HOW is it, in these days of rampant unemployment, the heir to one of England's richest fortunes, the House of Windsor, can screw £5m from the British taxpayer to refurbish Clarence House?

If Prince Charles wants a paint job, he should foot the bill and not reach new levels of greed.

All I can think is that the Royal Family doesn't care about a nation under siege. We are in such hot water: public services, education, law and order, hospitals not coping with demand, illegal immigrants conning us, all being a burden on the British taxpayer.

It is just scandalous and I feel angry and frustrated with a Government which is allowing folks' hard-earned cash to go to waste. The Windsors are multi-billionaires. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

SINGLE CURRENCY

AS Tony Blair ponders about whether he dare have the referendum, along comes the Jubilee celebrations.

The resurgence of British pride and patriotism is a crucial blow to pro-Europeans' plans to give away our sovereignty and have us ruled from Europe.

It coincides with many problems that are surfacing with the euro. Countries which had the euro imposed on them without a referendum don't like it. The EU admits the advent of the euro has inflated prices. Unemployment continues to increase in Germany and insolvencies reached record highs. Disillusioned French voters alarmingly turned to the NF, this meant over 50 per cent voted for anti-euro parties in the presidential election.

When Mr Blair's propaganda campaign to join the euro eventually takes place, people who take a pride in being British will know there are millions more who feel the same, and Britain does not need to forsake its independence for such a dubious ideal, certainly not in the foreseeable future. - J Heslop, Gainford.

NEITHER the Queen's picture nor anybody else's picture on a piece of paper money affects its monetary value.

In short, inflation isn't determined by the looks of any currency note. Meanwhile, countless people seem to be rejecting the euro principally because the Queen's picture would go west from British money if the euro currency were introduced in Britain.

Just one currency in Europe would benefit travellers no end. Need I explain just how?

Currently, the inflation rate in Britain is low enough to make the pound good and sound. The looks of our currency has nothing at all to do with this situation. What actually counts is the strength of the British economy. - Alfred H Lister, Guisborough.

ISLAM

I REFER to Gerald Leadbetter's letter (HAS, Jun 10) regarding fundamentalism, and must make it absolutely clear that there are no verses in the Holy Qur'an which state that a Muslim must fight a holy war until the world becomes Islamic.

The religion of Islam is a universal teaching for the whole of mankind. The word Islam means peace and Muslim means a person who submits himself or herself to the will of God. Muslims believe the Holy Qur'an to be the words of God. They also believe that one of the attributes of God is that He is the source of all peace.

Being a universal religion, there are verses in the Holy Qur'an that contain rules of conduct if a Muslim is forced into a state of war. The only holy war a Muslim must wage is a war against himself, that is a one of self reformation into doing all that is good. - Bilal Atkinson, Stockton.

UNION JACK

THE Queen's Jubilee and the World Cup are inciting a fervour of nationalism amongst the English not noted for such displays.

Showing the flag of St George is welcome, but so many of the union flags are the wrong way up (two pubs in the Aycliffe area have them upside down). What other nations would insult their national flag in this way? - Chris Greenwell, Aycliffe.

PARTY FUNDING

YOUR editorial (Echo, June 13) rightly points to the 'own-goals' scored by Labour's spin-machine in recent years. It does not, however, give credit to Labour for introducing real transparency in forcing all parties to reveal significant donations.

It is also wrong to see increased state funding of parties as an easy 'quick-fix' for Labour. The idea is very controversial and so, given how unpopular parties and politicians are, could well sink into oblivion. State funding is also no guarantee against sleaze as the German experience under Chancellor Kohl has demonstrated.

Despite this, I believe a system of state-funding, perhaps based on a party's popular vote and its number of elected representatives, is vastly preferable.

At present, the rich and powerful are suspected by both the public and the media to be buying influence. The only way to do away with this inevitable perception is to reform the existing system and ban such donations altogether.

This should be linked to very tight restrictions on spending at election times. A party's grassroots members should get their message across rather than by expensive advertising and 'spinning' news.

Abraham Lincoln said 'the price of liberty is eternal vigilance'. One pound a year from each taxpayer, out of existing taxes, would be worth the extra price. - Stuart Hill, Darlington.