SO WE now have a Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government.

Excuse me, but I can’t see this working as there seems to be a massive gulf between the policies of the two parties, not in the least of which is the proposed £100 billion spend on upgrading the Trident missile system.

Possession of such a weapon is not necessary and I have not heard one Tory politician deliver a convincing argument for it.

Who is it meant to deter? Certainly not terrorists; it didn’t deter the destruction of the World Trade Center, or the London bombings, or the other terrorist atrocities we have witnessed.

There are cheaper alternatives, for example cruise missiles, if you must have nuclear weapons.

You could possibly mount an argument for Trident in the days of the Cold War, but not now. Warfare has changed. Even if Trident is kept as it is, it is powerful enough to kill just about everybody on the planet.

I support the armed forces and they should have the best equipment available, but Trident is not appropriate for the job they have to do. Also, think how much scrapping the proposed upgrade would contribute towards cuts in the national budget.

Lee Maloney, Millfield Avenue, York.