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EDEXCEL

THE furore about the mistakes made by the Edexcel examinations board must make every other board say, with relief: "There but for the grace of God, go we."

While Edexcel have made errors which they should not have done, they are certainly not alone, but they are unique in being pilloried by the media and by politicians.

For example, readers may remember the scandal about two years ago, when an examiner for one of the other boards awarded marks to candidates from 'good' schools for answers that didn't even exist, on the basis that: "that was the mark they would have got if they had attempted the question".

I do not remember the local MP or anyone else calling for that board's licence to be withdrawn. Nor do I remember serious calls for the Scottish Board to have its licence revoked for the shambles over its issue of results last year.

It also has to be asked why, if schools are so dissatisfied with Edexcel's service, they don't switch to another? That's what market freedom is all about.

As a maths and science teacher and examiner for two boards, I have always found Edexcel to be at least as good as any other board and, in many ways, much better. - MJ Latter, Darlington.

COUNCIL TAX

E REYNOLDS (HAS, Jan 31) asks when the archaic method of council taxing will be modernised? He forgets that it was modernised, exactly to the requirements he specifies, by the Thatcher regime.

People threw it out because they didn't understand it or didn't want to understand it. There was rioting, civil disobedience and general grousing about it, and the collection of it may have posed logistic problems with people on the move and uncertainty about who was attached to what household.

There was also the idiot idea of pensioners paying only 20 per cent of the charge when the collecting of the 20 per cent was costing more than it netted, which meant it was cheaper not to charge pensioners anything.

Terry Outterside (HAS, Jan 31) shows himself quite ignorant of the basic logistics and economics of water supply.

The rating for water based on the council's rating of a premises is a bit archaic, but not necessarily amiss, as the broad assumption is that the larger a premises, the more taps and outlets it has. - R Lewis, Birtley.

REGARDING your front page (Echo, Jan 23), what is everybody going to do about the high rises in council tax?

Pay these high increases, and next year, the same thing will happen.

It is time Government and councils stopped telling us what to do. I suggest that, nationwide, each and every domestic and non-domestic council tax payer should pay the same amount of council tax as this year, plus two per cent, which is approximately the rate of inflation.

Don't sit back and say there is nothing to be done. Get off your backsides and fight, refuse to pay. Can they put us all in jail? No. Something will have to be done to ease these high increases. We need millions of people to back this protest - one is no good. - Cath Thompson, Catterick Village.

I AGREE with K Bradley (HAS, Feb 1) regarding the proposed 12.5 per cent increase in council tax for the second year running.

This is totally unacceptable from a council elected on the principle of serving all of the taxpayers in Darlington.

The Arts Centre, Dolphin Centre and Civic Theatre are used by the same people year in year out, and they should pay the cost of their entertainment.

My wife and I never use any of these facilities and, as pensioners, why should we subsidise the pleasures of others, with probably high incomes? - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

RICHARD NEALE

SIMON Page's report (Echo, Feb 1) on the proceedings in Parliament about the Neale affair describes how William Hague manfully read the paper in support of a public inquiry into the case of the disgraced surgeon. But who heard it?

A TV clip seemed to show him taking to himself. The Opposition benches were deserted and, no doubt, a similar situation existed on the other side of the House. A lowly Parliamentary Secretary was put up to reply.

Was that what is (laughingly) called an adjournment debate? Read all about it, exclusive to The Northern Echo and Hansard. - Jim Ferguson, Bishop Auckland.

CEMENT WORKS

THE news of the closure of the Eastgate cement works came as a big blow to the workers and the community of Weardale.

But, only last year, one of our members attended a meeting in Birmingham with owners Lafarge and, when he returned, predicted the imminent closure of the works.

Normally, when factories and plants close down, the reasons given are the state of the economy or drop in sales, etc.

The sad truth about this closure, however, is the revelation that Lafarge is in profit from the Weardale plant.

So we, as a trade union movement, give our brothers and sisters at the Eastgate works our unequivocal support and stand alongside them in their struggle. - JL Thompson, Wear Valley TUC.

PROFESSIONAL BOXING

YOUR comment (Echo, Jan 31) oozes admiration for professional boxing.

Boxing causes brain damage and that is dreadful. In any civilised society it would be illegal.

To describe boxing as a sport is insulting to healthy sports like football, cricket, tennis and rugby, although you might call boxing a blood sport.

As for athleticism, I would not deny that boxers are athletic: fast with fists, nimble on footwork and clever with a feint to the left and a hit to the right. But it is a false argument to suggest that the brain-damaging activity is okay because there is plenty of athleticism in it.

How can you say that Mohammad Ali gave dignity and credibility to boxing? Ali's greatness was never boxing, but his refusal to fight in an aggressive war in Vietnam. - Roy Hilton, Newcastle.