SIR – Robert Hartwright is missing the point when he proposes the development of Shrub Hill and scrapping the Parkway development. (“Car park would be better than Parkway”, September 9).
Shrub hill Station is not on the main north-south inter-city railway line. It lies on a branch line. Passengers from Worcester travelling north or south have to travel to Birmingham or Cheltenham to change trains to travel on to the north and south-west of England and South Wales.
Were it possible for north-south inter-city trains to pass through Shrub Hill without losing time, Mr Hartwright’s argument would be indisputable. Unfortunately, it cannot be done because of the nature of the track branching towards Worcester Shrub Hill near Droitwich, where trains have to travel at reduced speed.
Parkway will lie on the main line and thus give a superior service, as well as acting as a hub for the London Paddington to Hereford line and the north-south main line.
PETER NIELSEN
Worcester

An EU army may be too high a price to pay
SIR – I read in the Telegraph that Frau Merkel will expect David Cameron to drop his opposition to the creation of an EU army in exchange for supporting Britain’s renegotiations. Whilst there is no expectation for Britain to be part of further integration, the creation of an EU army could marginalise Britain within NATO and result in the US downgrading the special relationship in favour of Paris and Berlin.
Frau Merkel and the CDU party have a detailed 10-point plan for military co-operation, headquarters of course in Berlin. The plan calls for a permanent and structural co-ordinated co-operation of national armed forces in the medium term.
In the long-run, this process should, according to the present German coalition, lead to a European army subject to EU Parliamentary control and joint European planning procurement and inter-operability. The US think-tank Atlantic Council said it would welcome integration. However, the “special relationship” could be downgraded if Britain refused to join in favour of the French and Italians.
Frau Merkel is backing a push by Monsieur Jean-Claude Junker to create an army this year. Under the Lisbon Treaty, Britain could not be forced to join a joint army but it cannot veto it. The paper proposes Operational HQ and the creation of a joint Helicopter Wing. All this is necessary to create a vector for the EU as a global actor. M. J. proposed powerful EU institutions which Britain would not be obliged to join, including a Eurozone treasury, border control guards and a “green card” system of insurance and a new raft of laws regulating pay and conditions.
A common EU army has been a goal of European integrationists for 60 years but Britain has proved a major obstacle.
Mr Cameron pledges to oppose notions such as a European army as too high a price as a part of the country’s renegotiations. Geoff Van Orden, Tory MEP and retired British army brigadier agreed with Mr Cameron that an EU army is “too high a price to pay” for Britain’s renegotiations.
The thought of an EU army and treasury, joint procurement of arms and additional institutions fills me with patriotic horror. As Sir Winston Churchill noted: “never was there such a high price paid by so few”. 
This scarcely seems the “common weal”...
WENDY HANDS
Upton-upon-Severn


Prisoners should be punished, not paid
SIR – While at school, if we boys had a good fight in the playground, our teacher used to say, “you both will be punished severely for this outrage!” Although I enjoyed a good punch up, we both were caned, so I stole a ruler and pencil from my assailants desk. While going home at 3.30pm I was followed by a policeman, going off duty. When I got home I hid under my bed, thinking he was after me.
In the Worcester News, I noticed, inmates are to be paid a living wage? Has Britain gone mad? Has the government gone soft? These burglars, rapists, killers and drug dealers are inside for a purpose, not to be pampered and paid. 
Two friends of mine, inside doing lengthy sentences, write to me twice a month. I say: “behave yourself, then you wont get banged up.” Their reply was: “we don’t mind, it’s a holiday camp in here, TV, gym, games room, cigarettes and now we may get a living wage.” This is disgusting, this will encourage reprobates young and old to break the law, because they know they will be looked after inside. Bring back national service I say.
LM PRESLEY
Worcester


We should be looking after our own first
SIR – The Dean of Worcester is of course quite right that the immigrants seeking refuge in our country are people and not as Councillor Amos said,”swarms” – which relates to insects.
But there needs to be a very tight control on the number Worcester can accommodate. The government is forcing us to have hundreds more houses constructed, yet there is no mention of new schools nor doctors’ surgeries to service the vast increase in population.
We are warned that many doctors are considering early retirement due to stress and fewer to follow in their footsteps. The schools are barely coping, so how will they cope with any more?
This country is suffering from not listening to Enoch Powell, but surely the time has come when we have to consider the saying “charity begins at home”
PHIL PEGLER
Worcester