01/06/04

The proportion of metal detectors breaking the law is a lot lower than the proportion of firearms holders carrying out armed robberies.

In the past two years, metal detecting enthusiasts in the North-East of England have raised in excess of £18,000 for charitable purposes, and this year we intend raising a further £21,000 in order to rewrite the guidelines for surgeons whilst carrying out amputations, as the present ones were drawn up just after the Second World War. There is no money available in the NHS funds for this purpose.

These charitable acts also rank alongside the 99 per cent of finds on display in museums in the North that have been donated by metal detectorists.

Ripon Cathedral has the only Saxon coin available for research found in that ancient Saxon city, which was donated by myself. Maybe the archaeologists who are instigating the recent adverse publicity could tell us where the contents of a hoard of Saxon coins found in the 1970 is currently located, as no-one else seems to know.

On behalf of 23,000 law-abiding metal detectorists throughout the country, may I appeal to all of your readers if they know the names of the two or three people in the North-East who are using metal detectors illegally, they report them to the police. - Norman Smith, Newton Aycliffe.

FIRE DISPUTE

I HOPE the public can begin to understand why the fire dispute is flaring up.

The conditions put before us in the pay agreement have all been met (for some time) - this was a three-stage pay deal, which has since become a four-stage deal.

Firefighters are working to the guidelines set out in the agreement, but have not been paid the other half of stage two's pay rise, which was due in November 2003.

Since then, the employers have taken two bank holidays and the 15 years service increment off us, neither of which were in the original agreement.

Now the employers want to interfere with "stand-down periods", which were never discussed previously.

Employers talk about "out of date" practices, but working weekends and nightshifts with no shift allowances is an "out of date practice", but is there any mention of this?

Employers continue to move "the pot of gold" (3.5 per cent). We cannot be stabbed in the back anymore, the time has come to make a stand. - Name and address supplied.

EUROPE

E WHITTAKER (HAS, May 24) sees the European Union in a very different light to myself.

For starters, I cannot see any of these benefits that are stated to have come our way since 1973.

However, I can see some of the disadvantages: almost complete loss of shipbuilding and fishing industries, our own Parliament simply rubber-stamping directives that come from Brussels (although they are often passed off as coming from our own government, regionalisation of England and closure of rural post offices are prime examples).

And there is also the matter of a membership fee, currently running, I understand, at about £15m per day net, after taking into account the "generous" financial assistance given us for carrying out some much-publicised projects that we could have financed ourselves and had a lot of cash left in the kitty.

And talking of those directives, they don't come as a result of European Parliament decisions, but rather from the Commission, which is a non-elected body apparently run by politicians for politicians, so Joe Public has no say on who serves on it.

Add to this the fact that the EU's own audit department has not been able to sign off any of its accounts for the last nine years, because it claims that, for 95 per cent of the expenditure, there are no competent records.

Euro MPs also don't have to produce any receipts to back up their expenditure claims. How can anyone have respect for an organisation run along such lines?

The sooner we are just in the Common Market, which is what the electorate actually voted for in the referendum, the better. - R Brownson, Belmont.

I AM often asked "What has Europe done for us"? A full answer would more than fill your newspaper.

One big influence has been to improve the working conditions for all British employees: at least four weeks paid leave each year; 13 weeks parental leave; greater protection against threats to health and safety at work such as asbestos, deafness and vibration; an end to discrimination on grounds of race, gender, religion, disability, age or sexual orientation; the right to information and consultation on matters that affect them.

These answers are just a few, but important issues where the European Parliament has successfully looked after the interests of working people in the North-East and Britain as well as other European countries. - Dr Gordon Adam, Labour Member of the European Parliament for the North-East of England (1979-2004).

MIDDLE EAST

HOW long are the Americans and Israelis going to get away with their barbaric treatment of the Iraqis and Palestinians?

I can only assume that our media offers nothing but pathetic mealy-mouthed comment, but, in truth, don't really care about the plight of the Iraqis and Palestinians.

Our troops in Iraq try to behave in a civilised manner but are in danger because of Mr Blair's slavish support for President Bush.

The word "democracy" has been bandied around ad nauseam because of the flour in the Commons.

Some democracy when 80 per cent of the country did not want a war in Iraq, but we got it anyhow.

Some democracy when Mr Blair promised a ban on hunting with dogs in 1997 - it is now 2004 and still no ban.

Some democracy when unelected members of the House of Lords can flout with impunity the will of the people.

I anticipate the comments of those who say 'would you rather have a dictatorship?' Take a good look at what needs doing and in some respects that is what we have - the dictatorship of the executive. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.