LETTER: Mutually Assured Destruction deterred aggression

This certainly seems to be the view of Stephen Jackson (letters, September 9, 2016) and Jeremy Corbyn.

Of course it matters who is the leader of the only Party to have enough MPs to form an effective opposition.

The only other viable choice is a coalition of Nationalists, Greens, Lib Dems and Ukip. Not much comfort there!

I am sure that both Jeremy and Stephen are really decent men, but that is possibly more of a curse than a blessing when making unpleasant decisions.

In the period that Jeremy was a CND activist and Steven a civil servant I was serving in RAF Bomber Command on The V- Force nuclear armed aircraft bases.

I am neither a war-monger or pacifist but had no doubt that the threat of Mutually Assured Destruction deterred the USSR from further aggressive expansion.

With the latest news of North Korea’s nuclear test and the number of unstable countries already with such weapons I see no reason to change that view.

For a prospective Prime Minister, and in effect Commander-in-Chief, to announce that he would not sanction the use of our nuclear capability must surely rule him out of any serious contention.

A final thought on history. Why do we always celebrate defeats such as 1066, Crimea (Charge of the Light Brigade), the evacuation of the BEF at Dunkirk?

Maybe the art of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat will make a comeback!

Dave Sully

York Road, Hastings.