02/05/03

One of our Burnley councillors fought at Goose Green in the Falklands War for the Parachute Regiment. Our candidates and members have seen action in many campaigns such as the Second World War, Northern Ireland, Korea and others.

Looking at many parts of the country some war heroes must wonder if it was all worth the effort with asylum seekers getting a better deal than our elderly, and crime out of control.

I look forward to the day when there is such a thing as an independent newspaper which reports the news in an unbiased and non-sensational manner. At the moment I agree with the old saying - a newspaper isn't there to inform, it's there to entertain. - Trevor Agnew, Darlington.

SCOTTISH INFLUENCE

I AGREE 100 per cent with correspondents who complain about the way England is being taken over by the Scots (HAS, Apr 21) and I want to make a further complaint.

I am fed up with having Scottishness shoved down by throat by the numerous Scots on our local radio and TV.

Can you imagine the reaction if the boot were on the other foot, if, for example, I got a job reading the news on local radio in Glasgow and read it in broad Durham? Yeah, exactly.

What's sauce for the goose should be sauce for the ruddy gander. - T Kelly, Crook.

EUROPEAN UNION

THE European Commission, which is unelected and unaccountable to anybody, is now up to illegal and unfair practice with regard to the referendums being held in the ten countries wishing to join the EU.

There have been three referendums to date and they have all resulted in a "yes" vote. Fair result you may say? Well, the Commission has been pouring money into these ten applicant countries and, in some cases, has taken over the running of the campaign from the national governments, a practice which is not only abhorrent in any democracy but also illegal and an abuse of the EU budget.

This is our money and other European taxpayers' money, and it is being used to gain yes votes in countries that are not even members of the EU. The electorate is being given an unfair picture as it is only given one side of the argument because only one side has the money to put forward a case.

Does this strike a chord with what is happening in any other potential referendums closer to home?

Democracy is like health. While you have it, it is of no concern and it is taken for granted. Once you have lost it you realise how vital and valuable it really is.

Democracy in all its forms needs defending and protecting at all costs, because without it the people do not have a right to their self-determination. There is a political elite intent on removing that right and so we must be forever vigilant and never allow it to happen. - Neil Herron, Sunderland.

IRAQ

IF evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is to be credible, the UN weapons inspectors must be allowed to return. Any claim by coalition forces to have uncovered the evidence will be viewed with understandable scepticism.

In any case, most of us who opposed the war did not do so on the grounds that such weapons did not exist, but because we felt that the weapons issue was merely a pretext. Mr Bush was perhaps a little more honest than Mr Blair in maintaining all along that his objective was regime change.

It must also be shown that Iraq's weapons presented a real threat to the US and its allies. Saddam had only used chemical weapons when he supposed that the West would turn a blind eye; he has known since 1990 that further deployment would be suicidal.

Allowing Hans Blix to complete his task before the war would have bought time for progress in Palestine, and for working with Iraq's Arab neighbours towards a less violent and inflammatory solution to the problem. - Pete Winstanley, Durham.

BBC

DAVE Pascoe's attack on the BBC (Echo, Apr 26) demands rebuttal. His claim that the BBC is "by far the most anti-British institution in the land" is simply preposterous.

Did he see the Grand National or the University Boat Race on BBC TV the other weekend?

Will he watch the Trooping of the Colour ceremony, or the State Opening of Parliament? Wimbledon Fortnight, or the Armistice Day service in the Royal Albert Hall?

These and innumerable other social, artistic and sporting events, all of them firmly woven into the very fabric of British cultural and traditional life, are brought to us by the BBC in presentations of the highest professional standard.

Or is he complaining about the lack of bias favouring the Coalition forces in reports from the war in Iraq?

The BBC is neither a government mouthpiece nor a propaganda machine. It is allowed no opinions of its own, and answers only to its viewers and listeners.

It is precisely this freedom from political and commercial influence that makes the BBC one of the few British institutions still enjoying respect and admiration world-wide, though not perhaps in the UK Independence Party. - Bob Jarratt, Richmond.