08/10/04

We are now seeing the Countryside Alliance in its true colours. If the law suits them they will abide by it - eg trespass. If it does not, they will threaten to overrule it with anti-social behaviour.

Of course, it is the hunt servants who are being put into bat. The ones that are being paid to go out in the night to block the fox holes so that the hunted has no sanctuary.

The knocker on the north door of Durham Cathedral used to give sanctuary to outlaws, but this is denied the fox simply to give pleasure to a few hunters while the fox is only as nature made him. - R Brown, Newton Aycliffe.

CONSERVATIVE PARTY

THE Tory candidate for Darlington must be shell shocked by the Hartlepool by-election result, judging by his pathetic attempt to misrepresent our policies (HAS, Oct 4). He would be better occupied trying to stop the Tory Party expiring.

Even when referring to actual policies he gets the facts wrong. The proposed higher rate income tax of 50 per cent kicks in when people earn more than £100,000. He must live on a different planet if he thinks working people earn more than that.

Then he quotes us as wanting to introduce a "'local income tax and higher council tax bands". Sorry, you cannot do both. LibDems propose to abolish the current invidious council tax and replace it with a local income tax which is based on the ability of people to pay. Hence the lower income families will pay less and the higher more - the reverse of Tory policies.

Perhaps he should contemplate the following figures quoted in a letter to the Guardian. Mr Blair bought a house in London W2 for £3.6m with a Band H council tax of £1,210. You can buy a four bedroom semi-detached house in Sedgefield for £200,000 with a Band D council tax of £1,317.31.

This unfair council tax was introduced by the Tories after the fiasco of the poll tax so they can hardly claim to be experts on policies for raising council funding. - Brian Fiske, Press Officer, Darlington Liberal Democrats.

MICHAEL Howard has just set out his manifesto for the election based on tax. How rich coming from someone who instigated the worst tax of all, the poll tax.

He says he will change this if the Conservatives are brought to power, but he must not have heard of the story of the little boy who cried wolf.

The Conservatives had years to rectify this awful tax they imposed on people, but chose to ignore it. The voters are right not to trust him.

Then there's Tony Blair, who took the country to a war which was not justified. How will he recoup the millions it cost - by busking with his guitar in shopping malls? I don't think so. He will put up taxes. The money he spent on the war could have paid for schools, hospitals, more police. The list is endless.

He also has had the chance to rectify the council tax, but has chosen not to, but now the elections are looming all sorts of promises are being made, none of which will be kept.

Next there's UKIP. They have only been formed a short while, but are already squabbling for leadership.

It seems the only person who has been truthful about tax is Charles Kennedy. He has always said he will scrap the council tax but he also said he would put tax up by a couple of pence to fund better education. People appreciate honesty. - A McKimm, Crook.

JUSTICE FOR MINERS

PEOPLE of the Sedgefield constituency wake up to your MP and our Prime Minister. The people who put their faith in Tony Blair by voting for him, being many ex-miners, are now being betrayed by the Labour Party.

All claims for industrial chest diseases are being pushed further back every day. Amounts of £500 for every claimant have been mentioned regardless of the severity of the chest, thanks to Tony Blair and the Labour Party.

How dare he treat the ex-miners and also his voters in this despicable way?

I wonder if Mr Blair ever thinks he is wrong. Don't ever think it, he does not. Mr Blair is the nearest to Mrs Thatcher ever.

Shame on you Mr Blair. You could put matters right and hurry the process up.

Mr Blair is the biggest Tory I know, dressed up in Labour clothes betraying his own people. - Don Wood, Bishop Auckland.

PIGEON RACING

PIGEON racing is sadly on the decline in the North-East. Pigeon racing is now a costly hobby to the average working man and many women who love the sport.

In the 1950s and 1960s, pigeon racing was very popular among the working men, especially the hard-working miners in the Durham area. After a hard day's work at the coal face and the stress of working underground, many coal miners found solace down the pigeon loft.

Some miners preferred tumbler pigeons or milers, but pigeon racing was a huge success in the Coxhoe area.

In the 1950s, Coxhoe Homing Society had over 30 members. Rivalry was keen. Competition was tense on race days; the emotion was pleasurable, but sometimes turned to grief when your best pigeons did not return to the loft.

The old Red Lion at the bottom of Coxhoe was the headquarters of Coxhoe Homing Society. Pigeons were given a rubber race ring attached to the bird's leg. Then the birds were put in the pigeon basket, clocks had to be set for the race.

Marshal Nicholson was the landlord of the old Red Lion. Latterly, Coxhoe Homing Society moved to Coxhoe Workingmen's Club.

Today Coxhoe Homing Society can only boast a handful of members. Will those happy, carefree days return? I doubt it. - Jimmy Taylor, Coxhoe, Durham.

RAILWAY MUSEUM

The interesting articles on the National Railway Museum at Shildon, especially the one on Timothy Hackworth (Sept 22) have been most informative.

What a marvellous generation it was that gave us so many people who did so much to bring about the huge changes in society in the 19th century.

When reading of George Stephenson and Timothy Hackworth both having attended the village school at Wylam, one has to wonder who taught them. Whoever he was, what a wonderful job he did of educating these two youngsters who would go on to display such creativity and genius.

It is also interesting to note the large part played in their lives by their strong Christian faith. Will we ever see their like again? - E A Moralee, Billingham.