As a retired soldier, I was sick in the stomach to read Tim Young’s letter (October 4).

He obviously has no sense of loyalty, comradeship and self-discipline.

I doubt if he has ever been in a uniform of any description.

There is no way our brave and well-disciplined soldiers will follow such a character, and he insults their associations and regimental ties.

I will give him money towards his rail fare to move out of this garrison town and find somewhere remote to live.

If shadow defence secretary Jim Murphy has the courage to come to Colchester, he should be drummed out with dishonour.

While our boys are serving in dangerous areas of the world, leaving their families behind, he belittles everything they stand for.

I cannot for the life of me see any ex-serviceman joining forces with the likes of him.

Stick to your standards, chaps, and let the likes of these people fight their own battles for power.

Jimmy Green
Mill Street
St Osyth

...Tim Young writes of his “uplifting experience” at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.

The trio of local red flag wavers returned buoyed by their experience, if with a little memory loss – with ideas to fill the dwindling Labour ranks with redundant servicemen and women and “the NHS is only safe in our hands”

message.

The problem for Labour is the public’s memory of the last 13 years – dodgy wars, the Private Finance Initiative, selling Britain’s gold reserves at knockdown prices.

Then don’t forget Labour was first to use the private sector to meet its own health targets.

They really have no stomach to face the problems they left, hence the present Labour leadership.

Steve Dawson
Prettygate
Colchester