POSTAL SERVICES: THE Royal Mail's claim that 'only' 280,000 letters are lost every week (Echo, Jul 17) is an absolute disgrace.

The Royal Mail quotes the figure as a sign of improving services. To everyone else those lost letters are the failure to hear from a loved one, to receive some important, even vital, information or perhaps the ruination of a business.

One single lost letter is a betrayal of the trust placed in the Royal Mail.

Declaring a fall of a few thousand a week in the number of letters that will never be delivered is no reason for boasting.

An afterthought: why can't the Royal Mail lose all those annoying junk mail items? There would be no complaint then. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

EUROPE

NEIL Herron (HAS, July 10) makes a serious mistake. The French word communitaire does not mean the same as federal.

There is a slightly different version of the word, as you will find in any book about the European Union. The body of legislation in the EU goes under the name Acquis Communautaire.

Many of these things are explained in the Durham University Library's European Information Centre on the science site. - E Whittaker, Richmond.

MINERS' GALA

WHAT a brilliant Durham Miners' Gala. This has to go down as the best gala since the death of the Durham Coalfield.

It has gradually got better and better over the last few years, taking into account it would never ever get back to the days when the pits were open.

Tony Benn spoke in the Cathedral and was given a standing ovation. What a stalwart he is to the gala. It is the highlight of the year.

Why doesn't every mining village which has its banners under wraps somewhere appear at the gala? Revive the tradition and join in. Refurbish your banners - I am sure the people would contribute towards the cost. More and more are doing so. I would love to see the Lambton, Houghton and Lumley Lodge banners walking in. It can be done.

Well done, too, everyone young and old who made this Durham Miners' Gala a day to remember. - George Rowe, Houghton-le-Spring.

IRAQ DOSSIER

DAVID Kelly admitted to the Commons Select Committee that he had spoken to BBC correspondent Andrew Gilligan, but denied that he had said that the dossier had been 'sexed up'.

The implication is that Gilligan had added a little to Dr Kelly's words to make it sound more interesting. - John Stokes, Peterlee.

TONY BLAIR

CONSIDERING the rapturous welcome and standing ovation that Tony Blair received in the American Congress, and comparing it to what he gets in the House of Commons, it would not be surprising if he applied for American citizenship as an asylum seeker.

But who would replace him? John Prescott? Hardly. Even George Bush would be rejected. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

LABOUR PARTY

THE Labour Party was founded on socialist principles, these basically being: 'To each according to their needs, from each according to their ability with a fair and equitable distribution of wealth and opportunity'.

Anyone joining the Labour Party or supporting it has therefore made a commitment to abide by these principles.

I am afraid this present New Labour Government appears to have abandoned them.

Why hasn't it rid us of that obnoxious anachronism, that monument to grace and favour, the House of Lords?

Why hasn't it made a commitment to give this country back to its people by taking it away from fat cat directors and speculators?

I refer to those public services - transport, gas, water, electricity and many more, now in private ownership.

The Thatcher betrayal of the common people needs to be reversed by returning these essential services to public ownership.

Cost cannot now be made as an excuse if we can afford to make war. There are plenty of wars to be fought in this country before partaking of unnecessary involvement elsewhere. - AW Dunn, Spennymoor.

With reference to F Atkinson's letter (HAS, July 18), I can only agree with the statement about privatisation of everything he mentions.

During my working life I worked with many people across all sections of the working class, from miners to road cleaners and everything in between, but what surprised me most about the reaction to privatisation was the speed with which these same people bought, and still have, shares in all the companies and enjoyed sitting in the local Labour club talking about the Stock Market - the term fat kittens comes to mind.

Just to end on a more sinister note: the worst thing Thatcher did was forcing all the grass roots Labour voters to buy the council house they had been renting.

Look around you sir, and see how all these houses now have brick walls and patios, something the local council never did. And who wants to stop people having their own home? Tony and his friends. - Peter Brown, Trimdon Village.