19/11/04

With the death of Yasser Arafat, many are talking of new opportunities for dialogue with a new Palestinian leadership. Let's hope so.

I am sure, however, that many readers like myself will be wondering about one fact that has emerged in the last week, but strangely has not been held up to any scrutiny. I refer to the fact that Arafat's widow is insisting that his assets of £3bn belong to her.

Hang on. How would he have amassed such a fortune? You would think the world's media would be clamouring to find out, wouldn't you?

Let me enlighten you as to why they are not asking questions. They know the embarrassing answer.

Well, it appears that the EU has been giving the Palestinian administration £6.5m per month in aid. The money is intended (it is still being paid) to help with the health needs, care and wellbeing of the Palestinians, many who live in abject poverty.

Many commentators have referred to the Palestinian authority as corrupt - perhaps this is a very true observation. If money destined to help the poverty-stricken Palestinians has instead been diverted into private bank accounts, then corrupt is the only term to describe such an obscene abuse of aid.

It would appear that the inept and corrupt EU is giving vast sums of your money to a corrupt terrorist organisation to line the pockets of that leadership. - Dave Pascoe, Press Secretary, UKIP, Hartlepool branch.

SMOKING

AT last politicians in authority have made a wise decision that will save thousands of innocent lives. No, not making roads or railways safer, but banning smoking in public places. Three cheers for the Scottish Parliament.

Smokers know they are going to die a painful, slow death and it is their decision to do so. But why in England and Wales are they allowed to take other innocent people to the hospitals to die of passive smoking?

Addicts of heroin and cocaine never kill anyone else while taking drugs yet smokers knowingly do so. Forthcoming generations will wonder why smokers were allowed to kill thousands, which include young children.

If a non-smoker who was being subjected to passive smoke was allowed to spray the smoker with asbestos dust, the smoker would be infuriated and yet cigarette smoke contains many more poisonous cancer products than asbestos.

One often wonders how parents can cut short their children and unborn babies' lives and have them die in a painful way.

How long will it be before the thousands who are doomed to die in Wales and England through passive smoking by others will be reprieved by sensible acts of Parliament?

Alcohol is forbidden to people under 18, if the same age applied to cigarette smoking hardly anyone would be a smoker, as most start as teenagers or less. Very few adults start to smoke as they know how repulsive its effects are on other people. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

REMEMBRANCE DAY

I SYMPATHISE with the organisers of Remembrance Day parades, carnivals and other events which need road closures (Echo, Nov 11).

The bureaucrats should take a trip across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man. There, for the best part of a century, every year for hours on end, 37.5 miles of main road are closed. I refer, of course, to the annual TT Races. No traffic management company is required, the work is done by community volunteers who have no appropriate qualifications, just local knowledge and common sense.

The Isle of Man, however, does have its own government, which, it seems, is a little more in touch with the people than ours. - WJ Bartle, Barnard Castle.

YET another Remembrance Day passes and those able to attend services are no longer able to keep up the pace they once enjoyed.

It is sad that when one of the participants feels he has a captive audience for his particular views and runs over time, we the audience are still expected to arrive at the right place at the appointed hour for our act of remembrance.

Such was the case in Darlington. To expect to clear a church of a full congregation at 10.45am, allow the parade to form, march to the hospital, wait for the mayoral party to assemble and be ready for the silence at 11am was quite unacceptable.

The youth organisations historically always attend church services and, if we are to encourage membership of these worthwhile organisations and then into service for their country, we must feed them less politics from the pulpit and, on such occasions, should take the opportunity to commend them for their commitment.

I do hope next year someone will take heed of these comments and please ensure those who wish to attend and also parade are given the due time required to do so. - Margaret Redhead, Northallerton.

IDENTITY CARDS

AS the new Parliamentary session beckons, local readers should be aware of the most significant policy likely to be introduced by the Labour Government.

Since Winston Churchill's post-war administration declared that Britain was a free country, no citizen has had to carry an ID card. Tony Blair and David Blunkett have decided differently. If they have their way, compulsory national identity cards will once again become a reality.

Of course, we all wish to find solutions to crime, terrorism and fraud. But an identity card will achieve nothing. It will cost billions of pounds of taxpayers' money - perhaps as much as £140 for every household in our area. But an ID card will not improve our safety one bit. Spain has ID cards, but it didn't stop the Madrid railway bombings. France has ID cards, but they don't prevent illegal immigration. Italy has ID cards, but they haven't ended corruption.

The Government's identity card programme is a threat to our privacy and our long-held civil liberties. If you love your freedom and your rights, you will add your voice to the growing chorus of opposition. - George Nicholson, No2ID Campaign North East, Morpeth.

ENVIRONMENT

FAR from preventing illegal dumping, Durham County Council, by its inept policy decisions and complete lack of foresight (Echo, Nov 14), is actively encouraging illegal dumping.

The article states that privately-owned trailers will be banned from recycling centres.

I have just collected ten large bags of leaves from my garden and will, this week, be cutting a hedge some 100 yards in length, producing yet more garden rubbish.

I have an ordinary family car and a small trailer in which to put the bags of garden rubbish, as it will not fit into the car. I am law abiding and after December will no doubt apply for a permit, but would many others in a similar situation do the same?

The likelihood is that much more roadside tipping will take place, disfiguring the countryside. This is what the council is encouraging. - David Yorke, Mainsforth.