18/03/05

However, he said: "Today I can report economic growth for the 50th consecutive quarter."

One questions not only his understanding of mathematics but also the validity of the rest of the budget.

Fifty quarters of growth takes us back to mid-1992. There followed five years of Tory government, plus two years of Ken Clarke's spending limits. That puts 28 of the 50 quarters firmly to the Tories' credit. - Les Graham, Hexham.

PETER MULLEN

PETER Mullen has chosen a curious example from history to warn Tony Blair to beware (Echo, Mar 15) the Ides of March.

Thanks partly to a brilliant piece of spin by Caesar's right hand man, Mark Antony, Brutus was defeated and Augustus Caesar became emperor. Some scholars regard this as the golden age of the Roman Empire, marred only by the behaviour of some of his descendants (a warning against hereditary monarchies?). It would seem that plotters have more reason to beware the fickle shifts in public opinion.

Incidentally, Julius Caesar did not conquer Britain (more spin). He just popped over for a look round - it was a grandson of Augustus, Claudius, who did the real conquering. Still, Peter never does allow facts to cloud his judgement. - RH Spencer, Bellerby, Leyburn.

PETER Mullen's diatribe against the BBC (Echo, Mar 8) is surely his most biased to date. The Guardian newspaper is a supporter of the left but its circulation is only a fraction of those papers who back the right.

Premiership football viewers must subscribe to Sky TV - a fee many times that of the BBC licence fee - while Test cricket fans now have endless adverts. All commercial channels devote an eighth of their time to adverts using your electricity. Mr Mullen will no doubt be in favour of this as an example of capitalism at work.

Besides, did not the BBC fall foul of Tony Blair's coterie which resulted in Greg Dyke and others resigning.

New Labour has embraced capitalism to an extent never previously thought possible with Mr Blair the most right wing of all Labour leaders. Mr Mullen should not see him as an arch enemy, but as a reformed disciple.

However, compassion and tolerance appear to be singularly lacking in Mr Mullen's make up. It could be said that the City of London and Stock Exchange's god is money, and that it is difficult to envisage a more suitable candidate earning his living representing these institutions. - WI McNabb, Darlington.

IF Pete Winstanley (HAS, Mar 11) wishes to patronise the BBC that is his prerogative, but to suggest that the BBC will save us from ourselves makes his satire vacant and insulting.

The BBC has no right to the television licence because it is unfair competition. Anyone who wishes to watch BBC should do so and those who wish to take their preference somewhere else should be entitled to, without having to subsidise it.

Peter Mullen makes a fair, credible point. The BBC takes over £2bn off us mugs and for much of the time gives us rubbish. The BBC should either compete or make way for those who can. - John Young, Crook.

PAULA RADCLIFFE

I WRITE in disgust that the UEFA Cup Diary (Echo, Mar 11) contained a very cheap shot at Paula Radcliffe with a supposed tongue-in-cheek remark about her not finishing the Olympic Marathon.

Here was a reporter who, by his own admission, couldn't manage two laps around the stadium, claiming "he had seen more of the stadium than Paula". What side splitting humour. If this was a throw-away line, it wasn't thrown far enough away.

For someone who reports on a morally bankrupt sport (soccer), your reporter should be severely reprimanded for questioning the commitment of a lady who, both on and off the track, has done Britain proud in many ways. - KR Hopper, Darlington.

LABOUR

THE Labour Party is concerned it could lose the election due to voter apathy.

We were focused when we voted against a regional assembly despite an expensive campaign by the Government.

Showing the same disregard for the wishes of the people, the Bishop Auckland Labour Party has been coerced into accepting a candidate from Derbyshire.

I know many Labour supporters are aggrieved that they do not have a local candidate of their choice.

Due to the lack of effective opposition, Labour should be returned, but the reduced majority will be a direct result of its unfair treatment of the loyal people of this area. - B Gobin, Spennymoor.

ANIMAL WELFARE

HOW can people get away with doing awful things to other living creatures? As long as meat is cheap, comes hygienically packed and removed from the scenes of suffering, we don't care.

But I want to make a choice that will have the most enormous effect on thousands of lives. Are there lists available of where in this area I can purchase high animal welfare products? - A Stewart, Helmsley.

BISHOP AUCKLAND

IN reply to G Cooper (HAS, Mar 12) regarding parking in Bishop Auckland, traffic wardens do not issue tickets to those who don't break the law. Did he read what it said on the signs before parking?

The moral to this story is read the signs first before criticising the traffic warden for doing his job. After receiving his first ticket, surely Mr Cooper thought he was doing something wrong. - WA Askland, Bishop Auckland.

Shildon

I HEARTILY agree with your correspondent regarding the footpath to Brusselton roundabout on the outskirts of Shildon (HAS, Mar 14). The disgusting sight and smell has been getting worse.

I know what it's like to be passed around the councils, usually to no avail, if it is regarding the appalling state of the town. Why do we pay one of the highest council tax rates in the area? - L Storey, Shildon.

AIRPORT NAME

DURING a recent Caribbean holiday, I observed that the national airport had three different names. Each incoming President had renamed it after himself; each name plate being larger than the previous one.

Despite their efforts, it was still known to travellers and airlines as Antigua airport. So much for a change of name.

If users are officially discouraged from using the well established "Teesside" name and find it too tiresome to use the misleading and lengthy new name, they could try typing the airport code MME into their computers when booking tickets. - Peter Sotheran, Kirkleatham.

TOILETS

THE editing of my letter on the closure of Richmond toilets makes it seem as though Richmond Town Council is to blame. This is incorrect. The letter should have read: "This decision was pushed through by the Conservatives on Richmondshire District Council". I apologise to those affected by what was printed. - Jacquie Bell, Prospective LibDem candidate, Richmond.