WITH the growing reported speculation on Tony Blair's wish to go to war with Saddam, the Ministry of Defence and Minister Geoff Hoon will need to solve the jamming rifles problem.

To suggest that a satisfactory solution is to clean the rifles every 30 minutes, when soldiers are in a war situation, beggars belief.

These desk-bound decision-makers, whose last contact with a rifle was probably 10 shots for a pound on the fairground, should place themselves in the same dangerous situations that our troops will surely find themselves in.

With this Government, it's boys trying to do a man's job.

BRIAN HUNT, Worcester.