Hear all sides

THE Professional Association of Teachers makes a good point in saying soap operas and TV adverts that glorify selfish and bad behaviour are sending dangerous messages to children (Echo, July 31).

In days before television, the hallmark of stories for children in books, on radio or on stage, was that any wrongdoing was swiftly and firmly punished. Modern storylines, whether aimed at children or not, tend to let the "baddie" get away with things for far too long. They are shown succeeding in their evil schemes, glorying in ill-gotten gains or thoroughly enjoying having the upper hand in the situation over an extended period of time. Many adverts do indeed encourage selfishness and "get all you can now".

The wrong messages being sent to our young people through much TV programming is brain washing them some might say. No one can deny there has been a huge shift in moral values, or rather an eliminating of moral values, over the past few years. If TV continues to depict selfish, immoral behaviour as normal, even desirable and profitable, those who strive for decency have an uphill struggle for the minds of our children. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL

I WOULD like to respond to Coun Ken Manton's remarks about people complaining to the newspapers about Durham County Council.

I have to say to him that sending letters to The Northern Echo is usually the only way for ordinary people to get their voices heard on subjects like profligate spending on computers for councillors or high levels of council tax.

If we write letters to the council, it either ignores them or refuses to accept that there is a problem at all.

There are two reasons why Coun Manton and his 'New Labour' cohorts don't like these letters.

Firstly, they are extremely hostile to any kind of criticism and secondly they are petrified of losing their positions of power in the event of the creation of a Northern Regional Assembly and local government being overhauled. To the people of County Durham, keep sending letters to The Northern Echo, they'll get more response than any number of letters to the county council. - Martin Jones, Spennymoor Branch Liberal Democrats.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

CRIMINALS have rights too. That's the message from the European Court of Human Rights.

If the authorities want to punish them for crimes and misdemeanours in prison, it is now clear there is a right way and a wrong way.

The wrong one is for prison governors to sit as both judge and jury. The right way is some kind of independent judgement.

That would result in an obviously free trial - a basic human right.

Governments in Europe are learning that there's a price to pay for trampling on the rights of its citizens.

That price includes being shown up in the court of public opinion, and having to compensate people - even those in jail - who they treat unfairly. - R Ashby, Gosforth.

DESPITE what Ray Mallon (Echo, Aug 2) may think, there are many more serious threats to our way of life than taxing tobacco to such an extent. While the case of the man on incapacity benefit and the number of cigarettes he smokes each day, one must question why on earth he is claiming the benefit in the first place when it was self-inflicted.

If he is fit enough to swan off to the continent and load up with so much tobacco, then it would suggest he is fit enough to work.

As for the assertion concerning the strain of the NHS and the closing down of our corner shop, and pub, it is an inconsistent point that proves nothing.

There is an attempt by the Government to stop people smoking so the more people stop, the less tax is collected anyway and those who smoke are encouraged by society in the first place.

We can solve this argument by filing tobacco under the drugs legislation and then ignore the illegal use, the same way we ignore the drugs issue. Tobacco is a soft touch and what is happening now is of our own making.

We have joined the European Union and cannot ignore the rules set down to quiet our own consequences but we can be more consistent and stop the smuggling altogether; make their profits cost ineffective and profitability a non starter. Then maybe this man on incapacity benefit would not find the journey worthwhile.- J Young, Crook.

EUROPEAN UNION

IT is interesting to compare attitudes towards sleaze, fraud and corruption between the free market democracy of the US, and the bureaucracy-ridden, unaccountable monster we know as the EU.

The Enron, WorldCom and Andersen financial scandals in the US have resulted in a ruthless determination to bring the guilty to justice, and to tighten corporate laws to prevent future instances.

Contrast this with the recent revelations surrounding the European Commission in Brussels.

Marta Andreason was Chief Accountant to the EC. She highlighted numerous areas in the systems controlling EU budgets which were "massively open to fraud". These findings were totally supported by the Court of Auditors.

What was her reward for pointing out these areas of potential abuse? Yes, of course, she was sacked from this post and moved sideways.

This is 'democracy', EU style. This is the institution so revered by Tony Blair and the Europhile tendency. - D Pascoe, Hartlepool.

VIRGIN TRAINS

I'D like to clear up a couple of points in response to your editorial (Echo, July 23) about compensation for Virgin Trains.

Railtrack owed the sum of money quoted to Virgin Trains for failing to deliver their contractual commitments. You have my assurance that 100 per cent of the money will go towards upgrading the railway, new trains for both of our franchises and funding the shortfall in the business created by the late delivery of the upgrade.

Despite this, not a penny will be taken out by individuals or shareholders. - Sir Richard Branson.