WITH reference to Malcolm Pittock's letter “We are wasting billions on defence. Defence against what?” January 18. His argument that the United Kingdom should stop spending money on defence and instead spend more money on the NHS and on benefits is extremely naïve.

Before we can even think about free health care for the world and benefit payments galore for everyone, the country needs to be spending much more money on defence. Mr Pittock seems to believe that we haven’t been threatened with invasion since the Second World War. Try telling that to the Falkland Islanders Mr Pittock?

I’m old enough to remember the Cold War and if it had not have been for this country’s independent nuclear deterrent it’s a fair bet that the Soviet Union would have overrun Western Europe.

It was nuclear weapons that kept the peace. By no means a perfect solution I’ll grant you but at the moment it’s the best we have at deterring wannabe “tin pot” little Hitler’s who are not inclined to take any notice of the touchy feely rhetoric that is peddled by the likes of Mr Pittock. They only understand one thing, the ‘big stick approach’. We need to ensure that we are able to wield the bigger stick and that we are not afraid to use it.

The only true legitimate function of government is the defence of the country, protecting the nation and the public from coercion either from internal or external sources and law and order. All other functions are secondary.

We owe it to our armed forces to support them whole heartedly, that means ensuring they have the best training, the best equipment and indeed best of everything. This costs money but its money well spent.

You can’t put a price on freedom Mr Pittock.

Stuart A Chapman

Tralee

Ireland