22/06/04

As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings it is worth remembering that Air Gunner Mynarski's Lancaster bomber was shot down whilst attacking targets in support of the invasion.

This branch can lay claim to two associations with Andrew Mynarski. The first is through member Fred Chatwin, who lives in Middlesbrough, but, like Mynarski, is Canadian.

He was an air gunner with the same squadron and was also shot down. Luckily, Fred survived to tell the tale after being shot down in January 1945. Now a sprightly 80-years-old, Fred parades the wartime RCAF Standard in memory of his fellow countrymen who failed to return.

The second link is that in 1996 I was lucky enough to go to Canada to meet wartime aircrew that I had corresponded with. Whilst there I met Jim Kelly, who had been Mynarski's Wireless Operator on that fateful flight and is the last surviving member of the crew.

After being shot down, he and three others evaded capture and two became POWs, never knowing what happened to their crewmate until after the war.

The branch would welcome new members of both wartime and post-war aircrew. Anyone with a flying brevet is welcome to contact our Secretary David Shuttleworth on 01642 652809. - David Thompson, Cleveland and District Branch, Aircrew Association.

EUROPE

IN this Wimbledon season, readers may recall John Major returning from European Union treaty negotiations when he was Prime Minister and announcing that it was "game, set and match" to Britain, when in fact he had given away our veto in a further 37 areas of policy.

Now his successor Tony Blair seems determined to out-do even that performance, by giving up to Brussels some 40 areas of control in the proposed EU Constitution.

No wonder he wants to delay a referendum as long as he possible. - Judith Wallace, Whitley Bay.

PRO-Europeans are publicly stating that the EU constitution allows the primacy of EU law over the law of nation states.

Is this a new policy of honesty by them to reveal the truth after 30 years of deception on the real agenda for a federal EU state?

No! Britain is now the only country pretending that Europe will not be a federal state.

Chancellor Brown has again trumpeted how much better the UK economy is performing outside the euro single currency, thus proving how suspect the information (3.5 million jobs lost, currency instability, isolation) fed to us on the need to join the euro was.

Now the disaster of joining the euro has receded, we are bombarded by propaganda trying to justify the EU constitution, but further outbreaks of honesty like "the member states shall have competence over all matters which the union does not claim competence on" are only likely to emphasise how much we need to reject this further loss of power.

Contrary to Europhile hopes that educating the public will help their cause, it becomes ever more clear that the more that is revealed to the public about the union the more sceptical they become. - J Heslop, Gainford.

THE EU Constitutional Treaty has been signed and the work to gain acceptance in the referendum begins in earnest. We need to get beyond the banner headlines to understand the nitty gritty of what the constitution means for us, the people of Europe, and the other parts of the world.

The Union is not selfishly inward looking but has taken many initiatives that seek to help countries outside the Union that have recognised the benefits of peaceful negotiation. An example is the Barcelona process established in 1995 that aims to promote good relations between the EU and the countries of the Mediterranean basin, and, despite the Middle East situation, has made significant progress towards peaceful development and the enhancement of human rights.

The EU will have to continue to work under the seven treaties until the new encompassing treaty is ratified and processes made less convoluted, taking into account the recent enlargement. Peoples of all countries need to have an understanding of the situation and politicians have a duty to say it as it is and not use the opportunity for a party political football match. The press should have a duty to factually report situations and not distort positions.

No one can claim that the EU is perfect but the members have done a better job than any individual state could have done under bilateral agreements, where one agreement often confounds another. Let us develop understanding of the complex world outside our daily lives and then make a judgement. - Bill Morehead, Darlington.

CYCLISTS

BARBARA Harris says she would be grateful for advice on the rules for cyclists, arising from her experiences with cyclists on pavements (HAS, June 18).

She may be interested to know that the Highway Code, under the heading 'Rules for cyclists' states: "You MUST NOT (in red) Cycle on a pavement, Leave your cycle where it would endanger or obstruct other road users or pedestrians, for example, lying on the pavement."

Under a different section, it mentions that the potential fine for cycling on the pavement is £500.

If the police would enforce these laws more often, would there be the need to raise so many funds from speed cameras? - John Wicks, Darlington.

REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

JIM Tague states that the removal of Wear Valley District Council and subsequent loss of jobs is a negative thing.

At present the near 500,000 population of County Durham is run by in excess of 300 councillors, whereas Birmingham, with a population of 1.1 million, is run by 120 councillors.

Surely the number of councillors in Durham is absurd. Whilst recognising the important work of WVDC in attracting new employment to the area, a North-East assembly would provide the region with a strong voice and more bargaining power, creating more potential jobs in Wear Valley than at present. - S White, Bishop Auckland.