It would be wonderful to find out what the world would be like if people could gain power while staying true to themselves, but the world as it is doesn't represent the true nature of men or the true nature of women.HANBURY HAMPDEN-TURNERLONDON SW6 Forces for peace Sir: Paul Hardy Carter fancies that the future primary role of the military will be guarding our shores (letter, 2 November). Since when did horses either contract or carry BSE, let alone foot-and-mouth?NICHOLAS BONDLOWER QUINTON, WARWICKSHIRE Corrupted by power Sir: It was only a matter of time before someone brought up the idea that successful women are, on some level, not real women (Susan Tomes on Margaret Thatcher; letter, 3 November). Two million children have been killed and four million maimed in the past ten years. British forces have brilliant record of punching above our weight as peacekeepers in Europe and Africa Our record in disaster relief is commendable. No so: 54 of the last 59 wars have been civil wars in which civilians have been slaughtered by their compatriots. When such laxity of controls is allowed, the only effective check is the kind of press hounding that so irritated Mr Blunkett and Mr Blair.GUILL GILLONDON N1Sir: To lose one cabinet post may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose a second one looks like sheer recklessness.IVOR YELOFFHETHERSETT, NORFOLK Best Mate denied burial Sir: So Best Mate cannot be buried on the race course where he recorded his first success and ran his final race ( "Red tape denies Best Mate a racecourse burial", 3 November) because of the Defra regulations on the burial of animals, introduced as a result of BSE and rigidly adhered to following the foot-and-mouth epidemic.

The United Nations restored a national home for the Jews in the land where their presence had dated back almost to 2000BC.J A BRENNANBIRKENHEAD, MERSEYSIDE The Blunkett fiasco Sir: At the heart of the Blunkett fiasco is the absurdity of a parliamentary democracy, supposedly based on finely tuned checks and balances, in which the Prime Minister is both judge with regard to the appointment of ministers and jury when it comes to their standards of conduct and compliance with the rules. In fact there were Jews in this land for more than two thousand years before it was overrun by the Arabs in the seventh century - and the land was taken from the Jews.The situation in 1948 was that the British mandate was ending. Jewish immigrants had been coming in for some time to increase the Jewish presence. The Jewish National Fund had been providing money for Jews to buy land legally. As a Christian, I wonder what Christ makes of this proposition?JENNIFER WARELONDON SW5Sir: While there is much going on in the world to give Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, and indeed all of us, a very bad headache, the threat of an Israeli pre-emptive nuclear strike is one which even a half aspirin will cure ("Hitler couldn't have put it better", 31 October).While Israeli security tactics on the ground leave a lot to be desired, committing genocide on a scale similar to that perpetrated by Hitler against the Jews is about as likely as Bush or Blair coming clean about the true reasons for war in Iraq.ANDREW MANSONLEWES, EAST SUSSEXSir: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown presents a curious view of the founding of the State of Israel She alleges the land was stolen from the Palestinians. When Israel began in 1948 there was no state of Palestine and, in fact, there never was.There never was a time when there were no Jews in the Holy Land.

At the same time we hear no words of universal condemnation when influential Christian fundamentalists in pulpits across the United States, and now in Britain, call for the whole of the biblical land of Palestine to be given to the Jewish nation in order that Christ may return.The implication is the expulsion of millions of Palestinians (to where?) and the wiping of a nation from the map. Military action against Iran, or indeed the threat, will dynamite any good will that exists, with dire consequences.CHRIS CLAYTONYORKSir: Quite rightly the world has condemned the President of Iran for publicly saying he wishes to see the State of Israel "wiped off the map". We issue an annual plea to people to check thoroughly any fire they are responsible for, and to ensure organisers of larger events they may be attending have carried out meticulous checks as well.Hedgehog populations are in decline, so every effort is needed to keep these, Britain's favourite garden visitors, out of harm's way.FAY VASSCHIEF EXECUTIVE, BRITISH HEDGEHOG PRESERVATION SOCIETY LUDLOW, SHROPSHIRE Dire consequences of threatening Iran Sir: The implicit military threat made by Tony Blair against the regime in Iran for pursuing their nuclear ambitions seems to be, as the invasion of Iraq was, a simple-minded, dangerous folly.As occupiers of Basra and the surrounding country, it is not possible for the UK troops to operate without co-operation of the Shia residents. They need to know about Hallowe'en, Bonfire Night and Valentine's Day and be able to converse about sport, soap operas, UK current events and reality TV.The "ivory tower" nature of so many of the Government's questions is a sad indictment of how out of touch they are and, worse, causes me to question to what extent they consulted members of the immigrant community, or kept their needs in mind at all.SADI MEHMOODLONG EATON, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Season of peril for hedgehogs Sir: We were delighted that the hedgehog has been voted Britain's favourite garden animal (report, 2 November). Hopefully it will mean that bonfire piles in gardens will be thoroughly checked for hibernating hedgehogs before the festivities begin.Every bonfire night hedgehogs, and other wildlife suffer horrific injuries or deaths because people didn't take a few moments to check the pile was safe to light. To assimilate into British culture they need to know what they have to do to be able to drive a car, apply for a job and pay household bills. People will pass this test and continue to live isolated from wider society because the test gives them no insight into how they can mix socially or in the workplace.Few people arriving in the UK spend time in the courts, in church, or with the Queen, so why are detailed questions asked about these matters? As someone who provides cultural awareness training for Asians new to the UK, I can say with some authority that key to their successful integration here is access to information that applies to what they will be doing - spending time at home, at work and in the villages and towns they plan to live in.

Developing countries need to be assured that unilateral trade bans will only persist as long as there are legitimate human health concerns behind them.Whilst the UK might import several hundred thousand wild birds per year, the Mammal Society reports that about 55 million are killed each year by cats in the UK with, according to the RSPB, no evidence that this is having any impact on bird populations.WILLEM WIJNSTEKERSSECRETARY-GENERAL, CITES SECRETARIAT, GENEVA Britishness test asks the wrong questions Sir: The new citizenship test does nothing to assist immigrants of an ethnic origin coming into this country. However, the EU's recent one-month ban on imports of live captive birds other than poultry has also put a spotlight on the international trade in wildlife.Your own recent coverage of avian flu (25 October) claims that "250,000 exotic birds are smuggled illegally into the UK each year". I believe many of the people promoting this view are motivated by a desire to see the ban on live bird imports extended after the health crisis has passed.The reality is that international trade in the 1,700 species of wild birds regulated by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is well managed and subject to robust tests for sustainability.Many of the world's poorest communities rely on the earnings that trading wildlife can bring, and without this income people living in close proximity to wild animals may not have the same incentive to protect them. Racial harmony develops slowly through trust, fairness, genuine friendship, neighbourliness, intermarriage, children and not through the patronising and panicky initiatives of the metropolitan political class.ANDREW CLAXTONOXFORD Regulated trade in wild birds Sir: The potential for avian flu to spark a global influenza pandemic is first and foremost a human health issue, and one which should be taken seriously. Racial friction happens in the UK as it does everywhere else in the world when resources and opportunities are threatened, spread too thinly or unfairly distributed. Many of these doctors clearly have the ability to practise as consultants, but are prevented from doing so. While this is clearly damaging to their careers, the real tragedy is that patients are being denied access to their skills.MR MOHIB KHANCHAIR, STAFF AND ASSOCIATE SPECIALISTS COMMITTEE DR SAM EVERINGTON CO-CHAIR, EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE, BRITISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, LONDON WC1Sir: Trevor Phillips has said some thoughtful and courageous things about multi-culturalism (Monday Interview, 31 October).

However as a member of the London-based intelligentsia he seems to have lost sight of the fact that the majority of white people live outside London and the other big conurbations, where ethnic minorities make up a much smaller proportion of the population and so are difficult to meet.I am white English, my partner is black Guyanese and we have children together. Reasons given included lack of recognition, poor career progression, and heavy workload. Many described the post as a "dumping ground" or "dead end" and said they were treated as "second class".Yet the amount of talent in the SAS grades is enormous. Lacking access to the informal social networks of UK doctors, they are frequently prone to bullying, discrimination, and professional isolation.It is notoriously difficult for SAS doctors to qualify as consultants.