Letter: My violent childhood made me 'hard' enough to murder

MY HEART sank when I heard a government minister attacking the Church for allowing the development of a society where a child can be murdered by children. Do we really have a Government without responsibility? Britain has not had strong moral leadership from the Church since the times of the early Methodists.

Britain has become a country where there are no standards of behaviour. In sport the maxim is win at all costs. In commerce, get away with as much as you can while you can. In government, tell the people whatever you like provided you can cover your tracks with smart little phrases like 'being economical with the truth'. In Church, keep it cosy and don't rock the boat.

Children are exposed to appallingly violent role models from video, television, cinema, magazines, books. Parents are not there to steer young minds away from the baser side of human nature because they have their own selfish needs to satisfy. Market forces dictate that, as there is so much money to be made today, we can forget about tomorrow.

There is no tomorrow for James Bulger.

Lynden Hughes

Eastleigh, Hants