I WISH to strongly object to the proposal to offer £12,000 of taxpayers’ money per head to families of Northern Ireland paramilitary terrorists who died during The Troubles and, in particular, relatives of IRA activists.

The UVF (Protestants) at least largely confined their activities to their province, albeit that does not justify their murders.

To advise those too young to know, and remind those older, the IRA executed an unarmed Special Constable here in Yorkshire.

Twelve-year-old Timothy Parry was killed by an IRA bomb in Warrington; a coach filled with members of the public of all ages was blown apart in Manchester, as was a disco in Birmingham filled with young people enjoying themselves. Should we compensate IRA relatives for these mass killings of innocents?

I was there, a serving soldier in 1972 based at Londonderry and, for the record, I am half-Irish, my father originating from Dublin. I am also a Catholic. If we pay this blood money, why stop there?

Londonderry was my last military duty. After training, I started my Army career in the now Southern Yemen, then the Protectorate of Aden.

Why not pay surviving relatives in the Yemen for the deaths of their fighters? Fast forward, we could compensate relatives of the Argentinean soldiers who died in the Falklands?

I ask what message this compensation offer gives to today’s serving soldiers, daily risking their lives.

Are they, at some future date when it is deemed expedient, to be insulted by compensation payments to relatives of those our solders are sent to fight by our Government?

The general public will fund this compensation package, estimated to cost some £300 million. Vote this Government out, unless you wish to reward the families of these killers and send a message of contempt to all the relatives of victims of paramilitary atrocities.

Terence Myles Cullen, Vernon Close, Bishopthorpe, York.