MICHAEL JACKSON: I WATCHED with pity and horror the Michael Jackson programme. The people of Iraq have more dignity than the hordes of Americans who follow Michael Jackson everywhere.

At the zoo, the gorillas were behind bars. I consider them less dangerous than the mob from whom (with masks) Michael protected his children. - Mrs W Roberts, Barton.

TANYA'S CHARMS

I HAVE long regarded Richmond as being a staid old-fashioned market town, with a population of affluent, dull, conservative, narrow-minded, church-going old buffers whose ideas belong to the Victorian era, or possibly earlier. How right I am.

I find it difficult to comprehend how people can find nothing more important to pontificate about than the changing of the name of The Fleece, to Tanya's Charms. The whole episode, which started as a bit of harmless fun, has been blown out of all proportion.

The civic leaders and local dignitaries who have railed about this issue should realise that it has given their miserable little town more publicity than their pathetic efforts could ever achieve. - AM Archbold, Sunderland.

AA MILNE

WITH reference to Mark Foster's article (Echo, Feb 6) on the 'unpublished' poem, Before Tea by AA Milne.

Emmeline has been seen - in When We Were Very Young, published in 1924 and is still very much in print. - Sue Fenton, Durham.

EDUCATION

The Prince of Wales is right to call for a return to a traditional curriculum centred on Shakespeare and the classics of English literature (Echo, Jan 31). The introduction of a concentration on more modern works of far less literary value has been responsible for the dumbing down of English courses over the past several years.

A knowledge of the great writings rooted in the traditions of our nation should be a part of every British child's education. Dropping studies such as Shakespeare, Chaucer and the classical poets from the curriculum has been a calculated ploy to brainwash scholars into forgetting their heritage.

Having them concentrate instead on a mish mash of writers with no pride in national identity is robbing students of a wonderful amount of literature. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

WAR ON IRAQ

MANY people must be asking why Iraqi weapons, when not used against us, should justify such an aggressive war, with horrific bloodshed and suffering, especially for innocent civilians.

Other dictatorships have large stocks of lethal weapons, without threats against them. President Bush - to be consistent - would need to make war plans against all these countries, and those that may have terrorist links. So why target Iraq? US aquisition of Iraqi oil, to fuel their military forces, is probably one reason!

Isn't there something spurious about a Western power, with massive stockpiles of WMD, forcing a small Middle East country to destroy all its weapons? The country with the biggest arsenals, coupled with hawkish posturing and readiness to flout UN resolution, could be the greater threat to mankind.

What the Middle East needs mostly is a UN Peace Force for Palestine, to bring about Israeli withdrawal from illegally-occupied areas, and protection for Palestinian people from brutal attacks by US-backed Israeli forces.

Heavy attacks on Iraq could destabilise all the Middle East, and increase the risk of terrorism. However, a disastrous war could be prevented if all organisations and individuals opposing now spoke out firmly. - FG Bishop, Darlington.

THERE is no presumption of innocence in international affairs. For 12 years Iraq has been resisting the United Nations' instructions to disarm.

Under the leadership of Saddam Hussein the country has made war on two of its neighbours, attacked two more with rockets and butchered its own people.

The threat of action by the US and UK has resulted in some promises of better co-operation with weapons inspectors. But such promises have been worthless before.

Does anyone seriously believe that easing the pressure now will make Iraq disarm?

If Iraq is innocent and free of weapons of mass destruction why has it been prepared to forfeit billions of dollars under UN sanctions rather than co-operate?

Bitter experience like the Munich Treaty with Hitler of 1938 has shown that it can be foolhardy to the point of recklessness. - Robin Ashby, Gosforth.

IF our leaders use weapons of mass destruction on Iraqi civilians, who then is the monster who must be removed from power?

And how can this atrocity be done in the name of democracy when a majority of the electorate opposes it?

I am deeply concerned that the human suffering caused by a war against Iraq will be horrific. There are enormous risks to Iraqi civilians' food supply, clean water, and safe sanitation, as well as many civilian casualties.

I appeal to you to oppose this war. - Simon Legg, Darlington.

Bishop Auckland

AN old market town which was one of the best, if not the best in the North, Bishop Auckland had a continuous stream of people visiting Newgate Street and the Market Place.

The town had steadily declined over the last 25 years when all the good businesses started to pull out of the town.

The town should have been preserved, not modernised. The modernisation of the Market Place and Newgate Street would not have been allowed to happen in other historic towns.

The money that has been spent on these modernisations could have been put to a much better use. Once you could get anything you wanted in the town. Those days have gone. Bishop Auckland is not a ghost town. - A Clarke, Bishop Auckland.