I WATCHED the opening of the Commonwealth Games on Wednesday. I was brought up a ten minute walk from the venue in the heart of the East End of Glasgow. No Country For Old Men, as the film title states, in my youth anyway .

When the Queen and Prince Phillip arrived and the Red Arrows flew past, streaming red white and blue, when our national anthem was sang with such fervour by my fellow country men and women, I was in my element, and proud of my Scottish heritage, as I always have been.

As I watched the athletes parade , from the various parts of the Commonwealth, the little Scottish dogs leading, were the icing on the cake.

My little Scottish terrier was up, paws on the TV stand, barking his head off as normal at the sight of a canine intruder, even although it was only visual.

I thought; these marvellous scenes of unity in sport, people enjoying themselves from so many different cultures and backgrounds, laughing and dancing together, especially with the competitive pressures they would shortly be under, that they should be shown to every racialist on this planet – to every warmongering control freak politician on earth, as well as every religious fanatic.

The charitable cause shown was UNICEF. I believe the fund has reached over £3m as I key in these words.

I pondered that if we spent the billions on impoverished children that we spend on wars, what a better, happier and peaceful planet this would be .

Tonight on the news, I watched badly injured innocent babies being rushed into hospital because of the carnage in the Middle East. What a contrast to the evening before .

Will the human race never learn the lessons of its past history?

Bill Williams, Merlin Way, Covingham, Swindon