After the enormous hike in the cost of fuel, there is one way and one way only to prevent people in this country from facing a cost of living crisis which will leave many of my fellow citizens in penury, and that is to withdraw from NATO into a position of neutrality.

Fighting a seemingly endless war can only bankrupt us. We should accompany that withdrawal with a complete reorientation of our foreign and defence policy; we should rid ourselves of nuclear weapons, close all UK military bases abroad and all foreign bases in the UK on the way to building a completely disarmed Britain.

We have reached a point in history when if mankind continues to go on in the old stupid way then there will be no future for any of us.

We in the UK have already hiked spending on defence and nuclear weapons, and propose to spend even more if we emerge victorious from this current war.

Why on earth are we so preoccupied with planning to kill our fellow human beings that we will bankrupt our own citizens rather than give it up?

Malcolm Pittock