EUROPE: GORDON Adam MEP claimed that a full answer to what has Europe done for us would "more than fill your newspaper" (HAS June 1).

I am sure the 97,000 pages of rules and regulations emanating from this new Politburo would probably fill your newspaper for the next century.

Improve the lives of the people of this country, however, it most surely will not.

Ask the farmers, ask the fishermen, ask the small businessmen, if you can find any.

As a nation, we are perfectly capable of addressing all the issues listed by Dr Adam from our own democratically-accountable Parliament in Westminster.

The only people to benefit from this expensive, wasteful and corrupt charade are Dr Adam and his ilk. No wonder he defends it so vigorously. - Martin P Rouse, Burnopfield.

I CAN well believe Gordon Adam (HAS, June 1) when he says that all the things that Europe has done for us would "more than fill your newspaper".

But how many of them can be said to have benefited our country? I suspect that the rise in holiday entitlements and the 13 weeks parental leave are but two of the extra costs imposed on our industries that have helped to make our workforce so expensive a luxury that firms are taking the jobs overseas, much to the chagrin of the workers and their unions.

Can't they see that short-term benefits are likely to be long-term penalties, and that they are only digging their own graves?

I have often wondered how many of the rag-trade machinists always bought their clothes at Marks & Spencer; I suspect that the great majority went to a shop selling "Made in Anywhere but Britain" items at lower prices.

Would some of the ladies care to tell your readers whether my conjecture is correct or way off the mark? - R Brownson, Belmont.

WHILST D-Day was the start of the end of the war in Europe, some of us were 'digging for victory' in our school gardens as our fathers in the 'forgotten army' were fighting in Burma.

People everywhere, but particularly those in the services from all the theatres of war, were determined that the political climate should change to avoid such inhuman degradation occurring again.

There was a political determination that the events that followed the First World War should never be repeated. The defeated should not be economically crippled through the imposition of impossible reparations but there should be co-operation in the rebuilding of the devastated Europe.

Political leaders at that time realised that it would take time for mind sets to change but, as long as the aim was kept in sight, the machinery that would lead to lasting peace would be built.

The first significant building block was the establishment of the Coal and Steel Community in 1950, which provided co-operation over the essential materials for the rebuild.

Success led to the Common Market in 1955 and continued success has taken us to where we are today.

Extremism is alive in small pockets and can only grow if people forget the sacrifices made in the past to achieve democracy.

What we fought for both at home and abroad can only continue to be achieved if people guard democracy, even if it is only through exercising their vote.

The best way to commemorate D-Day is to make it V Day by June 10. - Bill Morehead, Darlington.

THE letter from Gordon Adam (HAS, June 1) states the benefits of what Europe has done for us.

One of these benefits is "an end to discrimination on grounds of gender".

Why is it that his own party can stipulate that the candidate for the Labour party in Durham, following Gerry Steinberg's retirement, must be female, and no males can apply? - Barry Wood, Edmondsley.

OBESITY

YET another outburst from Peter Mullen against modern Britain, (Echo, June 1).

This time he suggests that the Government should not be involved in combating obesity.

Whatever his dubious arguments are about individual responsibility, who will take responsibility for children when their own overweight parents do not acknowledge the problem?

It is surely up to the Government to regulate the food producers, since self regulation has obviously failed completely. One reads of prepared meals containing more than the recommended daily intake of salt.

Only a week ago, a free sample of ready-sugared cereal came through the letterbox, with advertising claiming it as high in carbohydrate (not mentioning that it is high because of the sugar, not the fibre). When we are being advised to cut down on sugar, this shows again the irresponsibility of the manufacturers.

Peter Mullen's heroine Mrs Thatcher contributed to these problems by encouraging the selling-off of school playing fields and imposing timetables which left little room for exercise. In her urge to privatise, she encouraged the commercial influences within schools, with fizzy drink dispensers in the corridors and food advertising in schools.

Peter Mullen is wrong. The Government can and should be doing many things to combat obesity. It should be the job of government to ensure that only healthy food is available not leaving the public have to decide what is healthy when the vital information is hidden, confused or disguised. If it does nothing we will all suffer the consequences in the future. - Eric Gendle, Nunthorpe.

JUNK food advertising aimed at children should be outlawed by the EU to tackle spiralling levels of both childhood obesity and food poverty.

Advertising of junk food merely encourages unhealthy choices based on a lack of real information about food.

We have a particular responsibility towards children. They don't have free choice and they don't have the information or understanding to make informed choices either. As a parent, I know that it isn't always easy to persuade children to go for the healthy option but this would be easier if we weren't up against the might of food industry advertising.

There is a strong link between poverty and obesity. We need a food revolution to confront poverty and corporate control of food choices if we are to break this link.

A first step must be to ban junk food advertising. We have seen the public health benefits of banning tobacco advertising and we now need to take the same approach with food. The responsibility for tackling obesity and poor diet extends to the food industry but the power to curb its excesses rests with government. Promoting health isn't 'nanny state-ism' - it's central to what government should be all about - Pam Woolner, Green Party European Election Candidate.