Letter: Olympic records

NICE to learn we have a role in the Olympic Games after all: London gets the games and all of the income which goes with it; Prestwick gets the aircraft with bombs on them (your report, 16 December).

If ever the Olympic Games are staged in and around Edinburgh in a newly independent Scotland, we’ll have to return the compliment by sending the terrorist flights to Newquay. I’m sure they’ll understand.

David Fiddimore

Calton Road

Edinburgh

Defence Secretary, Philip Hammond, commenting on the proposed deployment of 13,000 armed forces personnel at the 2012 Olympics, said: “These numbers will be in addition to the ceremonial role which the armed forces will play during the Olympics, which will showcase our armed forces to the world”, as if over the past ten years we have not “showcased” our forces around the world enough.

This is hot on the heels of the £40 million doubling of the budget for the opening ceremonies. The timing is suspiciously soon after Prime Minister David Cameron’s humiliating isolation at the EU summit.

Could these commitments be simply to give Mr Cameron a stage to showboat his importance and ego in front of a global audience?

Michael N Crosby

Muiravonside

By Linlithgow