04/06/04

The infamous Common Agricultural Policy swallows up 40 per cent of the entire benefit to subsidise insolvent French and German farmers.

The equally infamous Common Fisheries Policy has destroyed the British fishing industry.

The toothless European Parliament (duplicated in Strasbourg at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds to placate the French) exists only to line the pockets of MEPs, who serve no useful purpose.

The corruption, waste and inefficiency are typified by the auditors' refusal to approve the accounts for the last nine years.

There is a net loss of all this nonsense to the UK taxpayers of £4bn a year.

As for the famous 'red lines', they will disappear as soon as the Brussels bureaucrats, along with their henchmen in the European court, have a chance to 'interpret' them in a way consistent with the Maastricht Treaty required for 'ever closer union'.

Norway and Switzerland prosper outside the EU and so could we. Let us get out and the sooner the better. - C Christie, UKIP, Helmsley.

CRICKET

I RATHER enjoyed Scott Wilson's articles on Sir Garfield Sobers marking the cricket legend's recent visit to Durham Riverside (Echo, May 29).

It was interesting to hear what Sobers had to say, particularly when he spoke of bowlers from his era being allowed to run on to the wicket when following through, resulting sometimes in the ball being bowled from as little as 18 yards.

I still cherish the memory of seeing Garfield Sobers play for the West Indies against England at Headingley in 1963.

He batted without a cap and wore his shirt with the collar turned up. After scoring a great century he was out, caught and bowled to a diving catch by Tony Lock.

Later, when discussing his dismissal and Lock's bowling, Sobers said: "Tony is a great bowler. He always does this to me." West Indies went on to win the five-match series 3-1.

Finally, may I offer my congratulations to 14-year-old Anthony McMahon on becoming the youngest cricketer to hit six sixes in an over and thereby being ranked, so to speak, alongside the great Sobers. Meeting Sir Garfield Sobers in person must have been a great thrill. - LD Wilson, Guisborough.

REGIONAL GOVERNMENT

I CAN see what it is hoped to achieve by the setting up of a regional assembly. For years, more and more power has been transferred from Westminster to Brussels. Now it is proposed to transfer power from Westminster to the British regions.

The inevitable outcome of this process will be, not simply the emasculation of the Westminster Parliament, but the loss of our national identity - because, politically speaking, Britain will have effectively ceased to exist.

The motive behind all this? To remove the obstacle presented by our nationhood to our eventual absorption in a European superstate.

If you are a patriot you therefore need very definitely to vote No in the forthcoming referendum. As for voting in national and local elections, judge for yourselves. - T Kelly, Crook.

RACE AND COLOUR

YOU report (with your sister papers) Councillor Francis as Darlington's first black Mayor.

He clearly isn't black but a light brown. There are no purely black or white skins (except albino).

Colour is due to the pigment, melanin, which all of us have in varying proportions. 'Colour' as a racial designation comes from the misconceived Darwinian evolutionary theory which promotes the concepts of 'primitive' and 'advanced' peoples.

There is only one race - the human race 'made from one blood'. - Rev Ken Evans, Darlington.

SPEED CAMERAS

I HOPE that those selfish motorists who write in to whinge about the unfairness of speed cameras are in the minority.

I'm a motorist and accept that, if I break the law, I ought to pay for it, so why can't they?

I get the feeling that the vast majority think that way also. As a campaigning newspaper, the Echo might well agree that it is in its interests to get to the bottom of this question of support, since it would appear to be influencing opportunistic politicians to lobby against the use of cameras, in a way that undermines the rule of law.

Backing those whose speeding habit is so ingrained that they seek to blame inanimate objects for their problems, is just lazy (and dangerous) politics. - J Bell, Stockton-on-Tees.

DURHAM PRISON

THE controversial female wing at Durham prison is to close and women prisoners are to be relocated. But is spending £30,000 per year per prisoner the best investment of public money to reduce crime?

Magistrates and judges are sending more people to jail - the number of women in prison has increased by 166 per cent in the last ten years. Women are most likely to be sentenced to custody for shoplifting, and the sentences tend to be short. But a prison sentence will have a big impact, especially on the children of women in prison.

There is a strong likelihood that women sentenced to prison will face accommodation and employment problems on release. It's not surprising that 55 per cent of women released from prison are reconvicted within two years of their release.

Smart Justice is calling for better non-custodial options for women offenders. There is growing evidence to suggest that well-resourced and well-targeted community punishments are bringing down the crime rate. - Helen Attewell, Smart Justice, North East Office.

NHS DENTAL TREATMENT

IT is clear now that the provision of our dental health needs are not safe in the hands of private dental practices.

Many of the few practitioners who were treating some long-standing clients under NHS terms are now jumping ship, realising that they, too, can now survive very well without those who choose not to change to more expensive private schemes.

Those who suffer from this are mainly older people, who have supported the NHS through taxes since its inception, and their dental health needs are often less critical than those of their children and grandchildren. Some only require denture checks but, this apart, they rightly feel that they have made their contribution in full throughout harder times, and deserve better treatment than the exclusion which is being forced upon them.

I do not blame dentists for opting for the most profitable option available; I firmly believe that your first loyalty is to yourself and your family. Equally, my loyalty is to me and mine, and mine is the NHS. I should obtain the best economic terms open to my side of this deal and I expect my representatives in government to secure them.

Provide easily available free dental care for us stakeholders in our NHS, and leave those who choose to purchase private dental care free to do so. - George Appleby, Clifton, York.