Sir, - The purported lovers' tiff between NATO generals Sir Michael Jackson and Wesley Clark incites your editorialist (August 3rd) to the observation that "soldiers are the servants of the politicians and the politicians are the servants of those who elected them. There can be no tampering with this order of precedence in a democracy". This viewpoint is, alas, anachronistic. In today's pseudo-democracies soldiers and politicians alike are the servants of big business, and the biggest business of all is the arms trade. Bertie Ahern, backed by a newly politicised military elite (an entirely sinister development), is intent on steamrolling this country into an alliance with NATO without consulting the electorate, in breach of Fianna Fail's election commitment. Those who wish to see at least a semblance of the proper "order of precedence in a democracy" maintained in this country should vociferously demand the promised referendum on Ireland's entry into the so-called Partnership for Peace. - Yours, etc.,
Raymond Deane, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.