29/06/04

Here begins the first lesson in twisting, spinning, attempted brain washing and hiding the truth, to gull people into believing the EU constitution is a sweet medicine that must be swallowed because it will make us feel so good.

Mr Blair will no doubt rewrite a few fairy tales as well as myths. He'll say Britain will be left alone, like poor Cinderella and will never meet her handsome EU prince, if we don't sign up. However, we know that France and Germany are the Ugly Sisters who bully and fling their orders, ruling the roost. Mr Blair waving his Fairy Prime Minister wand won't work any more if we sign than it does now.

There's no way the EU shoe is going to fit this nation. Let the Ugly Sisters fight over it for themselves. Prince European Constitution is not handsome in our eyes. We don't want him.

Please, Mr Blair, give us a referendum now, not in two years time. Why prolong the agony and waste millions of pounds on a charm offensive you're not going to win? - EA Moralee, Billingham.

IT comes as no surprise that the usual Lefties want Britain deeper in the EU.

Such people have always sought to undermine our nation and this time they could be on the a winner. Why?

Because of the highly effective and insidious campaign of attrition waged by them and their representatives in politics and the media against our national moral.

Old standards of decency, taste and manners have long since gone by the board: large numbers of people no longer care about what really matters - including our national survival.

To defeat them English people who still do care must, as a matter of urgency, rally behind the UKIP. As for Labour and the Tories, they are nothing but has-beens and hypocrites. - Tony Kelly, Crook.

BRAVO to Yvonne Benn (Echo, Jun 21) for highlighting the dangerous propaganda of UKIP.

There is a world of difference between patriotism and nationalism.

Patriotism inspires feelings of goodwill and pride in your own country because we behave in a manner that encourages such sentiment.

Nationalism feasts on the baser instincts of human nature, which puts self above all else.

I am approaching the later stage of my life and everything I have learned over the years tells me that nationalism is evil and must be rejected.

There are many examples where nationalism has proved disastrous for those espousing such a false doctrine, the Nazis in Germany and Milosevic in Serbia, to name only two.

Mr Blair was wrong to go to war in Iraq, but on Europe he has got it right and it is time Mr Howard stopped trying to be clever, and declared the Tories' support for Europe and that they have no intention of leaving. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

BEHAVIOUR

GANGS of youths roaming the streets at lunchtime, being rude to pedestrians, causing bother in shops and shouting out expletives near to women and children. No wonder residents and shopkeepers are sick to the back teeth.

I'm talking about Northallerton here, but it will be same picture across the British Isles.

These tearaways, who are in the minority, need discipline and supervision. They should not be allowed free rein in our towns and cities.

Why can't teachers do supervisory lunchtime work any more? I know they would want more money, but I don't think they do badly even when they have to do out-of-hours work at home or in the school holidays.

Surely it would be worth it to get back some decent moral standards.

Anyway, when you think about it, what else can we expect from teenagers weaned on the immoral likes of Big Brother and the now sleazy soaps (and this is still before 8pm). - Ken Jackson, Northallerton.

DENTAL SERVICES

IN commenting on the local access problem for NHS dentistry, Gerry Steinberg has completely missed the point - this has nothing to do with a dentist's personal income.

Years of government under-funding have led to the situation where it is now impossible to provide a proper level of dental care from NHS fees alone. Successive administrations have failed to respond to our suggestions to improve matters and now dentists have no choice but to seek extra funds from private treatments in order to sustain a practice.

What is the Government doing about it? Setting up Access Centres! This is a political sop to avoid embarrassing questions in the House; if you can find a dentist to work in one, an Access Centre is a very inefficient and expensive way to provide dental services and the money would be better spent in existing practices.

The proposed radical reforms for NHS dentistry, due in April 2005, have been compiled by the Department of Health without consulting the service providers and with no extra funding.

Dentists have roundly condemned the scheme as unworkable and six out of ten say they will do even less NHS work if the reform goes ahead. The Minister is considering her response. Meanwhile, the drift away from NHS continues apace and the problem is not just confined to new patients in the area.

Come on Mr Steinberg - it's your Party - if this Government is genuinely committed to NHS dentistry (which many dentists doubt), let's have some constructive action and quickly please. - WP Nichols, dental surgeon, Chester-le-Street.

REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

IT is right to investigate any system of voting if there have been allegations of inefficiency or fraud but, to be fair, these were far fewer in the North-East than in other parts of the country.

But this must not be used as an excuse to postpone the referendum on a Regional Assembly.

For once I agree with Neil Herron. The issue has been debated in the North-East for a long time, and has involved all sections of society, so we need to make a decision as soon as we can. If it is put off we shall lose the opportunity for a long time, and possibly for good.

There is one other issue which must be made clear. This referendum will only be about whether people in the North-East should have more say in how their affairs are run.

A decision on this has nothing to do with what you think about the present Government, Iraq, or the European Union, and I am sure most people will agree with the simple proposition that the North-East gets a raw deal, needs a greater voice in the UK and more influence over how the government departments which operate here are run.

Neil Herron will get a surprise when he sees the result. - David Taylor-Gooby, Peterlee.