Harry should help consign war to history

AS a 98-year-old, very experienced war veteran, I would feel guilty if I did not complain about Prince Harry’s claim to have killed people while fighting.

As a Christian he ought to promote what Christ said about violence with the words “turn the other cheek”.

As a front-line soldier, RAF pilot and civilian bombed in Coventry and Birmingham, my boast is that the bullets I did fire at the enemy probably and hopefully never caused deaths. Lots of people can thank me for surviving World War Two’s killings.

The Royal Family’s involvement with the war industry should be stopped, and the industry itself relegated to history.

I would have hated to have been like my elder brother, who was faced with enemy tanks attacking his regiment and chose to climb onto the tanks, killing the crews, until shot by “friendly fire” from his own side. Ironically, after they surrendered, it was the enemy who later recommended that he be awarded the Victoria Cross for valour.

From: Terry Duncan, Greame Road, Bridlington, East Yorkshire.

IN what world is Prime Minister David Cameron living? He is at the head of a broke Britain.

Hundreds of military personnel have been killed or wounded fighting in foreign lands which are, basically, none of our business.

Now, bright spark Cameron is sending more troops off to west Africa to help France, a country which has little love for the UK.

When is it going to end – and the PM start spending his war chest on getting Great Britain out of the mire it is in today?

Ageist policy on treatment

From: Bob Crowther, High Street, Crigglestone, Wakefield.

AMID all the trials and tribulations of the NHS in Yorkshire, it would appear that if you are above the age of 74 years, be prepared for a rebuff if you have to suffer the misfortune of requiring long term hospital treatment.

A very close friend, aged 80, was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder. He attended hospital, to be informed that patients over the age of 74 were not usually accepted for long-term treatment, but due to the fact that he had not been committed to hospital during his lifespan and due to the fact that he was in reasonably good health, he was accepted for a course of treatment over a three-year period.

Not only have patients to suffer a postcode lottery, it would appear that the elderly have become the victims of an ageist policy. I only hope that the upper echelons who promote such policies do not require treatment when they achieve old age.

EU expenses scandalous

From: Janet Berry, Barfield, Hambleton.

IT has been reported that almost £69m is being spent on luxury homes for EU representatives. The Spanish EU ambassador is living in a rented residence costing £25,000 a month for example. If only a journalist could infiltrate the system of expenses in the EU as they did with our politicians over here, we would probably leave this corrupt organisation within the year. I am sure the expenses and luxurious lives they are permitted to live would far outweigh what we benefit from being a member.

High street banks and building societies have been offered £60bn of cheap long term loans to use for small business lending and mortgages so the general public who are trying to save are penalised. Saving rates and ISAs have plummeted. This will rebound as people are just spending as the rates are so low. Not a good way to encourage people to save.

Step towards moral chaos

From: Mary Hellawell, Cross Lane, Scarborough.

IT is time that people woke up and used their brains, and gave thought to the dangers that secularism and attempts at equality ruling over marriage are going to bring to society.

Marriage is for a man and woman, as practised since early times and understood to be God’s will by all Christians and it is not a real marriage between same sex couples.

What sort of a Christian can possibly vote for this infamous bill? True marriage between a man and woman is the foundation of society. Once that is broken, then there is going to be even more pressure on the moral and discipline aspects of life.

Society will just disintegrate into chaos. Once this bill is passed there will be no turning back.

The common sense column

From: Arthur Quarmby, Underhill, Holme.

I VERY much look forward to reading Bill Carmichael’s column every Friday; he writes the sort of straightforward common sense which would readily be endorsed by every man (or woman) in the street.

In contrast our politicians, who seem to occupy a different universe to the rest of us, appear to have had all their common sense extinguished – presumably by election?