Hear All Sides

Not all graduates will get highly-paid jobs and those that do pay higher taxes. Education may be an individual investment, but the Green Party still believes that access to further and higher education is of benefit to society as a whole.

Trebling university fees to place more of the costs of education on individuals would not be a reasonable solution to the lack of funding. What's needed is greater government investment.

Surely it isn't only the Green Party that believes that further education is not just a luxury? - Ida Bacon, St Chads College, Durham.

FIRE STRIKE

I AM now of the opinion that Tony Blair and his Government have no intention of settling the firefighters' dispute to the satisfaction of everyone concerned.

Indeed, Mr Blair now looks upon the firefighters in the same way that Mrs Thatcher looked upon the miners in 1984. Only total victory will suffice.

The FBU is constantly willing to negotiate with the employers' representatives over modernisation which actually takes place regularly in the fire service and many of the recommendations in the discredited Bain Report.

However, every time talks take place at Acas, the employers' representatives are merely puppets of an uncaring, unchallenged Government which constantly blocks meaningful talks on pay and working practices.

The Government wants 4,500 job losses in the fire service and 150 fire station closures. This is absolutely ridiculous in the light of the Pathfinder Report commissioned by the Government which actually states that the number of firefighters and fire stations should increase to project the general public of Britain.

Oh yes, please ask the Government about the Pathfinder Report. It seems to have been lost or somebody has taken it home with them. - Jeff Ashton, Darlington.

WAR ON IRAQ

IT looks as if Britain is going to war in Iraq again. I was in the last one but am too old for this one. No doubt the issue of friendly fire will come up again. This has been going on ever since the human race fought each other.

During the Second World War, the Royal Navy shot down more British aircraft than they did German. The answer for British aircrew, when on convoy protection duty, was to keep just out of range of all ships, friendly, neutral, and enemy.

When the United States entered the Second World War, it was said by the Germans that, when the RAF went over, the Germans took cover and, when the Luftwaffe went over, the British took cover, but, when the Americans went over, everybody took cover.

During the Battle of Britain, RAF fighter controllers got it wrong on at least one occasion and this was "the Battle of Barking Creek" when RAF radar controllers mistakenly vectored a squadron of British Spitfires onto British Hurricanes. Several pilots were killed.

In North America and Canada, to this day, when the men folk go big game hunting in search of moose etc the local farmers get a pot of whitewash and mark all their domestic cattle with the capital letters COW to avoid friendly fire from the hunters who cannot see the difference between an elk and a dairy cow. - J Potter, Newbottle.

WHATEVER, happens in Iraq, Saddam Hussein cannot be tried in any court of law since he is a head of state.

It is also unlikely that he will be killed or captured since he is reputed to have several "doubles".

As with many other dictators too numerous to mention, about which we did nothing, he has no doubt eliminated many of those who opposed his regime.

However, we would do well to remember the murderous bombing of Vietnam and Cambodia by the US - you play the numbers game in terms of those killed.

The ground invasion of Iraq will be preceded by a massive bombing campaign which will kill many thousands of innocent men, women and children.

Imagine how we would feel if we were to wait for such barbaric behaviour.

But we will wring our hands and say how awful it is. I, for one, will be ashamed of what will be done in our name.

President Bush and Tony Blair will be heroes to some, but not to the families of servicemen waiting for the dreaded telegram and not for the millions of decent people in the US and the UK and round the world who will see them as terrorists and warmongers to boot.

If the Labour Party stands aside and watches this happen, I will break the habit of a lifetime and never vote Labour again.

It is pleasing to note The Northern Echo has serious doubts about the wisdom of embarking on such a war which has so many unforeseen consequences.

It is also gratifying to read the many letters opposing this mad cavalier adventure by two men who are so consumed by their own importance they have lost all sense of decency and humanity. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

WE will never get the Hugh Penders of this country to like the Americans, even though they saved them and the rest of us from the gas chambers.

They conveniently forget what Saddam did to his own people and Kuwait.

His next move would have been into Saudi Arabia to control the oil which this country relies on.

What would the anti-Americans say them? Probably nothing. - J Cook, Newton Aycliffe.