Sunday Times letters: How could a new home guard protect us?

Times

25-05-2025

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Your article discussed proposals for some kind of voluntary organisation to protect the UK from terror attacks in the apparent 'pre-war' situation we may be in (news, May 18). To quote Corporal Jones: 'Don't panic!' The 'home guard' is to be reformed. But what should it be, and to do what? Rishi Sunak surprised the electorate early in the last general election campaign with an ill-thought- through National Service idea. At first sight, this 'home guard' smacks of the same. But it possibly does have merit, provided it is organised, trained and equipped in a sensible manner.
Boy Scouts carry staves; soldiers carry guns. To deter terrorists, these volunteers need guns — so they must be soldiers. They should be organised along existing regimental structures, as part of the army reserve, to give them identity and esprit de corps. Their tasks need to be appropriate to their equipment and training and then — and only then — can they make a useful contribution to our national security. General Lord DannattChief of the General Staff, 2006-09; House of Lords
Sir Keir Starmer continues to emphasise how out of touch with reality he is with his bonkers idea of a home guard. Those of us with genuine military experience can only laugh at this. He cannot even stop people arriving in boats travelling at only a few knots. The greatest threat to the UK this century has been its own government, with its spurious involvement in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan. This is another attempt at distraction from the growing NHS waiting lists and other real problems facing Britain today. Little wonder voters are increasingly turning to Reform.David Diprose Thame, OxonThere have been other post-war revivals of the home guard. Fear of Soviet interference led to proposals in 1952 for the War Office to mobilise 170,000 former service personnel. Shifting strategies and low volunteer numbers led to this being shelved, but the idea cropped up again with the formation of the Home Service Force in 1982. Like this new proposed force, its role was to guard key points — it was assembled from former Royal Navy, Army and RAF regulars and reservists and placed under Territorial Army command. It was stood down in 1992 due to budget cuts and the end of the Cold War. Nick van der BijlCockermouth, CumbriaIn the late 1930s Britain's military was pathetically small, ill-equipped and desperate. So they created Dad's Army. Now, as always, history repeats itself, not as tragedy but as farce. The government's strategic defence review will propose a new home guard to protect power stations and airports against enemy action and terrorists. Will Captain Mainwaring and his wrinklies be a match for Putin's secret agents? We might stand a better chance with Mum's Army.Jonathan LynnCo-writer, Yes Minister; New YorkMy father was in the home guard and I now regret handing in his .303 Lee-Enfield rifle together with tin hat and gas mask a few years ago during a government truce. It would have been just the ticket for shooting down the laser-guided drones we will face during the next conflict. As Private Frazer would have said: We're all doomed.Martin Henry Good Easter, Essex
Renationalisation of the railways does indeed, as Oliver Gill points out, give rise to 'hurdles on the line' (business, May 18). The government emphasises the advantages of bringing train operations under a single command-and-control model, to be run by Great British Railways (GBR), but the real question is: who runs GBR? Who will decide as part of this 'complete cultural reset', as the transport secretary calls it, what outputs (timetable) the country can afford? Not GBR. Who will decide the prices to be paid? Not GBR. The old proverb rings true: he who pays the piper calls the tune, and so the command-and-control centre will not be in Derby, the HQ of GBR, it will be in Whitehall. There is a serious risk that an unaccountable state-owned monopoly will use its power to entrench that monopoly and do what monopolists have every incentive to do: reduce output, raise prices and exclude competition. GBR risks becoming an agent of government, doing what it is told on all the key issues — not a bright future for passengers.John Swift KCRail regulator, 1993-98
I agree with Sally Money regarding reckless riders (letters, May 11 & 18). I was hit by an e-scooter jumping a red light, leaving me with a broken elbow that needed surgery and weeks of physio. I welcome new legislation whereby bicycle or scooter riders who injure or kill a pedestrian would incur a prison sentence, but until these vehicles carry licence plates by which they can be identified, this surely creates an incentive for riders to leave the scene confident that they are unlikely to be identified. Our streets have turned into dangerous places and something needs to be done.Lucinda Stafford-DeitschLondon W8
A 13,000 drop in the number of private school pupils (news, May 18) isn't merely a statistic, it's an educational earthquake, with aftershocks being felt in both the state and independent sectors. Bridget Phillipson, the education secretary, accused schools of 'crying wolf' over the impact of paying VAT last month. Well it turns out that the wolf was real — and it's now at the door of both sectors.Andrew MurfinDeputy head teacher; Oxshott, Surrey
It looks as though Sir Jim Ratcliffe has added a new wrinkle to the old adage on how to make a small fortune: start with a large fortune and invest it in Manchester United (Rich List, Magazine, May 18).David RickardCardiff
Matthew Syed says that Israel's campaign in Gaza is exactly what Hamas wants (comment, May 18). He is correct. In September last year I visited Gaza and saw the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) fighting in an extraordinarily complex environment, targeting Hamas as professionally as they could. However, Yoav Gallant, the defence minister, and senior military leaders whom I met said that as Hamas casualties mounted the IDF were nearing the end of what could be achieved through military means. Gallant was right, but was later sacked, and the campaign has continued at an appalling and disproportionate cost. Through the excessive use of force, and by restricting humanitarian aid, Israel has driven young men with nothing to live for into the arms of Hamas. Both from a moral and military perspective the strategy is fundamentally flawed. The country's leaders are committing future generations, on both sides, to a bloody urban insurgency that will continue for decades. The Israeli strategy must change. General (ret'd) Sir John McCollSalisbury
Alan Davies (letter, May 18) paints the sycamore as a weed, introduced to Britain only in the 16th century. Well so was the potato, without which we would have starved in both world wars.Jim Gray Loughborough, Leics
I do so agree with Rod Liddle about the revolting and unnecessary advertising showing what sanitary pads and toilet rolls are for ('Commercial breaks filled with bodily functions, another blessing from our incontinent culture', comment, May 18). Are men and women so ignorant these days that they don't know how to wipe their bottoms? Perhaps they'll show us that next. I despair at the lack of decorum and good taste and would avoid using these products that advertise in such a way, on principle.Sylvia Berry GodstoneSurrey
Sir John Major's article on prisons was a fantastic read (news, May 18). His point that 'we cannot continue to focus solely on punishment; we need to focus equally on rehabilitation' is right, and does not only apply to our jail system but also to the young children in our schools. Some pupils are regularly sentenced to hours in an isolation unit. Such incarceration is supposedly to enable the child to 'reflect' on a particular behaviour, but unless there is a sympathetic, qualified adult to listen, offer time and support and explore the reasons causing the unacceptable behaviour, then guess what: the child goes on to reoffend and this downward spiral stunts every part of that child's growth. School is not an adult military academy. If we continue with such high levels of punishment with our children we are doomed to failure.Annie MurdochRet'd teacher; Ilminster, Somerset
Harry Wallop's report is wrong to suggest the public is convinced Tesco will always deliver ('The poultry predicament shows self-sufficient Britain is plucked', News Review, May 18). People I speak to are very concerned about the future of farming. Those of us who live near fields full of ripening crops bearing signs proclaiming the arrival of 'a new development of luxury houses' are in despair over the welfare of those who feed us. The perilous state of the world compounds the anxiety. Self-sufficiency couldn't be more vital. It isn't the public who think that farmers are all wealthy and that food can be imported; it is those in parliament. I have tried to make this point to my MP but didn't receive a reply. Stephanie BarnesExeter
I chuckled at Rod Liddle's trepidation at meeting the urologist Mr Nicholas Burns-Cox (comment, May 18). During my prostate cancer 'battle' I was ably overseen by the delightfully monikered Mrs Mistry-Pain. David KeebleStone, Staffs
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