24/01/2004

But it must be said that certain countries deserve the criticism levelled at them because of their bloodthirsty punishments in the treatment of law-breakers.

I would suggest that the most vociferous of his critics would be totally against the restoration of the death penalty in this country, while saying nothing against the Islamic states that carry out capital punishment and other bloodthirsty responses to what we in the West will consider relatively minor crimes - if crimes at all, in many respects.

In my view that is racism of the most objectionable type - the implication being that inhabitants of those countries perpetrating such punishment should not, and do not, deserve the standard of life we outsiders enjoy. - Peter Johnston, Darlington.

FOOTBALL

I AM appalled and astounded by what has occurred in the world of football.

How is it that a professional footballer such as Louis Saha, currently on contract to Fulham and with over two years left to serve, can pressurise the club into letting him go, by what I feel is clearly nothing short of blackmail.

Saha claims the Fulham management is not honest but, as I see it, the only person acting dishonestly is Saha himself.

Surely the FA ought to get involved in such a situation. Talk about being charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

Saha's action has been scandalous, and where is the union chap Gordon Taylor in this business?

I notice he has plenty to say about Rio Ferdinand of Man United, so is he just sitting this one out as an uninvolved onlooker?

I would hope The Northern Echo will pursue the matter further. It seems some professional soccer players are laws unto themselves. - K Mitchell, Newton Aycliffe.

Spennymoor

LIVING in Middlestone Moor for the past five years has convinced me and a great many other residents that our town is indeed the poor relation of Darlington, Aycliffe and Bishop Auckland.

Having recently been involved, along with others, in forming a residents' association to try to address problems on our estate, it is clearly evident that it is difficult to achieve improvements through consultations with highways and road departments of the county council.

The problem we identified and seek a solution to is traffic and parking in the vicinity of Rock Road School. There are already two schools adjacent to one another on this road and, to make matters worse, a new nursery is now being built next to the junior school.

We as a group, have asked for traffic information to be improved, ie high visibility speed limit signs, school signs, rumble zones and traffic slowing chicanes if possible.

Our requests appear to have fallen on deaf ears and these modern signs are few and far between on every road approaching our town. This supports our belief that Spennymoor is of little importance to our policy-making county and borough councils. - Name and address supplied.

YOUNG PEOPLE

HOW refreshing to read of the ten young people gaining Oxbridge entrance qualifications.

This is the other side of Darlington and indeed County Durham - that the majority of youth are OK.

However, in these days of no news is good news, the page on which it featured was headlined about rowdy yobs in Darlington.

I'm afraid this is how the media looks on news, in going for the bad news first and the good last, thus giving the low life a bravado euphoria. - Dave Walker, Newton Aycliffe.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

CAROL Woods is either being deliberately misleading over Durham City's council tax prospects (Echo, Dec 31) or she does not know what she is talking about.

She says: "The Government thinks our population has gone down by 1,600."

No it does not. Its figures for the district have gone down by only 150 - too few to make any difference.

She says the Government has given the council a 2.2 per cent grant increase.

No it has not. No English local authority will get less than three per cent more than last year, on a like for like basis. Any that might have got less (because of population loss, for instance) are protected by a three per cent minimum increase. The 'floor' was originally set at 2.2 per cent before being raised to three per cent on December 10.

She says the council will only have a £50,000 increase on its original grant for next year. This at least is partly true. It is the difference between the 2.2 per cent and the three per cent floors and amounts to £51,886. The full increase on last year's equivalent grant is £194,572.

If the Lib-Dems impose a large council tax rise that will be because of their own financial incompetence. - Mike Syer, Durham City Councillor.

DARLINGTON FC

GEORGE Reynolds (pictured) gave you a new football stadium. Get behind him.

If every household in the DL postcode area put aside £1 for five weeks (including Neasham Road) then sent it to Darlington FC it would help towards the £250,000 which is the immediate amount required.

What else can you buy for £5, two packets of fags? Save the Quakers. - Aubrey Adamson, North Yorks.

SUNDERLAND FC

LISTENING to the chairman of Sunderland Football club expressing that he went through more pain than anyone else in the fight to stave off relegation from the Premier League, I don't think anyone will doubt the sincerity of Bob Murray's feelings, but the sequence of events leading to the dreaded drop almost beggars belief.

A team that achieved promotion on such a high note and, in a matter of two seasons, departed the Premiership with the unenviable record of being the poorest team ever to grace the Premier League. It doesn't take much imagination to understand his pain.

I suspect the pain extends to the let-down of those 48,000 faithful fans who didn't deserve that overpaid bunch of misfits.

The promises the fans have heard so many times must haunt Mr Murray. One wonders why such a devoted chairman couldn't see the need for a change of manager at the right time, or did his heart rule his head? - Frank Neagle, Crook.