DO you really have to keep airing Peter Mullen's outrageous views (Echo, Mar 14) just for the sake of balance? Somebody might start believing him!

Rose Reeve, Durham City.

I WOULD like to register the strongest possible objection to Peter Mullen's latest contribution.

He has surpassed even himself this time! His shrill and unpleasant voice serves no useful purpose. It is one thing to be stimulating and provocative, but quite another to pander to ill-informed prejudice.

Please give careful consideration to finding a new columnist who would reflect and enhance the quality of your generally thoughtful and responsible newspaper.

Heather Speight, Durham City.

PETER Mullen writes (Echo, Mar 14) that people around us are likely to prove a dire threat at some unspecified time in the future so we had better have a really big stick - a new Trident - to beat them with.

The truth is that we Britons should be proud of being founding signatories of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty in 1968.

Proud because this treaty has proved to be the most successful treaty yet devised in restricting the growth of weaponry. None of the 188 states which signed it have become nuclear weapons states except North Korea.

The UK is one of five nuclear weapons states recognised by the treaty. It is unfortunate that the part of the treaty which requires the nuclear weapons states "to negotiate general and complete disarmament under strict and effective international control" has been neglected.

I would be more impressed if our Government vigorously pursued the shedding of nuclear weapons (by a new multilateral treaty as is required by the one we signed some 40 years ago) rather than decided to renew Trident years before a decision is strictly necessary.

If we don't, perhaps some of the other 182 states who have kept their side of the bargain will get fed up of waiting for the nuclear powers to keep their side and start acquiring nuclear weapons for themselves.

Will that make us more secure?

Peter Wilson, Barnard Castle.

OUR MPs debated on Wednesday whether to renew the UK's nuclear weapon system - a weapon which will cost billions to design and construct and which can only be described as an ego-enhancing weapon.

When are they going to realise that the first action they need to take is to ensure that, in the present day combat areas, the British soldier needs the latest small arms to defend and protect himself now and not the assurance that a nuclear weapon system will make us safe in 20 years' time.

The Falklands War in 1982 was a classic example of defence neglect by politicians only interested in their own world image. We sent an army to fight a war in a ragtag collection of merchant ships because the Tory government had started selling off our naval transport as part of its defence cuts.

What won the war were British bayonets backed up with guts and backbone from British soldiers - not politicians sitting in Parliament discussing how they can save us all in 20 years' time.

Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.