GEORGE REYNOLDS: AS a Darlington fan, I watched in horror last Tuesday night the programme about George Reynolds. Not only did he disgrace himself and our club with his "performance", but he embarrassed the majority of the people from his hometown, Sunderland.

His ignorance also showed through when he was introduced to someone who had flown from the US for the game. The poor guy was trying to explain he almost didn't make the game. George Reynolds cut him off without letting him explain.

His attitude towards the manager, players and fans of Darlington FC is no better. In fact, it may be worse. I was ashamed that he is associated with Darlington FC on Tuesday night. When is he going to realise that the majority of Darlington fans do not support what he has done. He should go before our club is totally destroyed beyond repair. - David Taylor, Darlington.

I AGREE with George Reynolds when he says there is only one boss, and so it should be when he has ploughed over £30m into the new stadium.

George, being a businessman, should know the new stadium is only a home for the product he is trying to sell to the supporters, which is a football team. This team he has is not producing, so he should realise, being a businessman, producers should be replaced at the end of the season when we are relegated to the Conference League.

There will be only one person to blame and that is you George, nobody else. So let's start buying before it is too late because this is the only way out.

With regard to your TV show, Playing by His Own Rules, you must have eaten 2,000 of the 2,300 pies that were sold because every time we saw you your mouth was full, which takes some filling. - H Dinsdale, Darlington.

FUEL BILLS

RE the large electricity bills received by churches and village halls, etc from npower.

Stanhope Methodist hall has received these from British Gas for £2,619 - a hall used on average two afternoons per month only.

One would think that demanding large sums of money for services not supplied would be an offence in law. - Leslie Adamson, Treasurer, Stanhope Methodist Hall.

PENSIONS

WELL, it had to happen. Hugh Pender and myself finally agree on something - right and left in unison (HAS, Oct 24).

As a pensioner, I am told I will have to have a 2.8 per cent award next year, but already we are hearing of a 14 per cent council rate rise for North Yorkshire alone.

Well, it is just not on. This Government says it will not sanction any rise above the rate of inflation - must be more spin. So, will Hugh and all the other grey power men stand on the barricades in our defence?

Let's get rid of this hated tax once and for all and bring in local taxation. It is time these robber barons were given short shrift or they will send their men to take our goods and chattels just like the Middle Ages.

Well, from me, all they will get is the rate of inflation.

If we grey power pensioners stick together they cannot put us all in prison and we won't pay any fines. - P Saunders, Richmond.

JESUS CHRIST

HARRY Mead asks: was Christ gay? Not if you believe the Bible is the word of God. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 4:16).

In Leviticus 18:22 God says: "Thou shalt not be with mankind as with womankind; it is abomination." (see also Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:27, Corinthians 6:9-10).

So Jesus could not be gay as this would be abomination (sin) to God who would not then have said: "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." (Matthew 3:17 and Mark 1:11).

For Jesus was "yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

The problem with homosexuals in the Church is that they seek to change God to suit themselves. But God does not change. What was abomination to Him in Biblical times must still be abomination today. He says so in Maladri 3:6: "For I am the Lord, I change not." "The same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

What sort of Christianity do they pretend to follow if they do not base it on the word of God, the Holy Bible? - J Allen, Darlington.

SAFETY AT WORK

AS one of the UK's 27 million workers, I draw reassurance from the fact that my legal rights to remain safe in the workforce are protected and enforced by inspectors from the Government safety organisation, the Health and Safety Executive.

But my faith in the Government's commitment to improving health and safety at work was shaken recently on discovering how little funding is in place to support this vital function.

A real terms drop in funding over this and the next three years will result in qualified frontline inspectors being cut back at a time when workplaces can expect to be inspected only once every ten years, if at all.

HSE's budget allocation for 2003 amounts to less than 20p per week to protect each member of the UK's workforce. I wondered if other readers were aware this is all that is allocated to ensure that their employer complies with the legal standards enshrined in UK health and safety law and protects their right to a safe working life.

The need for fair funding to eliminate unnecessary risks at work should be firmly fixed on the national and local political agenda. Not only would it prevent the pain and suffering of injured and sick workers, it would also save the economy money in reducing NHS costs and absence from work.

I shall be raising this with our MP, Alan Milburn and urge other readers to do the same. - FW Hall, Darlington.

JOBS MARKET

THE question has been raised (HAS, Oct 16) about the fairness of transferring call centre jobs to India. Jobs, or the end product of jobs, have been going to India for 400 years.

The British, through their Empire, expanded their global market, introducing the civil services and the railways to India. Jobs were created for the Indian population in the new worldwide trade markets and it was obvious that over a long period of time the people who maintained the railways and civil service would eventually take them over.

During the 20th century, a new phenomenon arose which was to change the then British Empire forever. The Indian sub-continent supplied thousands of servicemen to fight in two world wars.

This allowed many Indian men to reside for different periods of time in European countries. It was not of their choosing, but the opportunity of living abroad would eventually encourage some of them to emigrate.

Today, the British are going to India again with a rapid transport system. This time they are taking computers.

Modern technology has begun a two-way trade in learning. Losing jobs may be a temporary setback, but if the vacuum is an incentive to greater learning then Britain, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh will render a greater service to the rest of the world. - Thomas Conlon, Spennymoor.