YOUR headline 'Tradition Defeated' (LET, December 17) summed up succinctly the government's attitude to the Armed Forces.

Cross-party disapproval of Lancashire MPs for the wanton dismemberment of county traditions was commendable.

It is also understandable that one of the MPs dislikes the inclusion of 'Borders' in the cap badge of a Lancashire Regiment.

A sentiment that has local support but regrettably, the next onslaught, could include an EU cap badge.

On December 16, the Defence Secretary announced plans to cut four infantry battalions from 40 to 36, with plans to cut one of the six Scottish Division battalions and merge them all into a single Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Also the current target for the Army of 106,730 is to be cut to 102,000 coupled with taking six warships from the Royal Navy and reducing the number of ready-to-go fast aircraft to only 84, when the government is placing more demands on our Armed Services.

Ministers say it is necessary to re-structure the Army for strategical reasons but the ultimate strategy seems to be political, for assimilation of land forces into the proposed 'European Army' as a prelude to encompassing the UK in a Federal Europe, which would accord with the government's aspirations of devolution.

Yet ministers are in denial about a European Army being any kind of threat and Tony Blair, in the run-up to the signing of the EU Constitution, declared that autonomy in the field of defence was one of Britain's "Red Lines" but already, forces with an EU cap badge are patrolling Macedonia and the Congo, who are answerable, not to NATO, nor to any National Capital, but to the EU's Politico-Military structures.

In addition, European Law dictates whom the MoD may hire, such as forcing Commonwealth servicemen to take British nationality and forbidding us to discriminate in favour of 'Third Country nationals'.

This is coupled with new disciplinary procedures, forcing us to use Civic Law rather than Courts Martial and worst of all, it will distort our defence procurement by emphasising pan-European defence schemes over more cost-effective projects.

So it would be appropriate for the 'Fury of Lancs MPs,' who reacted angrily at the announcement of the loss of an exclusively Lancashire fighting force to be directed at a government cavalier about the loss of our military heritage and perhaps, conclude that even the word 'Borders' in a Regiment's cap badge, would be preferable to some new fangled EU Insignia.

COUNCILLOR J H HIRST, Beardwood with Lammack Ward, Blackburn.