The latest revelations that MOD civil service ‘pen pushers’ are to receive £47 million in salary bonuses this year, must surely be calculated to raise the blood pressure of most electors – in view of the rising number of body bags returning almost daily to this country from Afghanistan.

It makes this war, actively supported by our Government but with a well published reluctance by the MOD to spend the amount of money required to properly finance it, doubly enraging.

We have no means of gauging the truth of the Government's assertion that we would be fighting this international terrorism on our streets, if we weren’t fighting in Afghanistan.

What annoys most people is the fact that it appears to be only us and the Americans who are bearing the brunt of the war.

The wisdom of our insisting that democratic elections are held in a tribal society more akin to our Middle Ages, where a Democratic Government has never been known, seems to be questionable.

Surely we would be better employed dealing with the separate tribal factions encouraging them to unite first, then progress more slowly toward democracy.

But the worrying thing is that we could be there for many years to come, assisting them in this process where little or no trust exists.

Since PM Brown has now signed us over to the EU super-state (without electorate’s approval) the least he should be doing is to be actively persuading the EU to assist us in Helmand province, where the real opposition of the Taliban is being felt.

The EU, we are told, is not able to make international foreign policy decisions on all our behalfs. Well let them bear the real burden of financing this war. The UK’s £45 million daily membership contribution should be more than sufficient to cover this.

But all we are now hearing is that the other EU member nations are keen to withdraw their troops from these other quieter regions, which they have previously agreed to occupy.

Is this the united effort we can expect to see from the EU in all of their future international foreign policy decisions on our behalf? If so, the sooner we withdraw, the better.

JOHN TILLEY, Chorley.