EDUCATION - I read with interest that the Government's campaign to attract graduates with a "good" degree into teacher training has resulted in 110 applicants. The campaign apparently cost £14m.

No doubt in Tone-speak this represents sound value for money.

However, when was the equation "good degree=good teacher" proved and adopted?

Perhaps, as the holder of an "average" degree, this whole episode simply passed me by. - Paul Tomaney, Durham.

WAR ON IRAQ

ALAN Benn (HAS Jan. 4) asks what Tony Blair and George Bush must do to hammer home the message that we have no quarrel with ordinary Iraqis or Muslims generally. I would suggest at least the following:

1. Stop hammering and start listening.

2. While Israel's security must be guaranteed, the Israelis must be compelled to withdraw completely from Palestinian territory. It is hypocritical to condemn human rights abuses in Iraq while aiding and abetting such abuses in Palestine.

3. The West must demonstrate a determination to rid the world of all weapons of mass destruction, not just those held by "rogue" states. This means an end to the development of space-based weapons. Global US military supremacy cannot protect us from terrorism, and there is no evidence of collaboration between Iraq and any international terrorist group. Saddam is a secular ruler, regarded by Islamic fundamentalists as a corrupt and murderous apostate.

4. Now that the Iraqis are co-operating with the UN inspectors, the sanctions should be lifted. They were originally intended as an incentive for Iraq to disarm, but that incentive was removed in 1994 when the US made it clear that sanctions would continue as long as Saddam remained in power. Regime change, not disarmament, is still the US objective. George Bush has no right to decide whether Iraqis would prefer to live, even under Saddam's oppression, or be killed by American bombs.

An attack on Iraq, especially without resolving the above issues, will only condemn humanity to perpetual bloody conflict. - Pete Winstanley, Durham.

IS it too cynical of me to question the coincidence of the release by the Prime Minister of the news that a trace of ricin poison has been discovered in London at the same time as the announcement of the call-up of 1,500 reservists to go to Iraq?

We are gradually being conditioned to accept a war which, as I see it, is not supported by any proof that Iraq possesses any weapons that pose a direct threat to this country or has any intention to attack, but appears to have more to do with the control of the supply of oil.

The Government's news management apparatus, with the support of most of the national press, appears to be hell-bent on linking entirely unrelated incidents to foster a mood of panic in the public to justify an, as yet, unjustifiable war.

Let's hope the UN takes more convincing. - Chris Greenwell, Aycliffe Village.

ARE we under censorship and propaganda? Christmas week, while watching the news on TV, a breaking item was papers released in America under 20-year holding rules which showed when Iraq was in conflict with Iran, America was supplying Iraq with arms and equipment.

That was the only showing I saw about the item, it was never mentioned again.

When Geoff Hoon, the Defence Secretary, was making a statement to the House of Commons about having to call up members of Britain's military reserve forces to help in the proposed American armed conflict, the TV news channel came up with another breaking story, "police arrest north African men over chemicals found on the premises they lived in".

Mr Hoon's more important story was dropped.

It seemed to me to be very convenient to have experts on one subject hanging about waiting for a story on chemical or biological agents being found when the Defence Secretary was telling the House of Commons about impending call-up of military reservists and who was likely to be included.

This proposed call-up will take people from all areas of work, some of which are already undermanned and can't provide the service that has been already promised by this New Labour Government.

Where are they going to get the health workers from to replace the people that will have be called up to support the infantry and other military units that the Americans require?.

If this Government has any money to spend it should be spending it on the things it has already promised to improve and not go looking to spend it fighting in someone else's fight. - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

WASTE RECYCLING

I FEEL that charging the end user for the disposal of rubbish is looking at the problem from the wrong direction.

The manufacture of rubbish should be banned at source. This year I purchased a pair of travel ear plugs, each plug was separately wrapped in a plastic coat, they were then encased in a blister pack with a huge cardboard display back, at the point of sale they were then put into yet another plastic bag and the cost of them was ridiculous. On top of this I am now responsible for the disposal of the mountain of totally unnecessary packaging.

Consumers have little choice about how much rubbish they end up with. RK Bradley (HAS, Jan 6) is on the right track but why make disposable cartons at all?

Milk, fizzy drinks and the like used to come in glass bottles which were re-used. The traditional shopping bag used to last for years and non-sensitive goods were put straight in unwrapped. Recycling is good, but should only be needed as a last resort. - Yvonne Benn, Burneston.