POSTAL BALLOTS: I DID not vote in the last election, for the first time in my life, and the reason is simple to understand.

The voting ballot is no longer secret. The voter is identified on his or her declaration of identity by a unique bar code. This bar code is also on the ballot paper.

If a voter can be identified by the bar code on the ballot paper, his or her vote is no longer secret and secrecy is the most hallowed principle of our electoral system. Only someone who implicitly believes that everyone in the political system never tells lies and always behaves properly and beyond reproach, can say hand on heart that this postal system is not open to fraud.

Any canvasser worth his or her salt can easily convince anyone bemused by this paperwork that help is on hand to help fill in the forms.

The cost is also a concern. Papers are posted out first-class and papers are returned first-class and who pays? The council tax payer of course.

Every vote returned costs 50p plus. A vote not returned 25p plus. Bring back the ballot box and the secret ballot.

The recent upsets in local government elections had nothing to do with the postal ballot, but more to do with the realisation by the electorate that local politicians have arrogantly distanced themselves from the people who pay their inflated expenses and who pay for their hair-brained schemes and who also suspect that the real power of local councils has passed from the councillors to the highly-paid executives and heads of departments. - PW Anderson, Consett.

COUNTRYSIDE

IN the near future, someone will compose a compassionate Requiem for the Countryside. The Last Post will ring out through the once vibrant and proud Dales villages.

We all know the culprits for this criminal demise - governments of all political hues with their centralist, urban policies. Unfortunately, our steadfast and loyal farmers have only really been needed in times of acute crisis.

During the Second World War, government officials were all over farmers because food was needed and there were numerous posters supporting farming.

Governments have sought to appease our farmers with false promises and derisory subsidies. The milk quotas, introduced in the 1980s, had a very serious effect.

So Mr Blair, are we going to have vast tracts of Wensleydale turned into a theme park or other such modern and transient attractions? What is needed is compassion and someone who can empathise with farmers' problems.

You also urgently need to cut down on unnecessary red tape and anything else which delays the start of pioneering schemes. We have a duty to future generations to make the countryside come alive again and have tangible hope for the future. - Ken Jackson, Northallerton.

CHURCH WEDDINGS

THE Rev Mark Sowerby (Echo, Jun 26) seems to have got his wires crossed, in my opinion. He is making the mistake a lot of clergy make, especially the Anglican Church.

He seems to have forgotten he is there to perform a service, for which he is paid.

Some years ago, when I lived in a far different county, the vicar of the village church made a similar demand. After the service as everyone left the church, he was left in no doubt as to where his future lay if he continued to make his demands from the pulpit.

If the Rev Sowerby has not got time to count such small amounts, then why not pick up the small amounts and put them in the collection boxes dotted around his locality and let someone else who is not so self-centred do the counting. - ME Harris, Darlington.

REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

WHEN reading the letters concerning the proposed regional assembly, one wonders why the correspondents fail to realise we have had a form of regional assembly since the 19th century.

What is happening now is that it is taking a different format because of political change, education and an increase in wealth and expertise for the ordinary man and woman.

During the 19th century the landed gentry, who controlled most of agriculture, periodically assembled in their country mansions to discuss their enterprises and also the opportunity for further investment in coal, steel, shipbuilding and the railways.

They supported innovation, which expanded their industries into a global market, resulting in an expansion of the industrial labour force.

The situation changed after the Second World War through the nationalisation of the basic industries, when the administration of those enterprises passed from the owners to the people or the workers, who were supposed to reflect the interests of the wider population.

Today, that era is over but the future wellbeing of the whole population who now reside here depends on beginning a new chapter in the history of the North-East.

The modern assembly will have to reflect the aspirations of the majority of the electorate, but they in return will expect the majority to create new enterprises, which will develop the area and increase its prosperity.

After he was elected as President, George Bush remarked: "In America we do things differently, that is why we are number one."

Could a similar slogan be used for the North-East? - Thomas Conlon, Spennymoor.

BRITISH SPORT

FOR the past few weeks, sporting news has dominated the media, particularly the tabloids.

First of all, we had the furore over Sol Campbell's disallowed goal in the game against Portugal.

The view behind the goal showed quite conclusively that John Terry had his arm across the chest of the goalkeeper, preventing him from jumping for the ball.

The pundits on TV all agreed it was a foul, but the Press were not going to let this stop them from having a field day demonising the Swiss referee.

Tim Henman is an excellent tennis player and his $10m earnings vouch for that.

The over-the-top support for Henman has been a serious contributing reason why he seems to fail at crucial moments.

Without doubt, the Wimbledon crowd intimidate Henman's opponents but it seems only to spur them on to defeat the darling of the crowd.

I feel the Wimbledon authorities should warn the viewers of Henman's matches to be more sporting in their behaviour and refrain from behaving like the Roman mob in the Coliseum.

Surely the word 'sport' should be removed from describing all ultra-competitive activities. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.