MULTICULTURALISM: PETE Winstanley condemns my apparent "us and them" view of society and ostensibly suggests that ethnic minorities are embracing British culture as they would their own, with no evidence to substantiate this (HAS, Nov 23).

He also claims that Britons are not asked to adapt to minority religious and cultural groups, but only to respect them.

A school in Leicester states that all females attending must wear the hijab. A pharmacy in Rotherham refuses to supply a "morning after pill" on religious grounds. The London 2012 Olympic Games' starting date may be changed to accommodate Muslim competitors. All this in the last few months.

I believe all cultures and religions could live in harmony together, but multiculturalism could only work if the minorities themselves learn to understand that the UK is a democracy and therefore should not make excessive demands of us.

I was always taught that if relationships are to work, then respect should be mutual. Could Mr Winstanley portray society as it really is and not purport that "Utopia" is merely a handshake away? - Kev McStravick, Darlington.

COULD Pete Winstanley please let us know where he got the statistic from that 92 per cent of the population of this country is white (HAS, Nov 23)? Is he going by the UK's population records from the 1960s?

He also claimed that 98 per cent of the population of the North-East is white, too. I certainly do not agree with Mr Winstanley's politics, nor do I believe in his statistics, but it would be interesting to know where he got them from. Socialist Worker or The Guardian perhaps? - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

PO CAMPAIGN

IF my recent experience is anything to go by, then the current campaign to save small post offices would seem to be built on foundations of sand.

One day last month (at about 10am) I paid £4.10 at my local post office for a special delivery to ensure that a letter would arrive at a private address in Cobham, Surrey, the following day.

However, by the time it was delivered two days later, the intended recipient had left the country.

Consequently, I returned to the post office, picked up the relevant claim form, and duly sent it off in the expectation of receiving a refund.

Three weeks later my application was returned with the words "original receipt, not photocopy, required" scrawled across the top.

However, as by this time I had mislaid the original, I returned to the post office to request a receipt of postage. The response: "Not possible in these circumstances". The result: no refund.

Thus, I can fully understand why the Government feels that the post office system is in need of rationalisation. And you, I am sure, will understand why I shall be despatching this letter by hand. - Ian Johnson, Richmond, North Yorkshire.

TERRORISM

AS during the Cold War we now face an enemy of global strength and proportions. Indeed, given that our former enemy's potential for harm was limited by the nature of the Cold War, our present situation is worse: al Qaida knows no such inhibitions.

Can we learn from our former experience? Firstly, that effective strategy is based on realism, not self-deception: if the Iraq campaign was ever seriously intended as part of the war on terror it was a wholly misconceived one, its failure should now be obvious as should our need to withdraw.

Not so with Afghanistan: that is a genuine terror base and that is where our current military effort should be concentrated.

The main emphasis, however, both here and America, should be on our own security because that is where the threat chiefly lies.

What we need to be looking at now is improved intelligence-gathering with all that entails in terms of resources and of increased public awareness and co-operation, both national and sectional. - Tony Kelly, Crook, Co Durham.

RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS

CONCERNING the row about Nadia Eweida, the BA check-in worker at Heathrow, wearing her cross. If, as she claims, she has worn it throughout her seven years with the company, why has she not been asked to remove or hide it until now?

If someone has complained to BA about the sight of a woman wearing a cross necklace, why has this complaint not been explained? If someone has been grossly offended or upset by the sight of a tiny cross, Ms Eweida is entitled to know.

If it is purely a matter of BA uniform policy then it is essential, for the policy to be believable and reasonable, that BA be completely even-handed.

It should ban all displays of religious symbols. Those that are difficult to hide underneath a uniform should be banned altogether. What is fair for one faith must be fair for all faiths. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

TRIDENT

REGARDING the proposed Trident nuclear weapon vote in 2007. Of course the UK must replace this outdated system with a new and ultimately more deadly nuclear system.

The only way for the British to remain protected is peace through superior firepower.

The unstable countries of the world and fundamentalist terrorists should be left in no doubt whatsoever by the British government that we have these weapons at our disposal, and would not be afraid to use them to protect our people.

Now is not the time to meekly give up our ultimate protection, as CND advocates, in the hope that other countries may do likewise. - Mark Anderson, Middleton St George, near Darlington.

GOSPEL SATIRE

PETER Mullen's 21st century presentation of Jesus Christ's gospel in satirical form (Echo, Nov 17) no doubt will upset the Christian readers of your newspaper, and maybe that will please him.

I find it sickly, although it's in character with his weekly articles which are designed to shock his readers.

He ought to do a satire on the British Establishment, which sends young men to kill and be killed in Iraq, labelling it "war on terrorism". Since the invasion (illegal) of Iraq in 2003, more than 600,000 men, women and children have been either maimed or killed, and that country is a hell-hole. I doubt Mr Mullen has the courage to do that. - Rev John Stephenson, East Herrington, Sunderland.

BARTON THE PIGEON

WELL done to Ray Mallon and to The Northern Echo for providing some badly-needed humorous relief with the immensely funny saga of the Barton the Pigeon, the cuddly mascot toy of Highways Agency staff at Barton, near Darlington, held hostage for a ransom of sausages and lager (Echo, Nov 17, 21, 22 and 23). It's just what we need at this time of the year.

It appears, however, that the Highways Agency bigwigs at their regional office in Wakefield, who insisted that the prank be stopped, have caught a serious dose of SAD (seasonal affected disorder). - PE Ayton, Norton, Stockton.

VIRGIN TRAIN

RE your front page report headed "Train advert complaints rejected" (Echo, Nov 27). Please note that the Virgin train featured in the television advert is a Virgin Voyager diesel unit, and not a Virgin Pendolino electric unit as stated in the article. - D Alderson, Eaglescliffe, Teesside.