EUROPE: THE majority of people in this country are well fed, housed, clothed and enjoy many things in life. This is due in no small part to the far-sightedness of the post-Second World War politicians who founded the Coal and Steel Community.

Its success was due to a willingness to produce common solutions to problems without resorting to armed conflict. It led to the establishment of the European Economic Union and the common currency that forms the mortar that holds the members together.

Now we need to look outwards. The Middle East has seemingly insurmountable problems which impinge on the lives of people who want to grow crops, make and sell goods and raise families.

The European Union started from a clearer base, but its principles could help the countries of the Middle East so that one day they may also say that they have gone over 50 years without war.

There is a lesson for us in the European Union: we must actively continue to build on the heritage of our visionary politicians for the sake of peace for future generations. - Bill Morehead, Darlington.

WE ARE regularly told about the importance of common standards across the European Union. However, not for the first time, it seems that there is one rule for us and another for other countries.

We have stringent regulations in this country that require all animals to be stunned before slaughter to avoid unnecessary suffering. However, a recent video investigation from Compassion in World Farming has shown that, in Greece, the practice of pre-stunning is regularly ignored.

It is a travesty that Greece has just taken on the Presidency of the EU when it so blatantly ignores EU legislation. Urgent action is needed to halt the pain, misery and fear experienced by animals in Greek slaughterhouses.

I encourage anyone concerned to write to The Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Alexandros Sandis, Embassy of Greece, 1A Holland Park, London W11 3TP. - K Barley, Darlington.

G AND P Springer (HAS, Feb 15) peddle fiction as fact in their inappropriate comparison of the European Union with Iraq.

The British annual contribution to the EU is £2.6bn NOT £12.8bn. Small, relatively speaking, to the £418bn collected by the Government.

Ben Gill, President of the National Farmers Union, supports continuing membership as it's the destination for three-quarters of our farmers' produce.

The EU has NO competence to harmonise British or other member states' judicial procedures. In addition, The European Court and The European Court of Human Rights are NOT EU institutions.

Rather than 'strangulation', 3.5 million British jobs are a result of a unified Europe. - Jem Bersin, North East in Europe, Newcastle.

JEM Bersin (HAS, Feb 17 ) closes his letter: "We have been warned." Indeed we have. Representing North East in Europe, he provides us with a chilling glimpse of the future in the EU Superstate.

Whether Paul Sykes donates to UKIP is entirely a matter for him as a free individual. If he chooses to assist, financially, the "Nej" (NO) campaign in the Danish referendum on joining the euro, this is also a matter of free will.

The destruction of statehood in all member states is the primary objective of the EU. For this reason withdrawal of Britain's membership of the EU is the prime campaigning focus of the UKIP. - D Pascoe, Press Secretary, Hartlepool Branch, UK Independence Party.

TONY BLAIR: LAST week we read of the Lord Chancellor Lord Irvine's pension, now Tony Blair looks to be slightly in front of him: £175,000 lump sum and a yearly pension of £100,000 (Echo, Feb 17). Not bad for seven years work - he has only worked from 1976-1983 as a barrister. Since then he's been an MP and has contributed nothing to the economy, being paid from it.

Last Thursday, I received notice about my 2003-04 state pension increase: 2.182 per cent, and a little short of what our Prime Minister will be paying himself when he steps down. The basic pension went up £1.95; earnings related, £0.92; graduated pension, a whopping £0.09; and an additional £0.04 based on earnings, giving a grand total of £3 a week.

How can New Labour justify making £1.75bn available to help America grab Iraq's oil resources, give themselves out-of-this-world pay increases yet give retired people not even a decent standard of living? Roll on the next election. I hope that retired people show their appreciation for New Labour. - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

TONY'S socialist system is going as planned, £2m a year pension when he packs in, and a very good number for his puppet MPs. There is not one Labour MP in the North that has the guts to let Phoney Tony know what damage he has done. - F Wealand, Darlington.

JEDI: IT IS a very sad reflection on the spiritual vacuum in England and Wales when 390,000 people claim to be Jedi on their census returns (Echo, Feb 14). These poor people are so lost and godless that they have to turn to fictional characters to feed their hunger for spiritual meaning.

It is time churches returned to solid Biblical teaching to turn the Jedi from the Dark Side to the eternal Light of Jesus. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

SOLVENT ABUSE: RE: "Nuisance order number four" (Echo, Feb 3). Your readers may be interested to note that Re-Solv, the Society for the Prevention of Solvent and Volatile Substance Abuse (VSA) operates a Freephone Helpline on 0808 800 2345.

It is available Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm, and offers information and support regarding solvent and volatile substance abuse issues. The helpline can also be contacted by e-mail at helplinere-solv.org.

Our head office address is 30A High Street, Stone, ST15 8AW. Tel: 01785 817885. Website: www.re-solv.org - Kathy, Assistant Helpline Officer.