AMONG the many treats for the enemies of this proud nation during the first six months of the year, was the closure of the important Massey Ferguson tractor plant in Coventry, with the loss of 1,000 jobs.

Most Britons did not want this; the population prefers to "Buy British" but the Government has no interest in such old-fashioned patriotism. It prefers to flood our precious markets with foreign, imported trash.

Treason is like one of those flu bugs that attacks a staggering number of people at certain seasons. There is a nasty lot of this virus about just now. No department of government seems immune, but clearly Trade and Industry is the worst sufferer.

I feel that the closing of the Massey Ferguson tractor plant, like so many other closures, will come back to haunt this Government - and rightly so.

The best thing Britain can do is reduce foreign imported goods now. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

THE EURO

A REPORT by Chantrey Vellacott in February 2000 puts the one-off costs to Britain of converting to the euro at £36bn (which equates to about £1,000 per head of adult working population).

If the average transaction costs saved when holidaying abroad by using the single currency equate to £20 per head, then, in 50 years' time, we will be quids (sorry, euros) in.

A small price to pay for surrendering control of our economy. - Neil Herron, Sunderland.

I BELIEVE that we need to know how we arrived where we are today in order to try and avoid making the same mistakes over and over again.

Those of us whose lives were directly affected by the Second World War prayed that something more effective than the League of Nations would be formed to bring about a lasting peace.

Those prayers were answered through the formation of the Iron and Steel Community that led to the Common Market and now the euro. At each visionary stage of development our politicians told us that it would not work. At each stage they were proved wrong and those who doubt the success of the single currency are being proved wrong.

The current advertisement of the anti-euro movement has a Hitler lookalike saying that he would have liked the euro. This goes against everything that the European Union stands for.

That barbarous dictator would have had no time for the way independent democratic countries have generated joint ideas with the aim of producing peace and prosperity.

Whilst we all have reason to be grateful for the degree of co-operation the Community has achieved, we need to remember that it is a dynamic political machine where vision continues to be important.

The delivery of that vision needs to be smooth and without distractions such as exchange rate costs. It is time that we got in step and exercised our good influence more effectively. - Bill Morehead, Darlington.

RELIGION

IN the ongoing debate on religion, can anyone name a religion which does not claim superiority over another and which has not or does not oppress, denigrate, deride, debase, dehumanise at any opportunity other religions? - C MacArt, Spennymoor.

CANCER CHARITY

I WOULD like to appeal to any of you who are competing in this year's Great North Run, Newcastle, to join me in supporting Sargent Cancer Care for Children.

For the third year running, I'm backing the leading national children's cancer charity by getting sponsors to help raise vital funds for sick children.

And, I'm calling on my fellow runners who have signed up for the Great North Run to pledge their support too.

Every year, over 2,000 youngsters in the UK get cancer. The trauma and heartache endured by the child and family can be intense and almost unbearable.

Sargent helps from the moment of diagnosis with financial help, practical care and advice. We want to help more children and their families to tle against the disease and your support will make a difference.

Sargent Cancer Care for Children will provide you with a full sponsorship pack including fitness and fundraising tips and a T-shirt. Please call our friendly team at Sargent on 020 8752 2886 and find out how your 13-mile run can help children with cancer. - Steve Rider, Sargent Cancer Care for Children

MIDDLE EAST

IN 1948, President Truman granted Jews the State of Israel and, virtually overnight, two million Palestinians became refugees.

The decision was purely political, to plant a puppet state in the Middle East to do as the US says.

The result of this perverse decision is with us to this day.

The US arms and finances Israel and together they flaunt UN resolutions with impunity. Now President Bush presides over a country rife with corruption. The fiscal transgressions rob ordinary people of their savings and pensions and what we are witnessing is the iceberg syndrome; ie. six sevenths of criminality is as yet unexposed.

Surely this points to one thing - Europe, particularly the UK, must stop dancing to America's tune.

The US has the key to open the door to progress in the Middle East but all it can do is ask the Palestinians to ditch their elected leader.

What a pity Bush was not elected by the US people instead of by the casting vote of a right wing member of the Supreme Court.

Saddam Hussein is the current US bogeyman and, nasty as he may be, I think we should fear our so-called allies across the Atlantic because, if truth be told, they, not Arafat, have the power to stop the suicide bombers. Why won't they use it? - H Pender, Darlington.