Hear All Sides

METRIC MARTYRS

W COLLINSON'S (HAS, Dec 29) half truths about Stephen Thoburn, the Metric Martyr, and the computer age, prove that spin and smokescreens have now reached the Labour rank and file.

Would that be a computer, where the accompanying monitor is measured in inches? Or engineering where when working, as I do, on any equipment built in the US, you require an imperial tool kit?

The martyrdom of Mr Thoburn is more Lefty political correctness gone mad. How can such a trivial issue end up in the High Court? He simply wanted to provide a service to his customers. Admirable in today's materialistic world!

Yet the Labour machine will force the British nation to use a dual method of payment, without any consultation, debate, not even a whiff of a referendum come 2002. Yes, the euro will land in the tills without a murmur from the same hypocrites.

All this caused by a few vegetables, along with the ones sold in Mr Thoburn's shop. - Jim Tague, Bishop Auckland.

DOESN'T W Collinson realise that thousands of old people were never taught the metric units.

I, and thousands more sensible people, cannot understand why Mr Thoburn was prosecuted in the first place. This is - or was - a free country before Tony Blair and his Labour puppets took over.

A great number of people are very sympathetic to Mr Thoburn and wonder how it is that some people in authority have nothing better to do than erode people's freedom by taking an innocent man to court for helping elderly people.

Irrespective of his Gulliver's Travels, Mr Collinson should realise this is England, land of the free - or it used to be. Good luck to Mr Thoburn. - FG Wealands, Darlington.

THE EURO

HAVE I missed something or has legislation been passed that states sterling is not the only currency that can be used in the UK?

If legislation has not been passed in order to allow the euro to be used is it not against the law, or can we expect the dollar (a more established currency) to be used freely on the high street? Or is it just the case that Mr Blair is making retailers reliant on the euro when members of the public are still against it?. Even the Governor of the Bank of England has said it would not be in the country's interest. - Dr Allan Britton, Darlington.

TONY BLAIR

IF Tony Blair's exotic holidays abroad seem out of tune with his Labour Party training, maybe he could give £2,000 for an under-privileged family to have the same pleasures. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

PENSIONERS

AS a pensioner I do not consider myself to be in any plight as the letters (HAS, Dec 28) indicate and, even if I was, I could receive income support.

There is also a minimum income guarantee to ensure that all pensioners are adequately catered for.

Some of the letters ridicule the Government over its pension policies, fuel allowances, free TV licence, Christmas bonus; these are described as maybes and can be taken away from us at any time.

As a matter of fact, during the election campaign, Tory leader William Hague constantly reminded us that, if elected, he would indeed take these benefits from us. He described them as "gimmicks". Actually, he needed this money to give to his cronies as tax benefits.

Times have changed since the days when only the local doctor had a car; a workman needs a car to travel to his job. Often a son and daughter also have a car and the reason Gordon Brown reduced the road tax on a small car was to encourage people to save fuel.

A very sensible decision, not a matter for ridicule. - David Moore, Easington Village, Peterlee.

NUMBER PLATES

IT SEEMS that English people wishing to have a Cross of St George on their number plates have only been granted their wish by default.

The objections came mainly from Welsh and Scottish nationalists, furious at not being recognised as separate countries. However, English people, without the aid of English MPs, had to make their own individual protests.

Unless there is an English Parliament, England may well be the first country to join euroland that is not officially recognised as a country in its own right. - K Young, New South Wales, Australia.

HYPOCRISY

WHEN John Major was Prime Minister, he formed a committee under the chairmanship of Michael Heseltine to decide what to do to celebrate the forthcoming millennium.

Its decision was to build a millennium dome in London. The dome was duly built, but was not a success.

Then, armed with hindsight and mercifully out of office, the Tories roundly condemned their own creation. The most vociferous opponent of the Dome after it was built by the newly-elected Labour Government was the new Tory leader William Hague who was a member of the committee which had decided to build the dome in the first place.

We have a similar situation today in the NHS where Tory health spokesman Dr Liam Fox is highly critical of the way funds are distributed to the various health authorities throughout the nation.

The formula for allocating those funds was decided by the Tory Government in 1994 and the present health secretary acknowledges the fact that the system is out of date, is under review and changes will be made as soon as possible.

The irony of this situation is that Dr Fox is criticising a decision that was made by his own government. Anyone can be a critic, but when will Dr Fox contribute something positive to the NHS debate? - Ben Young, Haswell Plough, Durham.