HUNTING: MICHAEL Spencer QC has resigned from the bench because he says the Government's ban on fox-hunting "parallels closely the conduct in government in Nazi Germany in the 1930s" (Echo, Feb 25).

His resignation is certainly good news for decency and a feather in the cap for the anti-hunting lobby.

Such arrogance deserves contempt when one considers that a man in his position advocates cruelty as his right.

The sooner more of the Michael Spencers of the world are given their marching orders the better. - John Young, Crook.

MICHAEL Spencer QC, a bastion of the judiciary, loves to hunt wild creatures to death for pleasure. I was delighted that he had resigned as a recorder and a deputy High Court judge.

People like him and his Countryside Alliance cronies have twisted minds and their continued defiance of the law will only serve to damage their own cause.

Nobody denied a farmer the right to shoot predatory foxes and nature will help keep the balance about right.

As for Mr Spencer, he should apologise to Tony Blair and the Government for making such a ridiculous accusation.

It will be interesting to see if the usually verbose Jewish groups condemn Mr Spencer for his outrageous slur on the Government. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

WHILE Tony Blair and his fellow guardians of morality in the Labour Party have wasted seven years in achieving the ban on fox-hunting because of its barbaric cruelty, over one million children have been legally butchered in this country in abortions.

The Labour Party may be rejoicing in its revenge for the miners' strike but when is it going to speak out against the silent holocaust of abortion? - J Moffatt, Chilton.

THE Countryside Alliance and pro-hunters: who do they think they are (HAS, Feb 26)?

The Hunting Act is valid and was brought on by themselves. Many hunts broke their own rules and we're grateful to the media for revealing this. I'm sick of hearing their pathetic old hat remarks about it being a class issue. This is about cruelty versus humanity. It is a massive step forwards to creating a more decent, compassionate society.

This law must be enforced. We all need to keep our eyes and ears open and gather evidence of illegal hunting.

Council tax goes towards the police. If they can attend weekly football matches, they can attend hunts in which only three per cent of the population participates.

Many pro-hunters say they're the upright pillars of the community. Prove it. Stay within the law, then no police time will have to be spent.

Stop seeing this as a tragedy. Hunt down new opportunities and increase the 33 very successful draghunts/bloodhounding packs. It's time to move on. - Mrs Smith, Darlington.

SO Ruth Parker would take great pleasure hunting down Tony Blair (HAS, Feb 22).

Firstly, the York and Ainsty Hunt drag an effigy of Tony Blair (labelled vermin) across Easingwold market place pursued by hounds. The only vermin I ever see are the ones on horseback.

We live in a parliamentary democracy and the intolerant and arrogant Countryside Alliance should stop their threatening and intimidating tactics and uphold the law like everyone else.

The hunters cannot accept that the days are long gone when landowners could rise roughshod and impose their activities on anyone who thought differently. Hunting is about killing animals for fun.

Also Diana Davis (HAS, Dec 1) thinks families and horse-riders just want a good ride out. Who is stopping them?

Ruth Parker says she is extremely frustrated - not half as frustrated as most of us in the countryside.

Face it, hunting is a dinosaur and has to go. - N Staff, Durham.

TONY Blair and his Government have banned fox-hunting because it is a British tradition. It has been a British way of life for a couple of hundred years.

It is Labour's way of striving for a more multicultural present day life in the UK, and a ruling that will make his left-wing buddies in Brussels happy.

I wonder what will be next? A ban on Christmas and Shrove Tuesday ball games? Would the residents of Mr Blair's Sedgefield be happy if their traditional ball game was outlawed for being too violent?

I just cannot get to grips on why the Government has banned fox-hunting. It was no doubt ordered by the red tie wearing, anti-war backbenchers. It is Mr Blair's way of holding out an olive branch to his party so that he can jump back on board the ship that will lead Great Britain to destruction. - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

POLICE FINANCE

SURELY the time has come for all aspects of police finance, pay and pensions to be borne entirely by central government (HAS, Feb 25).

The police are, after all, the servants of central government. Other organisations such as the prison service and probation service are not supported by the council tax payers.

However, the police forces of this country seem to see the council tax payers as some sort of money tree.

In 1984-85 police officers were deployed (outside of the jurisdiction of their chief constables) at enormous cost to crush the miners. This was done at the behest of the Government of the day. I doubt we shall see the same cruel scenes to enforce the hunting ban.

The council tax is an unfair tax and like all unfair taxes will one day be replaced. - W Thompson, Hartlepool.

MPS' SALARIES

MEMBERS of Parliament have just voted themselves a modest salary increase of 2.8 per cent. But for Tony Blair, that is £5,010-a-year or £96.36-a-week, which is not bad when put alongside what a pensioner on the state basic single person rate of £79.60 is given. When the pensioner's increase of 3.1 per cent is worked out, it comes to £82.4-a-year or £2.47-a-week.

Billions have been spent assisting the Americans grab for Iraqi oil, but people who have worked all their lives and contributed to the wealth of the nation are rewarded with a pittance for a pension and offered means tested benefits to survive.

How New Labour can continue to identify themselves with the term "the Labour Party" is beyond me. - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

Billingham

WE in Billingham have been fighting for years for regeneration, and the only thing that concerns me is the timing of the announcement (Echo, Feb 22). With the local elections in May, I believe this might be a carrot to hang in the faces of the people of Billingham. Will it be pulled away after the elections?

Finally, I don't understand why Billingham is tied to developers Halladale for 12 months, especially as we've heard that there are another three developers waiting to come in.

All we want is to keep the Forum and our park, and have a town centre to be proud of. - James Colverson, Billingham.