You write...

I AGREE with every word of Mr Taylor's letter (HAS, Mar 4). Scotland has sought devolution for years knowing that it would be much better off, by more than £400 per head.

The reason for the above and why Scottish MPs can vote for and against any law from Westminster is as follows:

We have a Scottish PM, a Scottish Chancellor, a Scottish Minister for Health - who may be looking for a seat in the North-East for the next election - and the biggest insult to every Labour supporter in the country is the latest chairman of the Labour Party.

And in the background still advising Tony Blair, but keeping well clear of the media, is the bullying Mr Campbell, another good English name.

I would ask The Northern Echo to give its full support to give us an English Parliament.

The Scots wanted devolution. Devolution equals degeneration - degenerate, to develop into something inferior.

It seems that it is the English who are being devolved. - TR McCormack, Newton Aycliffe.

JIM Tague has no real arguments against an elected Assembly for the North-East (HAS, Mar 6). He can only sneer at those of us who believe in democracy instead of unelected, unaccountable regional quangos.

There is only one Richard Branson, not 20, but successful businessmen like Sir John Hall, Karl Watkin and Swan Hunter boss Jaap Kroese are among those who back an elected Assembly.

Yet Mr Tague says half of them are "corner-enders" and "couldn't run a domino handicap". This is not the language for serious debate.

Mr Tague says he wants the local option to be more accountable, but doesn't say how. Nor does he say anything about the dozens of unelected, highly-paid quangos that run our region now. There are many more quangos than local councils, and many more appointed quangocrats than elected local councillors.

It is the democratic right of every citizen to stand for election, regardless of whether Mr Tague thinks they are good enough. That is for the people to decide, through the ballot box.

If and when we get an elected Assembly, you can be sure that the Tories will stand. - Coun Chris Foote Wood, Northern Region Liberal Democrats, Bishop Auckland.

LAW AND ORDER

DAVID Blunkett displays a staggering degree of arrogance in his orders to rename the Crown Prosecution Service (Echo, Mar 3). He is quoted as saying: "We have agreed now that, right across the country, the CPS will become the Public Prosecution Service." Who are 'we?' How dare he proclaim it 'will' be so?

He claims the name change will make the service more understandable to the public. How ignorant does he think the public is? The public fully understands the name as it stands, proclaiming the sovereignty, authority and dignity of our national institutions and heritage.

The Government is far too keen on removing everything that makes Britain, England in particular, distinctive - in this case the Crown. It does not take a genius to work out that the renamed CPS eliminates the royal connection, making us indistinguishable from other countries in the naming of similar services. Those in Europe, for example.

This very pro-European Government is playing big bad wolf again. "Oh Britain (or should that be western region of Europe?) what non-distinctive names you have for your important services. All the better to absorb you and merge you into your European neighbours."

A very sly move, Home Secretary, but you are not fooling the patriotic people of this nation for one minute. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

PENSIONERS

IN the light of Government scaremongering, regarding the need to make workers (especially the young) ensure they are in pension schemes and savings plans, I would advise them not to be conned as many of us retired people are.

We were always told you could not beat being a pensioner and to save towards retirement. However, they did not tell you about the penalties. You will pay full rent, council tax, for dentures, glasses, loft insulation, vets' fees and many other things.

The only consolation you will have is that you will not have to go cap in hand. What a price. - A Abbott, Fishburn,

LET'S make it fair for pensioners. Do you know that every year there are hundreds of thousands of pounds of uncollected council tax and rents. Why don't these councillors get out from their warm offices and collect this money so they can give pensioners a tax rebate. It's outrageous how this money is just written off. No, it's easier to chase pensioners for their money. Last year, in Tony Blair's own backyard, my council tax was a staggering £808 for a Band A property and it's going up again. How can us pensioners pay this? - G Hunter, Fishburn.

AIR AMBULANCE

THE Great North Air Ambulance Service would like to thank The Northern Echo for its support. The donation of old mobile phones and used ink and toner cartridges is most generous. Donations such as these enable us to continue our vital life-saving work.

The charity operates two aircraft. One is based at Blyth in Northumberland and this helicopter has flown in excess of 5,500 missions.

Since launching the second helicopter, based at Teesside International Airport, in July 2002, it has flown in excess of 550 missions. Many of the people rescued would not have survived without the availability of an air ambulance.

The aim of the charity is to maintain and improve the air ambulance service in our region. This essential service is the only effective way to transport seriously ill or injured patients to a place of definitive care, thereby saving life and unnecessary suffering.

If members of the public wish to follow your example and donate old mobile phones or used ink/toner cartridges, the charity can be contacted on (01325) 487263. - Pippa Holt, Fundraising Manager, Great North Air Ambulance Service.

ENVIRONMENT

IT comes as no surprise that the Government is attempting to hush up Sir David King over his supposedly controversial statement that climate change is a more serious problem than international terrorism.

It may not suit Blair spin but the facts are unquestionable. Even the more conservative predictions indicate that in the next hundred years there will be hugely increased incidences of flooding and droughts, leading to loss of life and livelihood.

The World Health Organisation has already warned that the rise in temperature could lead to increases in insect-borne diseases like malaria and encephalitis, while some experts have predicted that there could be 150 million environmental refugees by 2050.

Extreme weather events are becoming more common - thousands of lives were lost in last summer's European heatwave for example. We have also seen increased incidences of serious flooding. How many more signs do we need to take global warming seriously?

If the Government spent just a fraction of the energy and resources it is currently putting into fighting terrorism into tackling climate change, the world would be a lot more secure.

The Government's gagging of our top scientist only goes to show that the threat posed by global warming is indeed as serious as he suggests. - Nic Best, Euro-candidate for NE Green Party.