Letter: Tasks that still face the PM

From Mrs Anica Wilkinson

Sir: On the subject of Douglas Hurd's departure from the Foreign Office, John Marshall, MP for Hendon South, is quoted (6 July) as saying:

It must be a matter of great satisfaction to him that he leaves the world a safer and freer place than it was in 1989.

1989 was certainly the greatest year of my life. It was the year when the whole of Eastern Europe felt that the time for freedom had arrived; it was the year of "hope" for millions of people.

Could somebody tell me what fills Mr Marshall with such optimism. Has he not heard of the war in Europe? Can he not see the wider implications of the impotence of the EU, the UN, Nato and the complicity of our foreign policy in all this?

In 1995, the world feels like a very sad place, with nobody around to stand for principles.

Yours faithfully,

Anica Wilkinson

Cookham, Berkshire