JOHN Rankin’s proposed response to a launch of nuclear missiles is no solution at all (Letters, October 5). Destroying incoming nuclear missiles with anti-missile missiles just scatters their radioactive poison over a wider area, killing even more people. As we do not have the ability to “reprogramme” the missiles to return to their launch sites, that solution is equally delusional.

The answer is clear and undeniable – there is no answer. By then, it is too late. It’s curtains on the human farce. Facing inescapable annihilation, it is no comfort being second to commit mass murder in a vengeful and pointless act of retaliation. So, kiss your loved ones goodbye, and prepare to meet your maker.

Both W Gordon Watson (Letters, October 3) and John Rankin seek the Holy Grail of a technofix – which does not exist. If we want to prevent this, the ultimate catastrophe, we have got to ban nuclear weapons worldwide. There is no other solution. What we cannot do is continue deploying them while denouncing others for doing what we are doing.

The long-standing official British line that we support multilateral nuclear disarmament is a lie. No British nuclear weapon has ever been placed on the negotiation table at any disarmament conference

117 nations have expressed support for the Austrian government’s current proposal, calling for an international treaty banning nuclear weapons. This, the Vienna Initiative, has the support of the Pope, the Dalai Lama, Desmond Tutu, and many other luminaries. It expresses the will of humanity, which wants to live in a world free form the threat of global suicide. Britain ignores this, and wants to replace Trident.

Either humanity has a future free from nuclear weapons, or it has no future at all. End of.

Brian M Quail,

2 Hyndland Avenue, Glasgow.