WAR ON IRAQ: ON the BBC Newsnight Special, Tony Blair agreed that there was no Iraqi link to the September 11 attacks, but suggested that Iraq, when threatened, might be driven to collaborating with terrorist groups.

Isn't this a good reason to stop threatening to make war on Iraq? It is better to drive a wedge between your enemies than to force them into an uneasy alliance.

Soon after September 11, George Bush dismissed the Taliban's expression of sadness over the deaths in America, and their offer to hand over Osama bin Laden on production of the evidence against him. He went to war without even waiting a few days for the verdict of the Islamic Conference Organisation, which unequivocally condemned the September 11 attacks, and could have put irresistible pressure on the Taliban to hand over bin Laden.

Soon afterwards, Tony Blair told us that al Qaida and the Taliban were "indistinguishable".

The war on Afghanistan did not destroy al Qaida, but instead killed thousands of innocent people and vastly over-inflated bin Laden's stature, making him a hero for every Muslim with any grievance against the West. George Bush and Tony Blair are about to repeat their previous mistake. - Pete Winstanley, Durham.

IT is not strange that the UN has been applying sanctions against Iraq for the last 12 years or so, but the Clinton administration never proposed a war?

Since September 11 George Bush has been seeking to restore American pride and sees the opportunity to secure this and fulfil his alleged dream of completing his father's mission. - Gordon E Moffat, Gosforth.

HOW do the voters of the Trimdons and Sedgefield feel at having a warmonger as their MP and Prime Minister?

How will they feel when he takes them to an unjust war and British lives are lost and innocent men, women and children are killed in Iraq and he is then apprehended and taken to the war crimes court as a war criminal alongside President Bush?

How do they feel now with his dictatorial solution to end the firefighters' claim for better pay? Or will they prove an old saying true that if a sack of garden rubbish was tied with a red ribbon round it and had a red rosette attached they would vote for it? - FW Holdstock, Catterick Garrison.

THE Chancellor is putting an extra £750m into Tony Blair's war chest. This is on top of the £1bn already set aside up to now.

Where is all this money, which was not mentioned in the Budget, coming from?

Road and rail transport systems have already been downgraded for lack of funding and hospitals are not responding to the targets set before Tony Blair felt that he should help George Bush and the American hope of world domination.

I think that Tony Blair has forgotten the aims of Nato: it is for the mutual support and defence of all member states, not as Mr Blair seems to think, the defence of a member country that attacks a country that is not at war with a member country.

We, the British, are members of the European Community, not the 51st state of America as Tony Blair seems to think, and Nato is the defence system of the community.

America is only a member because it can dominate and use it as part of its defence system, not for the defence of Europe as it is intended for.

If Mr Blair thinks he has right on his side why does he not put it to the electorate in the form of a referendum and see what the British people want, not what Mr Bush wants? - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

Darlington COUNCIL

GIVEN that it is not lawful for same sex couples to marry in this country, what message is Darlington Borough Council sending out by encouraging people to 'head to the town to make public declarations of their commitment'? The wrong message I fear.

A message which promotes lifestyles which are far removed from God's ideals.

Whilst people must be free to choose their own lifestyles it is, in my thinking, highly irresponsible of Darlington Borough Council to be endorsing same sex relationships in this way. - Rev Graham Morgan, Darlington.

Richmond

IT is clear that Mr Archbold (HAS, Feb 11) does not like Richmond or its inhabitants. I suggest he keeps well away. We certainly will not miss him.

As for Richmond being a miserable little town, hundreds of people visit here every year, including many from abroad. They obviously do not think so.

I have lived here for over 40 years and I am proud of my town and its many lovely people. - Hanna Lee, Richmond.

EUROPE

WHAT a pitiful pretence of false outrage we have seen expressed by Messrs Blair and Hain as a reaction to the proposed new EU constitution.

This Government is a principle-free zone and, despite reassuring noises, nothing is more certain than, in 18 months time, at the next planned EU summit, this treasonous document will be signed. Blair's only maxim is 'whatever Brussels wants, Brussels gets'.

The federalist intention of the constitution is clearly stated and would obliterate the constitution of the United Kingdom; 900 years of evolved democracy wiped out at a stroke.

Once this deed is done we cease to be citizens of the UK and become citizens of the Union with all associated responsibilities.

All control over our own affairs will be surrendered.

Trusting Tony Blair with the sovereignty of our nation would be akin to appointing Dr Harold Shipman as chairman of the GMC. - Dave Pascoe, Press Secretary, UK Independence Party, Hartlepool Branch.