Sir, – The Government’s latest vanity project is the idea of spending hundreds of millions of euro on new military equipment for our Defence Forces so that we can “defend ourselves”. A quadrupling of our defence spend will not allow us to defend ourselves against Russian invasion and would serve only to give them a little extra target practice should they decide to do so. If it’s not Russia we are seeking to defend ourselves against, who is it? Before this next vanity project takes to the air, could we as taxpayers be given the courtesy of an explanation as to whom exactly we will deter with the addition of a few extra tanks and planes? The answer is that we will deter nobody, but the Minister and the top brass will have some new toys to play with while the taxpayers continue to fund this nonsense. – Yours, etc,
STEPHEN GLEESON,
Killiney, Co Dublin.
Sir, – We have now had the report from the Commission on the Defence Forces. It is to be hoped we will soon have a Commission on Peacemaking to examine how Ireland can contribute, and in what meaningful ways, to peace in the world, given Article 29 of Bunreacht na hÉireann commits Ireland to peace and the pacific resolution of international disputes. – Yours, etc,
ROB FAIRMICHAEL,
Belfast.
Sir, – Ireland should become a member of Nato. We are too small a country to go it alone. It would be cheaper. – Yours, etc,
CHRISTOPHER McQUAID,
(Captain retired),
Dublin 24.
Sir, – Margaret Winters (Letters, February 11th) may be assured that, until such time as her magical dome is invented, Ireland is protected by the next best thing – the primary surveillance radar and the state-of-the-art fighter jets and world-class pilots of the Royal Air Force. All it costs Ireland is her pride, and only the Irish people can decide what that’s worth. – Yours, etc,
PAUL GRIFFIN,
St Helens, UK.