PUPPET STATE: AS a former resident of Trimdon, now living in Canada, I doubt very much if Tony Blair will have the moral fortitude to debate with Reginald Keys on the illegal war in Iraq.

It has cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives and for what? To turn Britain into a puppet state of the US.

I know the voters will have the good sense to dump Blair. - George Robson, Coquitlam, BC, Canada.

IT'S A CRIME

THE Conservative party leader Michael Howard is surely making things up as he goes along.

Only a few months ago he was sharing a platform with Ray Mallon, congratulating him and Cleveland Police on their successful campaign to reduce crime.

Yet, according to his adverts recently, Mr Howard argues that crime has gone up.

Which is it Mr Howard? Up or down? Or does Mr Howard even know, or care? - Kevin Popper, Redcar.

WORK TOGETHER

EVERYTIME I hear the politicians talk about the economy, telling us we have a strong economy and mortgage rates are low and stable, it makes me laugh. Do they think we, the British public, are stupid?

Mortgage rates are low, but when you look at the whole issue in perspective, house prices have doubled over the last six years, which cancels the statements made to that effect.

Then they claim the economy is strong. Try telling that to the Rover MG and Littlewoods employees. The manufacturing industry has been destroyed and we are now mainly a country with service industries.

I am proud to be Scottish but ashamed to be British because of the way our country is run - from the NHS and education to crime and roads.

We need to have a situation where all the parties are working together for the good of the country instead of squabbling with each other. The Liberal Democrats are a good example of how people work together for the benefit of all. - Colin Telfer, Darlington.

PARENTAL BLAME

RE the letter questioning state of affairs regarding hooligans. (HAS, Apr 21).

This situation has reached crisis point and the culprits should be severely punished. I refer to the irresponsible parents who have permitted their offspring to terrorise and undermine the very fabric of our society.

Many years ago it was common practice for dog owners to open the gate and let their pets out to wander and do as they wished. When hefty fines and public condemnation were used we saw a reduction in stray dogs.

The present generation of young people are like strays. Parents open the gate and off their children go.

Children as young as six or seven are soon initiated into this street culture. They, too, gather in packs and congregate in public places.

Make no mistake. Today's young hooligans will not reform voluntarily. They have enjoyed the freedom of the streets for too long. They have an established culture that rejects the authority of and respect for adults.

It is time for those parents who won't control their offspring to be targeted for some very severe punishment and for their children to be taken off the streets. - D Brearley, Middlesbrough.

CLASS DISTINCTION

I FIND M A Greenhalgh's contention (HAS, Apr 18) that overcrowded classrooms in infant schools had been halved by 2001, to be incredible. True, there are now classroom assistants in many classrooms. They work under direct instruction from the class or head teacher of that school.

They are rarely competent to instigate a teaching programme. The class teacher remains totally responsible for that and the educational progress of the pupils.

An assistant in the class means the teacher has to oversee their activities as well, thus creating more difficulties for the teacher attempting to control and encourage a learning attitude within the class.

Two adults in a classroom does not ipso facto reduce a class's size. The teacher's original problem of overstretch is, in fact, made more difficult because of the added responsibilities for the performance of the assistant.

The classroom assistant is another example of the Government's incompetence in resolving a very pressing problem in education: that poor progress at infant school level affects a student's performance for the whole of their life. - P G Elliott-West, Sunderland.

NO PUDDLES

SO Paula Radcliffe paused to spend a penny in public. Good for her. We shouldn't be so prudish.

But Richmond public loos being closed is a very different matter.

We don't want everybody doing it. Just think of the smell.

I don't think we have any public loos in Newton Aycliffe, but we don't attract many tourists either. - R Brown, Newton Aycliffe.

NO CUDDLES

RE Lambing Sunday (HAS, Mar 28). The purpose of the recent open day at Houghall College was to inform the public about commercial farming - not to give them the opportunity to cuddle lambs.

No secret was made of the eventual destination of the lambs on show. Staff and students were on hand to answer any questions. People want to know how, where and at what age the lambs are slaughtered and how they are treated throughout their lives.

It is with this information that people can make informed rather than emotive choices about whether or not to eat meat. Some visitors do go away determined to give up eating lamb, others are happy to continue, knowing that animal welfare is an important consideration in farming.

If the majority of the public chose to continue to eat meat we need their support to maintain and improve animal welfare, hence encouraging visits to farms such as our Lambing Sunday.

If anyone wishes to learn more about how animals are treated on farms and how food is produced, the college offers short courses in farming practice. - Houghall College Staff.

MANY THANKS

MAY I express the appreciation of 50plus Age Concern Darlington to the people of Darlington who generously supported our street collection on Saturday, April 2.

The proceeds will be devoted to the refurbishment work at our new Information and Advice Centre in Clark's Yard, Darlington.

We are planning to open to the public from May 9 and we are hoping that the provision of accessible premises in a pedestrian thoroughfare in the town centre will make it a lot easier for older people to have access to information on a wide range of matters and, in particular, advice as to whether their pensions or other benefits are correct and being fully claimed. - Geoffrey T Crute, Chief Officer, 50plus Age Concern, Darlington.

CHEERS, GEORGE

I WOULD like to take this opportunity to wish all of my fellow Englishmen and women a very happy St George's day.

I hope that you all go out and grasp our historic culture and celebrate with lashings of fine English ale and cider. - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.