LOCAL ELECTIONS: THERE were some interesting points raised by AW Dunn (HAS, May 14) concerning the results of the recent elections in Spennymoor for Sedgefield Borough and Spennymoor Town councils, where he claimed those who topped the polls in their respective wards should have an automatic place in the 'cabinet' because, according to his reasoning, public opinion made them the people's choice.

When people vote they support the policy of a political party. The candidates standing for election or re-election are representatives of their party.

Their personality may encourage the electorate to give their choice to a particular party, but it is the party and its manifesto which governs and not the individual. It is known as collective responsibility otherwise it would be a dictatorship.

Public opinion can be expressed politically in different ways. For instance, an abstained vote is regarded as a yes vote because the voter by not voting against the party in power has demonstrated his or choice for the status quo to be retained, otherwise they would have voted against it, even though the end result may be a reduced majority.

During the recent elections in Spennymoor for the Sedgefield Borough and Spennymoor Town councils the opinion of the electorate was that the Lib-Dems should receive 12 per cent of the votes in the former and four per cent in the latter.

"Let the people decide" has been a regular statement from a prominent local politician but councillors cannot expect to be allocated important authoritative posts when they only represent a small proportion of the total electorate.

The people have decided and in a democratic society the will of the people must prevail. - Thomas Conlon, Spennymoor.

EDUCATION

YOU reported (Echo, May 15) that the new Firthmoor Primary School has 'a huge financial shortfall' and that staff would have to go.

This is attributed to a fall in pupil numbers due to the demolishing of many houses on the estate. The school cost £2m initially and has only been open for five months.

Perhaps I am being naive, but it beggars belief that the council, knowing that the regeneration of the estate would involve a considerable reduction in the number of families with children, went ahead and built a school which was going to be too big for the number of potential pupils. If this is local government planning we must all wonder what other blunders are in the pipeline. Council tax payers have to foot the bill for this sort of inefficiency.

It is a great pity that the present staff, who must have worked hard to merit such an excellent report from Ofsted, must now be very anxious about their future due to such poor forward planning. - RK Bradley, Darlington.

IRAQ

THE iron in Tony Blair's ego appears to have magnetic influence on the needle of his moral and political compass, causing it to point in entirely the wrong direction.

So when he ought to have been leading us along the pathway of peace and diplomacy within the confines of the UN Charter and under the authority of the Security Council, he suddenly branched off into bandit country on the right and ordered our forces to fall in beside those of America, poised to launch an unnecessary and illegal war against Iraq.

Unlike America, Britain, so far as I can see, gains nothing from the war. On the contrary, it has cost us dear: first (tragically) in the lives of our servicemen; second in making Britain a prime target for international terrorism; third in losing us the trust and goodwill of neighbours in Europe and friends in the Middle East, and fourth in causing money to be used to kill civilians and devastate Iraq, which ought to have been spent on improving vital public services at home.

If the war helps to secure Tony Blair a place in history it will certainly be as a cartoon image depicting him as President Bush's poodle.

If Britain does not want to be swallowed up it is time for us to rebel, stage an equivalent of the Boston Tea Party and declare our independence. - S Deacon, Sunderland.

BRIGHTON BOMB

A RECENT programme on TV showed how the IRA attempted to blow up the British government in a Brighton hotel and almost succeeded.

The bomber, Patrick Magee, was sentenced to two life sentences and made to serve at least 35 years in prison.

Another British government, under Tony Blair, set him free and gave him £3,900 'settling in' allowance. Another 800 were freed and given similar handouts.

It is said that Clare Short in her coming book will tell how Tony Blair betrayed his party.

I am waiting to hear from the journalist who reveals how, after the Brighton bombing, Tony Blair betrayed his country. - Jim Ross, Rowlands Gill.

LOCAL HISTORY

I WOULD like to say thank you and congratulate Howden-le-Wear Local History Society on publishing and writing the history of the village.

Reading the book brings many memories flooding back, being a resident of Howden all my three score years and ten. I enjoy my days at the park and cricket field, and thank the people who gave covenants for the recreation for the village which I hope won't be given away.

I hope the society keeps a watchful eye on them. Keep on with your research and thank you all for your contribution to Howden-le-Wear. - J Brown, Crook.