Tunnel vision

As A young soldier in the Folkestone garrison at the time the Channel Tunnel was being planned, I remember a local politician and my regional commander both registering their concerns on the matter of security.

I still admire their attitude, not least because they were ridiculed for their fears as everyone else was swept along by the prospect of increased trade and easier travel.

I recall one senior planning official making light of their concerns at a local meeting, joking that a troop of Boy scouts could control security in a tunnel, and no one was going to just walk through it into Britain.

The feeling in England was based on the view that if people wanted to come to this country, then they would observe all the legalities first, and that no one arriving from abroad wished this country harm.

If we are stupid enough to conduct our affairs as though everything is a splendid game of cricket, we should not be too surprised if the rest of the world treats us as a joke.

I hope the Prime Minister realises that his performance on this matter might lose him the next election. He has a long way to go before he can be like Mrs Thatcher. Like her or loathe her, we all know she would have shown him how to deal with this farce. Clive NELSON-SINGER,

Beare green, surrey.