THE mothballing of the Corus steel plant at Redcar is a bitter blow to this area – but I can’t for the life of me understand why people are so surprised. It was something waiting to happen since denationalisation and privatisation by the Thatcher government.

Steel was just one of our sold-off industries, along with coal, gas, electricity, water, railways and shipbuilding, and when one looks back it is hard to pick out any of those previously nationalised industries that has been a success for the working man since.

The Tory motto has always been “no profit, no industry”, but they also have a code which means as far as they are concerned all those men made redundant at Corus can “Get on their bikes”.

Tom Seale, Middlesbrough.

YOUR front page headline – “We can save Corus” (Echo, Feb 19) – says it all. Of course Gordon Brown and his government of the desperate lost can save Corus – nationalise it and run it like the East Coast rail franchise – but they won’t.

As sure as eggs aren’t elephants, what you won’t hear them saying is: “We will save Corus”.

As anyone who knows the true meaning of words is able to tell you, there is a yawning chasm between “can” and “will”: and in the case of this Government, it is already in the scrap can and totally lacks willpower. If anyone doesn’t like what I have said, I’ll be happy for them to prove me wrong.

Martin Wood, Bishop Auckland.