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Are subs obsolete?

THE recent vote in the House of Commons to renew our countries fleet of four Vanguard nuclear submarines along with their Trident missiles as expected was endorsed overwhelmingly with Labour Party members voting with the government, against the advice of leader Jeremy Corbyn who has constantly spoken out against the extortionately priced weapons of destruction, and mass murder of civilian populations.

Predictably new PM Theresa May when challenged about what the final cost of the replacement was likely to be would not give a straight answer to the question, and has obvious learnt such evasive actions from her predecessor David Cameron who the majority of the time would evade a straight answer by making a related statement on the subject. However we may well have shot ourselves in the foot by ordering what is likely to become increasingly obsolete and vastly overpriced white elephant. It was truly sickening to listen to some of the justifications for the replacement which were likened to being back in the times of the so called ‘cold war’, with Russia being singled out as this country’s enemy, which is nothing short of preposterous.

If recent events are anything to go by then modern technology will render these new subs obsolete before they are built, as on April 12 this year the Donald Cook a US 4th generation guided missile destroyer entered the Black sea and encroached very near to Russian territorial waters on yet another mission of aggressive provocation.

Two days later on April14 the USS Donald Cook was over flown by a Russian SU-24 bomber that carried neither guns or bombs but had a basket type pod attached to the bottom of it fuselage, and suddenly the Donald Cook lost its 4 radar systems, its communications, all of which are part of the NATO interlinked AEGIS system, and was rendered completely helpless in the water.

The Russian Su-24 made no less than 12 passes over the ship and repeated the same result each time that power was attempted to be restored, and then as if to rub salt in to the wounds of the Americans, did a simulated missile attack against it. At this the crew of the ship were totally demoralised and despondent, with many of them requesting transfers to other parts of the US navy after the event.

The Pentagon immediately switched in to overdrive in a frantic effort to try and have the story suppressed from world news services including the BBC, and because they obviously do have major influences in this area the story was all but stymied by them. It should be now noted that a repeat of the US/NATO mission of aggravation and provocation has not since taken place.

Where does this leave Trident? As the missiles are built in the US and maintained there, and any permission to launch an attack against any other attacking country would need to be sort from the Americans before the Royal Navy could fire them, and this is fact. This would be rendered impossible of course if another country was electronically jamming all signals and communications of our Vanguard Class nuclear ballistic missile fleet.

Therefore surely due to increasing advances in modern technology rendering these weapons of mass murder and destruction more and more obsolete, surely the money that could have been saved would be much better spent on the NHS, medical research for cancer etc, and improvements in education, and in other vital areas that this country is ever more likely to need, post Brexit.

G A WOODWARD

Nelson Street

Swindon

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For the sake of men!

NOW that we in Britain, have a new PM, Theresa May, let’s hope the future of our great country will be even greater.

A fine lady at the helm, and as my mum and dad always said, “The Lady, your Mother, always knows best.” And after 60 years of marriage I know this to be true – one’s mother, wife, or mistress, boss-lady or car passenger – always knows best. And also we men have been good for women. We let them vote, have equal pay, wear jeans or trousers, allowed them to drive, fight in the army or other armed forces. Let them play in various sports, even, if they so wish, have babies (married or not) and now in this 21st century they can marry another woman if they are so inclined. Yes, we mere men, have and are very loving and good to the ladies, who after all do care, and take excellent care of us grateful men. So I do hope Theresa May will be very good for the country and of course, us poor men!

LES FOX

Blunsdon

Swindon

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It’s a Welsh highlight

QUARESMA, Ronaldo, Pepe et al of Portugal (European football champions 2016) defeated glorious Wales in the semifinal before besting favourites and hosts France 1-0 to win their maiden trophy!

Ironically, ex-Swansea City forward Eder scored the historic goal! My highlights were Wales’ ten goals, especially Bale’s sensational free-kick against England and Robson-Kanu’s Cruyff turn and finish against Belgium. In fact all the goals against Belgium; our Ashley Williams towering header and the Gunter-Vokes combination. Ronaldo’s tantrum against Hungary deserved an Oscar. Ronaldo the footballer rightly got a standing ovation after the final in spite of being surplus to requirement! N.B. Wales only lost when we didn’t wear our red strip. 10 goals for Wales compared with four from England who capitulated against Iceland. The June 29, 1950 defeat against part-time USA in the World Cup was eclipsed. Poor devastated Roy Hodgson only earned £3.5 million a year compared with £6 million earned by the previous Swedish and Italian flop. Nothing can be said about England. They never learn, never improve and never bounce back. No wonder Lionel Messi, who has a modicum of intelligence, is a world beater. Finally, if I were Icelandic I’d be gutted that everyone without an imagination has stolen their Viking chant. I have come back to a “Brexit” divided Britain. A victory for the few pure racists at least. The rich aren’t bothered either way. So whose lives have been jeopardised? Probably the poor, the young, those who wanted to work in Europe and many research bodies. I also question what the 12 million people who didn’t vote thought. Perhaps they didn’t.

A REEVE

Okus Road

Old Town

Swindon

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HMS Collingwood

I WOULD like to bring to your readers’ attention, the Royal Navy Shore Establishment H.M.S. Collingwood, because if you say “H.M.S.Collingwood”, or “Royal Navy Electricians”, or “Collingrad the Stone Frigate!”, a lot of your readers will immediately smile, think back and wonder where their old shipmates are and think about “That Parade Ground!!!” …… reputed to be the biggest in Europe before some of it was built on.

2017 sees the 70th anniversary of the Electrical Branch being formed with H.M.S. Collingwood being its ‘home’. But lots of other people lived and worked there, cooks, writers, seamen, stokers, stores etc all to keep the ‘City’ functioning.

So where is everybody and how do you get in touch? There are two wonderful Associations, both of which have reunions, arrange visits into today’s H.M.S. Collingwood and the means of getting in touch with old shipmates.

First there is the H.M.S. Collingwood Association for anybody who served there, be they seamen from World War II when the establishment trained those who had volunteered, the cooks who fed them or the Wrens who clothed them, or the stokers who kept the boilers going to provide all the hot water, right up to the present day dealing with the very latest in electronics. The membership secretary, Peter Lacey, can be reached on placey58@btinternet.com

Still with H.M.S. Collingwood as ‘home’, there is the more specialist and individual Royal Navy Electrical Branch Association, formed specifically for those who served in any of the derivatives of the Electrical Branch be they electrical, radio and radar, control or weapons engineering and is more aimed at ships served on, to try to reunite branch members on specific commissions.

This Association is linked with the Royal Navy in that at the request of the Royal Navy, the name has been changed to the Royal Navy Electrical and Weapons Engineering Branch Association and can include those serving at the present time. Partially administered by volunteers at H.M.S. Collingwood, the Membership Secretary Iain Crawford can be contacted on iaincrawf@yahoo.co.uk

Looking for old shipmates? Both Peter and Iain would be pleased to hear from you and set you on the right road. Get your Membership Forms in and be at the next reunion!! The two Associations are contemplating having a joint reunion, where wives and partners, as always, will be included. That will be a real ‘Lamp Swinger’. See you there.

MIKE CROWE

Isle of Wight

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Losing philosophy

WHEN you lose at politics or football don’t waste time whinging. Just shake the hand of your opponent, drink a stiff shandy, go home and have an early night with your partner.

It won’t hurt you to miss an episode of Corrie or Eastenders. Competition can be overrated, it often leaves us with more unhappy losers than happy winners. We must get philosophical like Harry Stottle, the great Cockney thinker.

MAX NOTTINGHAM

St Faith’s Street

Lincoln

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Heading here

I THOUGHT I’d write to you to let you know my thoughts about Swindon Borough Council.

This is on a positive note which I know can be rather rare in regard to the Council, particularly in relation to Roads and Highway Maintenance.

I was driving along Kings Hill Road this morning, which has recently opened after extensive work by Thames water, and noticed that the road markings have been re-painted along the entire length of the road.

This was obviously done as a joint agency venture and advantage taken of the road closure. I congratulate all concerned for adopting this common sense approach.

MICHAEL AYNSLEY

William Street

Swindon