Did you read about that daft MP from Aldershot who complained about Gurkhas living in the area.

That followed Joanna Lumley’s campaign to get them the right to settle in the UK.

But Gurkhas in Aldershot is hardly a new thing, and certainly not a bad thing. I worked at the Aldershot Military Tattoo back in 1983, living inside the compound, and the Gurkas were in charge of night-time security. Pretty menacing they were too, which was a good thing if you were on the right side of the law.

I remember working early one morning when a squad of kukri-armed Gurkhas doubled past, investigating something out of the ordinary. And they would not listen to feeble excuses; I assumed because they did not speak English, but more likely they had just trained themselves not to listen to nonsense,

And my connection with the area is not that of a busybody who just spent a couple of days there 30-odd years ago. My gran’s family were from that part of Hampshire. Great-uncle Chris was a school board inspector, but clearly he did not ask the right questions, like asking ‘Are you teaching the kids to be racist and intolerant.’

My mum spent the early months of the Blitz there, and never had any complaints - about the locals or the many military in the area.

So why would you object to Gurkhas living near you? It is probably safer even than living amongst a colony of policemen.

If they want to fill my road with Gurkha families I would welcome it.