companies.
these meters, for which consumers will have to pay £11billion for Uk roll-out, will not by themselves reduce energy consumption or save any money.
Any savings will be the result of changed consumer behaviour, switching off lights, televisions etc., and could be achieved much more cheaply by simple advertising campaigns.
Frankly, anyone can tell if a light or tV is left on without having a smart Meter, and I can’t see many people spending their evenings popping back and forth to see what the meter is showing, possibly having to switch on a light in the process.
Many people already have double glazing, thermostats and other insulation, along with low energy light bulbs and appliances, so scope for further savings will be minimal.
I have always maintained that smart Meters will be used to hike energy prices at peak times such as breakfast and teatime.
With the closure of ageing coal and nuclear power plants, it would be better for the Government and energy companies if the public reduced consumption at peak times rather than having the embarrassment of imposing power cuts or voltage reductions.
so not only will they rake in more money from consumers, they can delay investment in new power stations.
news that variable pricing trials have already started is frightening, and suggestions that people can alter the timetable of their busy lives to take advantage of cheaper off-peak periods are both ludicrous and insulting.
Evidence from Canada and Australia confirms that the promised savings are unlikely, while running costs, for which the consumer will also have to pay, are higher than forecast.
the only thing we can be sure of is that energy company profits will rise while our bills will go forever upwards.
I don’t intend to make it easy for them, so I’ve refused several times to have a smart Meter installed.
A WYLLIE, Largs, Ayrshire.