INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT: WE have recently come across a campaign that we would like to share with readers.

The charity War on Want is asking Gordon Brown to introduce a tax on currency speculation. It claims this would enormously help people in developing countries.

Apparently, up to two trillion dollars is exchanged between currencies on the world's markets every day, 95 per cent of this is speculation by people trying to make a fast profit by guessing which way exchange rates are likely to move. This does not help international investment or trade.

War on Want is asking for a small tax of 0.25 per cent to be levied on these unproductive transactions. This will calm financial markets and help developing countries like Brazil, whose economy has been undermined by speculation in recent years.

In addition the tax could raise revenue of up to $250bn for international development.

We think that this is an excellent idea and we have written to Gordon Brown asking him to bring it up with European, American and Japanese governments. - Sheila E Deacon, Hartlepool for Global Peace and Justice.

NEW LABOUR

I AM surprised that it has taken Tommy McCormack (HAS, Apr 21) so long to find out that Tony Blair and his front bench friends have nothing at all to do with what the Labour Party is and what it stands for.

I decided that I had been conned by this New Labour when they were first elected, when I heard that Margaret Thatcher had been seen scurrying into No 10 by the back door to offer either advice or instructions.

I have never voted for New Labour since in any local elections or at the last general election, nor will I until New Labour drops its right wing policies. - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe

EDUCATION

SELECTIVE schools are coming back. Once they were brought about by the 11-plus examination. Now selection is done by SATS and specialist schools.

The objective is the same. It is to cream off the pupils with the greatest potential to succeed, and to start the process at an early age. I argue against it.

Since education and learning is acquired in peaks and troughs and plateaus, any child with great potential could do badly at any given age.

To manage the process the tests or exams have to be on a limited range of subjects. It is a distortion built into the learning process.

There is the concept of dividing children into sheep and goats. Some are destined for achievement and others are destined to be the hewers of wood and drawers of water. It makes more difficult the creation of a cohesive society.

The potential individuals have cannot be determined at a given age. It damages those who are made to feel failures.

What is the alternative? We would do better if we were able to recruit more good teachers with a wealth of knowledge and experience to guide pupils in small classes. This already happens in the independent sector.

This better approach would give time and opportunity to impart decent values. - Geoffrey Bulmer, Billingham.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

TOM Toward, Shildon's town clerk, wants the police to do more to control anti-social behaviour (Echo, April 23).

How right he is. I find it hard to reconcile Durham Constabulary's smug complacency and self-satisfied attitude with the facts. The young skateboarders and bike enthusiasts of Shildon's skateboard park are looking to the police to deal with the vandals making their lives a misery.

So, I would suggest, is virtually everyone else in Shildon. To describe current policing as merely ineffectual is being polite. Totally useless is more accurate.

The police need to actually get out and walk around Shildon on foot patrol and do their job, as opposed to sitting in their cars apparently doing as little as possible.

A mindless minority is ruining life in Shildon. Yes the police do need to do more. A hell of a lot more! - P Deakin, Shildon.

WAR AGAINST IRAQ

IF Tony Blair and his friends are sure that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, let them prove this conclusively.

Mindful of a problem in justifying hostilities, the Government invented reason number two, that is the human rights case.

If for nothing more than your own political sake Mr Blair, a so-called smoking gun had better be found in Iraq. - Alfred H Lister, Guisborough.

ENGLISHNESS

MR McCormack makes a valid point (HAS, April 21) when he lists the number of top government officials, including Tony Blair, who are Scottish, claiming that the Scots are ruling England.

No wonder Scotland and Wales were encouraged to have their own parliaments, thus disuniting the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland is still struggling, but will not be far behind in being cast off, if Mr Blair can persuade enough people to sign up for a united Ireland.

Then, as Mr McCormack says, there's Gibraltar. You can't help feeling that the Rock has already been wrapped up and given to Spain, but we're just not being told yet.

England is at the bottom of the list of priorities. Break it up into small regions, bite-sized pieces, which can be handed to Europe one by one. That seems to be the plan. A strong, nationally proud England is the last thing Mr Blair wants, despite his protestations.

The English should be proud of who they are. Never mind the stale old put down of us being a mongrel race; the Romans, Saxons, Normans, etc all came well over 1,000 years ago. We are now who we are - English. Let us refuse to be belittled, forced to be multi- this or that. Our country is not to be given away, least of all by people whose hearts are in Scotland and Europe. - EA Moralee, Billingham.