STEEL-MAKING: AS a retired British Steel employee, I must protest at the remarks of the CBI Director General Digby Jones about how the British Government should not support the Teesside steel industry in the face of international competition (Echo, May 15).

The Teesside plant produces the best products in the world. The Redcar Blast Furnace is a world record producer of quality iron. The Beam Mill makes products which can only be produced at Teesside. The Coil Plate Mill was the finest anywhere, being developed over the years to make oil pipeline steel, and also highest quality plate for bridge construction.

Several years ago, the British Steel Corporation made a decision to concentrate on coastal sites with deep water ports to minimise transport costs. This spelt the demise of Corby, Consett, Ravenscraig and Shelton.

Only Port Talbot and Teesside enjoy that facility, Scunthorpe and Llanwern are inland sites, so where is the rationale behind the present debacle?

The most catastrophic recent action on Teesside was to close the Plate Mill and transfer the rolling to Llanwern. The steel had to be made and shipped from Teesside, only to be shipped back again for further processing.

The crying shame in all this is that, because of politics, the country is in danger of losing a first-class facility which thousands of dedicated people have worked hard to make a success. The comments of Mr Jones are akin to urging a marathon runner to go faster after you have severed his jugular vein. - Maurice Bartle, Richmond.

DURHAM CITY

IN Sunderland, Labour won seats in the local elections, whereas in Durham City there was a wholesale wipeout of the Labour administration. The electorate in Durham was so dissatisfied with the Labour group that, rather than stay away from the polls, people switched allegiance to the LibDems.

Now, the news of the LibDem victory will undoubtedly increase opportunities in what were safe Labour wards such as Coxhoe, Quarrington Hill cum Cassop and Brandon.

Conscience and integrity were lacking in the Labour administration and the need for change has now seen that regime removed. As long as open government gives real democracy to local people then Labour will need to ring the changes in Durham. If that is not possible, the LibDem revival will continue to roll. - Name supplied, Durham City.

LOCAL ELECTIONS

IN a desperate attempt to get the electorate to vote, the Government has tried electronic voting, Internet voting, telephone and text voting, alongside or instead of the traditional method of a polling booth visit. None of which has persuaded more than a third of the electorate to cast a vote.

In Stockton and in several other places, we had a postal vote of the total electorate but only half of the electorate bothered to return their ballot forms.

What next? Perhaps a council official knocking on the door with one's voting forms and asking for your choice of candidate.

The local elections have produced 16 BNP councillors in the country. They are allowed into office by the apathy of those who would never, in their right minds, vote for BNP but have allowed them to be elected by default.

The time is long overdue for the House of Commons to discuss the introduction of compulsory voting.

If there are those who cannot vote for anyone, for whatever reason, a space for "none of the above" could be included on the ballot paper. - Ray Liversidge, Billingham.

AFGHAN HIJACKERS

TERRORISTS can enter this country by pretending that they are fleeing from persecution. Then they can plan their next bombing campaign with the full co-operation of the kindly British judges.

I have often wondered if a barrister has to prove that he is a halfwit before he can become a judge.

On the other hand, the Costa del Sunshine is full of decent British crooks who have fled this country rather than appear before one of these British judges. - Wilf Brownless, Durham.

THE action of the Appeal Court judges in the Afghani hijackers affair does not mean that all judges are idiots. Some judges are quite normal, even though they do dress like clowns.

But questions must be asked.

The hijackers claim to have been persecuted by the Taliban. Were these claims real? Not many people live to tell the tale after being persecuted by the Taliban.

Now that the Taliban has been defeated, will these men return to Afghanistan?

The hijackers imprisoned the passengers and threatened to murder them. Did the judges order the hijackers to pay compensation to those unfortunate passengers?

Our benevolent judges will probably award compensation to the hijackers. - Rob Jameson, Easington.

FIRE STRIKE

CONGRATULATIONS to the Government on its firm stand against the outrageous demands of the firemen's union. The 16 per cent offer is generous for work that is so cushy that some firemen have two jobs, allowing them to double their wages.

Of course, being allowed to sleep at work on night shift keeps firemen fit to work for their other employer on day shift.

This Government also refused to be intimidated by the farmers and the fuel protestors. Who will be next? Teachers? Doctors?

Nye Bevan once said that the NHS was "stuffing the doctors' mouths with gold". Like the firemen, doctors can also find time to do two jobs.

Greedy surgeons are demanding that, apart from working for the NHS, they should also be allowed to have a lucrative private practice.

Forget about the hippocratic oath. Everybody wants to be on the gravy train. - Jim Baker, Peterlee.