22/09/2004

A 25-member restraint on assembly's powers revealed on the pretence by the Government that it will not be allowed to become too powerful, is in itself an indication that the Government has no intention of allowing us no more than what it deems necessary. In other words, a talking shop without authority.

Ray Mallon states that leadership is needed on that score. I agree, because leadership in Wear Valley and Durham County is far from satisfactory, which has more to do with lack of competition and the ease with which councillors are returned each election.

Then there is the argument on the cost between a three-council and county council scenario, which leaves much to question.

At the moment, Wear Valley and its cost cutting is disgraceful, but the same can be said for Durham County Council. It seems that the cost cutting and its consequences are of more concern that benefit the majority of us can expect. - John Young, Crook.

ONE of the principal arguments levelled against a North-East assembly is that it would only attract the usual suspects from local government.

The announcement by Ray Mallon that he has been persuaded of the case for an assembly, therefore, is to be welcomed as he hardly fits the category of usual suspects.

Mr Mallon sees an assembly as an opportunity for the North-East and this is surely right. I feel the vitriol levelled against him by some of your correspondents reveals how the opponents of a regional assembly are consumed by negativity.

The North-East has had enough of this, which is why I will vote 'Yes'. - Andrea Elsbury, Chester-le-Street.

THERE is a North-South divide. Sons and daughters for generations have found it necessary to move south or emigrate.

Earlier attempts to achieve economic and social parity with the better-off parts of England will leave us lagging behind.

A 'Yes' vote in the coming referendum may be the only remaining possibility of bringing our level of prosperity up to that of the South-East.

No-one has put forward a better idea. We are only offered crass statements like the one that there is no UK Prime Minister, as if there are only English soldiers serving in Iraq.

We are told that the regional assembly would only be a creature of the EU. The reality is that our best hope may be that Brussels will take more account of this region if it is better able to compete for attention with assemblies which pre-date the EU in other countries.

It is incredible that some correspondents are more worried about the possible dominance of a town 30 miles away than the priorities of civil servants living and working at the other end of Britain.

It is time to set aside reservations, prejudices and party differences and resolve to vote 'Yes' for a region in which we ought to feel proud to live. - Eric Shuttleworth, Darlington.

HUNTING

THE House of Commons voted by 356 votes to 166 to ban the cruel and barbaric activity of foxhunting.

The same day, the pro-hunt campaigners were boasting about 10,000 demonstrators, but there are millions of people out there who are anti-hunting.

They came in support of Tory toffs on horseback in red coats shouting tally-ho, who love to see a little fox savaged by 20 or so hounds.

You just have to look at the louts who got in to the House of Commons to know their pedigree - one a friend of the Royal Family, an aristocrat and a rock star's son among them.

Tory MPs, when interviewed, openly said on camera they would support this scum who would break the law and carry on hunting - sounds right for them.

And yes, there are a few Labour MPs who are pro-hunting, including Kate Hoey, the Tory spy sitting on Labour benches.

I am disappointed the Prime Minister did not vote and interested to know if my MP, Hilary Armstrong, bothered to vote.

These thugs say they will be back - get the water cannons out. - JL Thompson, Crook.

EVERYONE should be entitled to their right to protest peacefully and though I do not share the sentiments of the pro-hunt supporters who gatecrashed the House of Commons on Wednesday, hats off to the lads who certainly managed to make their point.

However, two issues are worrying about this whole hunt ban business. The first was the performance of the protestors outside Parliament.

Attacking the police and acting like thugs is not going to get the pro-hunt lobby anywhere.

The second is the manner in which the Countryside Alliance is going about its campaign.

We have a lot to celebrate in the countryside - beautiful landscapes (relatively), clean air, nature right on our doorstep - and the issues that we do have to worry about, eg limited access to health care and other services, lack of public transport, lack of affordable housing etc, are so much more important than the civil right to be able to chase animals to death by a minority of people.

As for the issue of people losing their jobs and livelihoods, where were the foxhunters, blacksmiths, horse vets etc when the North lost its coal mining, steel, shipbuilding and textile industries?

I don't remember seeing many 'foxhunters and hare coursers for miners' banners on display on the picket lines outside the pits.

I work as a nurse and I would love to see an end to illness and suffering, even though it would mean I would be out of a job along with tens of thousands of health care workers. - J Blades, Thirsk.

WITH the 'saving' of foxes by banning foxhunting, by what method will foxes be eliminated? Will it be by poisoning, snares or by shooting?

Farmers do not want their lambs and chickens torn in the way foxes have been by hunters. But foxes will do it that way even if they have had plenty of food.

The next task for animal rights activists will be to save fish from being tortured before being killed and eaten. The move will then be to prevent mice being killed in a hurtful way, so perhaps mouse traps can be banned. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

AN APOLOGY

IN Hear All Sides on September 13, we published a letter from Ray Gibbon, President of Witton Gilbert Community Association. Mr Gibbon wrote the letter in his capacity as President of the CA, and in the correspondence did not refer to himself as councillor and former mayor. He was referred to as a Labour city councillor when, in fact, he is a Liberal Democrat councillor. We apologise to Mr Gibbon for the errors and any embarrassment caused.