ReadING T W Siret’s letter (Oxford Mail, May 11) I could not accept he actually wrote the Lib Dems were not a “real anti-war party”.

I would never vote for any anti-war party and I would never advocate getting rid of the Trident nuclear deterrent or reducing our armed forces any more than they are now.

This wishy-washy liberal ideal just does not work and it is the same attitude and denial that allowed Hitler to come to power in the 1930s.

This country has had to fight for its freedom since it came into existence.

The past few governments have given away what independence they could, to leave us the laughing stock of Europe.

Our standard of living has deteriorated though back door taxes and unrealistic immigration figures that are dictated elsewhere, and we, the British public, are supposed to accept this.

Our petrol prices are the highest in Europe. Analysis by the AA found that on November 24, 2008, Britons were paying 92.79p for a litre of unleaded – of which 64.17p was tax.

At the beginning of March, the price had increased to 111.89p a litre – of which 72.85p was tax, and we have now reached £1.20 per litre.

We are allowing our governments to price us workers out of existence, so that we cannot be competitive in the European market.

Be warned: this recession is nowhere near over, and the taxes which are to be implemented to pay the debts of the banks and to try to make this country a viable concern once again, will take more than 25 years to pay off.

We do not have enough to pay future pensions let alone the debts we owe. Yet people are more worried about our defences than the actual financial survival of the country.

Wake up and smell the coffee! It is that attitude which has eaten away at our country’s pride.

John J Monaghan Cotman Close Abingdon