WELL, what another damp squib was the constitutional shake-up announced by our unelected Prime Minister (Echo, July 4). Where's the radical change so trumpeted?

If he is serious in his intentions to restore trust in politics and politicians, then he must take the bull by the horns and completely change the way we are governed and by whom.

We need a new Reform Act that will detail the actual relationship of the government and the elected representatives with the longsuffering and poorly-served voters/taxpayers.

Until such root and branch reforms are made to the benefit of the population, and they are shown to be fair and just, the decline in trust for all the political processes will continue.

M Hawkins, Langley Park, Durham.

GORDON Brown has not got what it takes to be Prime Minister. His first stint at Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons was dreadful and shambolic.

It is obvious that Tony Blair is going to be missed, and the only decent thing about Mr Brown being our Prime Minister is that it will, hopefully, bring to an end the rule of the Labour Party in Great Britain.

Mr Brown appears to be lost in the job that he lusted for, and as soon as we get the chance to vote him out of power, then the sooner the dark clouds and thunderstorms that have strangely been with us since he took over as "our leader" will disperse.

Christopher Wardell, Darlington.