It seems RJ Allam (Letters, Aug 22) and myself have ruffled the feathers of some do-gooders.

I agree things were not all rosy back in those "golden days" but at least 90 per cent of the population knew right from wrong and you knew if you carried on taking advantage of your fellow neighbours at least you would receive the punishment you deserved.

Unlike today, when the victims take second place to the criminals and low-life.

Regarding Oswald Mosley gaining respectability in Britain before the war, what's new? Now we have the National Front. I can't see where we have advanced from those days.

I agree we now have 24-hour media and instant knowledge of events happening all over the country, events that make us more aware of all the horror, vandalism, mugging, raping, murdering and child molesting that is carried out every day.

It seems the little word "discipline" has somehow been lost from today's dictionary. In those golden days of long ago, discipline meant you didn't have scum going around holding knives to teachers' throats, little old ladies were not knocked to the ground and little children were not dragged off and never seen again.

Come on, Andrew Landmann, you cannot tell me today is better than yesteryear, even with the NHS.

I had my share of discipline while serving in the Grenadiers and it didn't do me any harm at all. In fact, I'm sure it made me a better person.

-JKC, ex-Grenadier, Bognor