Letter of the day

It is trotted out to give us UK citizens a ‘feelgood factor.’

Despite Barack Obama’s undeniable charisma and all encompassing vocabulary I retain the feeling his barely concealed sneering asides relating to our ‘Empire history’ still rankled with him.

This mindset was reinforced by reading that Jeremy Shapiro, a senior Obama aide, deliberately inserted
‘Falklands’ jibes into speeches and press conferences, adding that ‘the so-called special relationship was not something that was considered important to the USA and that they laughed about it.’

I’ve news for Mr Shapiro. The Falklands was was won solely by British endeavour, (possibly it is rumoured with help from Chile) taking everything from bullets and bombs to burgers and bread 7,000 miles and freeing the Islands from unmasked invaders.

Well documented at the time that the USA watched with a jaundiced eye and an ‘about time the Brits had their noses rubbed in it’ attitude.

What I found infuriating was that this guy was allowed to propagate his dated and unnecessary remarks to the Cheltenham Literary Festival and assorted luvvies sat on their hands without remonstrating with him.

Watching Queen Elizabeth departing Portsmouth Harbour, it was a timely reminder that despite the lack of planes we still need serious aids to protect our interests and maybe a subliminal reminder that so-called allies are not always on the same page.

A blunt reminder to Mr Shapiro that it took the USA two years before Pearl Harbour forced their hand to join the UK in their lonely fight against German and Japanese tyranny.

John Cole

Blount Road

Portsmouth