Lives put at risk in vain

The first gut feeling is how fortunate the British public are.

Following the successful and failed terrorist atrocities in this country, there is no doubt the we owe a tremendous gratitude to not only the police but the security service MI5 and secret international service MI6.

There is a constant threat from misguided individuals and only the committed work of various organisations thwarts their aims.

Of course, occasionally they will get through and it seems ludicrous with all the professional efforts, that we score an own goal in giving knighthood recognition to an author whose only claim to fame is to have cost this country £10 million to ensure his personal safety for his ravings.

So what does the future hold in terms of the terrorist threat to this country?

Our track record bears some tough scrutiny! There is "peace" in Northern Ireland, with former terrorist godfathers now integral in running part of the United Kingdom.

The UK with the USA has been party to flattening a country – Iraq – removing a horrid dictator but creating a terrible example of civil war.

The end result is that the brave, professional men and women of our Armed Forces are being put at risk, and killed and maimed for a lost cause.

It is not rocket science to have the faintest belief that our efforts in Iraq will be totally in vain.

Similarly, the war in Afghanistan – despite the tremendous efforts of our military they will not, I suspect, achieve the objectives. That is, of course, assuming our government know what the objectives are.

Blair and Bush have left a legacy of a feeble attempt at trying to police the world.

Our former Prime Minister has even put the football into our own net, with a silly escalation in unenforcable legislation being placed on the statute book.

Barry A Mason, Bull Meadow Lane, Wombourne.