16/03/04

This should not surprise you when the Treasury model of the economy has over 2,000 elements to it. Our economists pick those elements that they consider important, hence the different answers. No wonder that people pick out the elements that best suit their personal arguments. It is wise to use the Treasury's outcomes.

Over the last few months the Americans have had to pay more dollars for the pounds they need to buy British goods. The reverse is true: we have had to pay less for the dollars to buy their goods. They have bought fewer goods and we have bought more goods leading to the biggest balance of payments deficit that we have ever experienced.

This has hit British manufacturers hard, even though trade with the US is about 18 per cent compared to over 50 per cent with the European Union. The proportion of trade with the EU will certainly rise when the ten new countries are assimilated.

Should we cut interest rates to help manufacturers or do we need to raise them to curb our overheating consumer market?

The euro has not had the same movement against the dollar, giving more stable trading conditions, causing fewer economic problems.

Whilst the trade balance is only one element in the argument to join the euro, it is a significant one. The current financial conditions remind us that on balance Britain would be better off adopting the euro. - Bill Morehead, Darlington.

IMMIGRATION

HOW sick I am of most of the letters to the Echo about immigration.

In printing these letters you are encouraging ignorant prejudice which damages us all in the end. I would be happy to have all immigration controls scrapped - we would save a fortune on ineffective systems. Allow in people who want to contribute to our country and make a life here, create vibrant mixed communities and take away from fascist and racist bigots one of the platforms they recruit on. - Lin Harwood, Newcastle.

FAMILY CENTRE

WHILST welcoming the ongoing support in celebrating the diversity of the North-East, recently highlighted by Sarah Foster in her article Voices from other cultures (Echo, Mar 8), it would be remiss of me not to highlight one factual inaccuracy in the article.

Stockton International Family Centre, is not, as stated, run by Stockton Borough Council, rather we are an independent, autonomous, constituted organisation.

Our organisation works closely with a number of partner agencies, including our excellent and generally supportive local authority, but continues to set its own agenda, regularly challenging their work when appropriate.

This agenda, built on robust relationships, is at the heart of the progress being made within Stockton for many of our local residents, not least, those highlighted within the article. - Sacha Bedding, Stockton International Family Centre.

CCTV

A SHORT time ago I was horrified to hear a lady on TV extolling the virtues of CCTV cameras installed in her house linked in direct contact with the police. Admittedly she had been burgled previously.

In a country with more cameras per head of population than anywhere else on the globe I find this attitude terrifying.

With increasing government restrictions, police powers and ever-increasing monitoring of our private lives, George Orwell's 1984 police state progresses insidiously into our everyday lives and will be complete before we know it.

The old adage "if you're doing nothing wrong why worry" doesn't wash. That was probably the cry in Nazi Germany, Stalin's Russia and other totalitarian states. The complete apparatus will be in place some day and on that day we will not dare to speak our minds. - LS Connell, Heighington Village.

TERRORISM

MANY of your correspondents take the view that the war on Iraq was wrong because Saddam Hussein did not present a threat to us. Are they sure?

Remember the first Gulf War when Saddam was continually hitting Israel with Scud missiles and it took a massive international effort to persuade Israel not to retaliate? Since then, it is common knowledge that Saddam has been supporting Palestinian terrorists and financially reimbursing the families of suicide bombers.

Imagine then a scenario of Israel being attacked either directly with Scuds or indirectly via Palestine. There is no way the international community would again have been able to prevent an Israeli retaliation and remember, Israel is a nuclear power.

Such a situation would not only have then threatened us, but the whole world.

As citizens of a world rapidly diminishing in terms of travel and yet growing in its ability to produce terrible weapons, we can no longer turn the other cheek. If the Spanish people believe that the only reason for the Madrid bombings was the presence of their troops in Iraq, what was the excuse for al Qaida's involvement in 59 other countries? - M Heslop, Billingham.

SCOTLAND

I AM greatly cheered by the support of TR McCormack (Echo, Mar 10) for my comments about the 'Scottish mafia' in Government. Very welcome.

I had referred previously to the use of Scottish votes to barge through tuition fees for England when the Scots will not be paying the fees themselves.

I have asked (twice) if my MP, Alan Milburn (right), can possibly justify this and have received no coherent response.

This issue though, cannot be forgotten about. I shall pursue it and will write to HAS again with Mr Milburn's definitive reply when I get one.

On the wider issue of devolution, every component part of the UK (including England) should have its own parliament to deal with its 'own' issues and a rump authority should remain in Westminster to deal with federal matters like foreign affairs and defence.

Most of the existing Westminster MPs could be made redundant and free to seek election to their appropriate regional parliament.

The above will never happen, of course, but it would be a welcome taste for MPs of the real world, where people do get made redundant every day and are constantly told about the alleged benefits of change. - Geoffrey J Taylor, Darlington.