10/04/03

My choice, which is supported by millions of other voters, is not to be subject to the compulsory purchase of a TV licence.

If the BBC and its supporters are the centre of excellence and the purveyors of high standards and journalistic integrity they say they are, let them face the hard, real, commercial world and make them self-financing.

The BBC cannot stomach anything which portrays or defines our British culture. It supports anything European with an obsequious, servile fervour.

The reporting of the Iraq war is a disgrace. Heavily biased against Allied forces, it is laden with opinion, the seeds of doubt, interference, it lacks facts and detached, objective reports.

Its breakfast news programme is embarrassing. Its sports presentation is pathetic. Its wage bill for dead wood and gin-sodden luvvies is colossal and it is rancid with self-adulation and pomposity.

I find it an insidious and detestable institution. I consider having to pay for its existence deeply offensive.

Let's see a brave and honourable political decision made instead of a politically correct, liberal fudge.

Cut the BBC out of the public purse and let's see how long it survives. Switching from licence to central funding is not an acceptable option. - B Cain, Wheatley Hill.

ALCOHOL PROBLEMS

THE Portman Group agrees that too many young people drinking too heavily too often is something that needs to be addressed (Echo, Mar 28).

Unfortunately, as your piece made clear, excessive drinking is not something that can be tackled by one initiative or one set of measures, but needs the active co-operation of a number of stakeholders and activities.

We would agree with Mick Davies that law enforcement is a critical part of this. The impact of tough penalties and police vigilance on the reduction in drink driving is clear for all to see.

But enforcement alone is not enough. Changes to licensing laws and to the drinking environment are also needed to encourage responsible attitudes to alcohol.

The third element that needs to be in place is a long term commitment to alcohol education to help people to understand the dangers and risks of excessive drinking.

The Portman Group's campaign, "If you do drink, don't do drunk", is aimed at 18 to 24-year-olds, and we would urge pub and bar managers to support it. The more we can build an understanding that pubs and clubs are places to have a drink and have a great time, but that getting hammered is not acceptable, the more chance we have of changing attitudes.

The North-East has a great nightlife and party culture. No-one wants to spoil this, but most people now agree that excessive drinking spoils things for everyone. It's therefore in everyone's interest that we have drinkers who know how to enjoy drink responsibly, in bars that are safe and friendly, backed up by strong enforcement of laws to stop criminal behaviour. - Jim Minton, The Portman Group Director of Campaigns and Communications, London.

COUNCIL TAX

JIM Tague (HAS, Apr 4) attacks the Liberal Democrats for wanting to scrap council tax in favour of local income tax.

Which is fairer, paying local taxes based on ability to pay or on how much your house was worth over a decade ago?

Council tax hits pensioners and those on the lowest incomes hard. The poll tax made people angry because pensioners or the lowest paid workers had to pay as much as a 'fat cat' businessman earning millions. Today's council tax seems little better. - Paul Leake, Durham.

ROAD CONGESTION

I DON'T agree with the claims that tolls on roads are the only way to reduce traffic congestion (Echo, Apr 4).

In December in a few towns traffic lights were removed from road junctions improving traffic flow because drivers subsequently took greater care when driving, reducing accidents.

An interesting experiment might be removing the toll from the Tyne Tunnel to see if this improves traffic flow.

Other ways - dual the A66, A68 to Scotland and the A1 past Alnwick, using the vehicle road tax as collateral.

The long term solution would be finding ways to reduce our population down to about 40 million. - F Atkinson, Shincliffe.

FOOTBALL HOOLIGANISM

ONCE again the media are complaining about the so-called hooligan element causing trouble at one of our international matches.

Don't they realise that these lads are just being patriotic and fighting for their country?

So instead of punishing them we should grant them their most fervent wish and send them out to Iraq. - PD Shoulder, Bishop Auckland.

SECOND WORLD WAR

THE BBC intends spending £10m making a documentary to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the D Day landings.

I have a book before me which lists the logistics for Operation Huskey, the invasion of Sicily. This was the largest amphibious landing ever made, including the operations in the Pacific.

There were 80 battalions of infantry, 400 tanks, 14,000 vehicles, there were seven infantry divisions, two airborne divisions and there were three divisions in reserve. These men fought through nearly 95 degrees of midsummer heat.

They then went on into Italy and fought a severe battle at Salerno where the German resistance was so fierce that a withdrawal was contemplated.

Monte Cassino was another severe test and all this time these men were fighting through the two severest winters that the Italian mainland had suffered so far that century. They were in Rome two days before D Day and they entered Austria two days before the war officially ended in Europe.

Who were these men?, you might ask. They were the D Day Dodgers and there are 44,000 of their comrades permanently in Italy.

I wonder if the BBC will spend £10m praising the exploits of the D Day Dodgers who were the first into Europe on July 16, 1943. I doubt it. - R Cole, North Shields.