CHILD POVERTY: It's laudable of Labour to want to abolish child poverty but how many idiots think they have the right to have children when they can't provide for their well being. The truth is seldom aired but they only produce kids for their own selfish ends to fraudulently acquire social housing and other benefits.

The trouble today is irresponsible kids are producing kids and reckless, if not downright criminal, irresponsibility is being unduly rewarded. - AP Kirk, Teesside.

EUROPE

I HAVE obtained some details regarding the contributions of various members of the EU between 1995 and 2002.

They make one ask questions. Why do we make such a greater contribution than France (by 3,878 million euros to France's 1,447 million euros)? Is it any wonder that the recent referendum in Spain was a resounding Yes when Spain is a net beneficiary of 6,617 million euros.

I'm sure we could find better ways to spend our money than to donate it to an organisation where corruption is such that the auditors have refused, yet again, to sign off the accounts.

It is just jobs for the boys and even if you make a real horlicks of it like Neil Kinnock you still receive massive pay-offs and a vast pension. - C Ward, Spennymoor.

LABOUR

I CANNOT agree with PJ Elliott-West's conclusions (HAS, Mar 22). It is true that Labour has, over the years, identified itself with the "working class", but only someone with no knowledge of Labour's history would accept this blatantly false self-identification.

But jobs have been lost to abroad where it is cheaper to employ labour and so make more profit.

Lastly, regarding 19th century political philosophy, capitalism is the same now as then. The system is built around the interests of the wealthy - why else do you think it is called "capitalism"?

That is why people like myself continue the struggle for a more egalitarian and fairer system for all of the people of the Earth. - Steve Colborn, Seaham.

ENGLAND

TONY Blair has almost got away with removing England from the map. The LibDem leader Charles Kennedy is in full agreement with this and so is Tory leader Michael Howard.

Ukip leader Roger Knapman is vigorously against it and so am I.

How can 43 Scottish MPs vote for student top-up fees knowing that these fees will not apply to Scotland? Plus, England is only mentioned in the EU as a region, whereas Wales and Scotland are named as countries and their flags are shown - England's flag is not shown.

Democracy no longer exists for England. Has this anything to do with Mr Blair and Mr Kennedy being Scots? Or Mr Howard and John Prescott being Welsh? Only the UK Independence Party is fighting for our country. - Tom Wyatt, Hartlepool.

Darlington

I AGREE with Kenny Jonas (HAS, Mar 24) in regard to the mural that Darlington council wants removed from the Urban Chaos shop in Duke Street.

If Urban Chaos was a shop owned by an Asian and the owner painted a drawing of the shoreline of Karachi in Pakistan, would he or she have been told by the council to remove it? I very much doubt it. The council would have sent out some of its employees to be photographed by the local media to celebrate such multiculturalism.

I just wish the council would put the same effort in to getting rid of the bus station in the town centre which is a ghastly eyesore. - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

IRELAND

WHEN a Catholic man is murdered by the Provisional IRA there is mass media coverage and outcry; investigations are ordered into funding and criminal activity; and punishments are made against their political representatives.

Yet Northern Irish Protestants continue to be terrorised, murdered or fall victim to the numerous criminal activities of the so called "Loyalist" terrorist groups. Their numerous crimes are often only reported on the lesser pages of the quality Press and there is no outcry or investigation. Members of the Orange Order still sit in the House of Commons.

Dealing with the criminal activities of the IRA might help bring about peace in Northern Ireland, but it can only be effective if similar action is taken against other Republican and Loyalist paramilitary groups. Because, at the end of the day, it is about the ordinary decent people of Northern Ireland, regardless of their faith or cultural identity. - CT Riley, Spennymoor.

AFRICA

DAVID Emmerson (HAS, Mar 14) asks us to look at Africa in our atlases. But that it doesn't tell us the whole story.

A UN report in 2004 described torture taking place in 115 countries in the world, many of them in Africa. Have we no responsibility to help people fleeing torture?

There are also many countries in Africa experiencing wars. The UK is the second biggest arms-exporting country in the world. It is therefore fairly safe to assume that UK-sold arms are helping to fuel many of the conflicts in Africa.

Then there are economic migrants who are, of course, in a different position to asylum seekers. Unfair trade rules have left hard-working cotton farmers in Mali in Africa producing an excellent crop but having to live on $1 a day. That's 68p a day.

The final point to remember is that there are more migrants coming to the UK from the US, Australia and New Zealand than from Africa. - Peter Sagar, Newcastle.

TO END the obscenity of child starvation in Africa we are asked to send £30bn in aid.

Without stopping governmental corruption, there is absolutely no justification for sending the money. There are many far better uses for any surplus cash we might have than in subsidising the already lavish lifestyles of African politicians and civil servants.

Next time you see a starving African child on TV just remember: we were seeing exactly the same scenes back in 1985. After 20 years of unstinting generosity by us in the West, nothing seems to have changed.

Why should there be a single starving child in Africa, a continent that possesses more natural riches than the rest of the world put together? - T Kelly, Crook.

BUDGET

GORDON Brown's budget is a prime example of trying to buy votes, especially those of pensioners. The council tax refund of £200 sounds fine, but it is only for one year. Big deal. Will there be the usual sheaf of forms to fill in to claim it?

Pensioners would have been much more appreciative, Mr Brown, if you had increased the basic state pension by a decent amount. Something that would be permanent, not just a one off.

Nice try, but we pensioners can see through your scheme and our votes are not so easily bought. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

ROYAL FAMILY

THE key thing about our Royals is that - unlike politicians - egotism does not come into it. There has been a long line of Royals in the course of British history and every single one of them has been both bred and then schooled for the job. - Alfred H Lister, Guisborough.