BRITAIN

THE dignified, faultless, ceremonial of the Queen Mother's funeral surely put the 'Great' back into Great Britain.

It must have confounded the cynics, not to mention Cool Britannia, who have force-fed and brainwashed us into thinking we should become a Republic.

The Dunkirk spirit and respect for history and tradition stood out like a beacon, pride and patriotism was the Queen Mother's legacy to us, that was why so many thousands lined the streets.

So I say wake up Britain. Do you prefer cronyism, or patriotism? - Anne Jeffcutt, Darlington.

WE are on the brink of a precipice. What is being done to those things we as a nation care about most - like the English countryside, rural communities, the established church, traditional family values...

These things matter in themselves, but also in what they stand for. They are the essence of what we mean in calling ourselves English.

With them gone, there will be only chaos.

A revolution is going on in our midst, more insidious but no less ruthless than what happened once in France and Russia.

And, no doubt, after the tears and very likely the blood, it will be left, as always, to the traditionalists to come and pick up the pieces. - Tony Kelly, Crook.

HOW I used to be proud of being British. How things have changed and how the older generation must despair of what it sees.

Alcohol louts everywhere. Senior political figures considering the downgrading and de-criminalisation of certain drugs which the Government's own chief scientist describes as harmful. The over-politicisation of racial issues and gratuitous sex thrust down our throats at every opportunity.

Peak viewing time for children is TV soaps centering around the break-up of traditional values, foul language and sex screened regularly in advance of the supposed 9pm watershed.

A dirty, unkempt society with rubbish discarded everywhere, school teachers in fear of assault from pupils, traffic congestion and obscene monies paid to football stars, many with ugly manners, who feign life-threatening injuries, gratuitous fouling and a spit between every breath.

In Europe we will soon have the same currency, language, clothes, houses, cars, foods, haircuts, make-up - boring and wholly unnecessary.

We have become dirty, greedy, faithless, uncouth and vulgar - a sad reflection of our glorious past. Declining standards are everywhere, a source of great distress to many good people who work tirelessly for the betterment of others.

Who will speak up for the silent majority? We are leaderless - wake up someone! - Bob Wolff, Crook.

Sedgefield COUNCIL

THE duty of Sedgefield Borough Council is to improve the town of Spennymoor, the quality of life of its residents and the local environment.

Open fields and woodlands must be retained and derelict land first used in any building enterprise - there is such land adjacent to Carr Lane, the park and the old Police Station.

The fear of many people is that the decision to build at Whitworth has already been made.

Work is in progress at the proposed site on a 'sewage diversion' which would be available to service the new estate.

From the plans at Green Lane, it is obvious that the increase in traffic from the estate will seriously compromise Carr Lane at peak times and the rest of Spennymoor in general.

There is no justification for an estate of the size proposed when local companies are downsizing under the threat of foreign competition.

Only the council is pressing for the Whitworth Park enterprise in its present form. It is not motivated by the wishes of the people.

The town council suggests we should listen to the planners' advice, but confidence in that was destroyed many years ago with the building and subsequent demolition of Bessemer Park flats. - Barry Gobin, Spennymoor.

ELDERLY CARE

WITH residential homes closing, it appears that hospital beds are being made unavailable for ill patients because they are occupied by elderly people with nowhere to go.

The Government, quite rightly, is endeavouring to make it possible for many of these old people to go back to their homes and receive visits from care workers and relatives.

Too many people nowadays want their elderly parents or relatives in residential homes, especially if the taxpayer is footing the bill. Why should taxpayers pay for families, often well-off, two-salary couples, to have their relatives looked after by the state?

I am a pensioner now but my grandmother, in her last few years, was looked after by my mother, her daughter, and my mother was looked after in her declining years by my sister, her daughter.

How times have changed. Of course there are families who lovingly care for their elderly parents but they tend to be the minority.

What is lacking today, sadly encouraged by the welfare state, is a lack of personal responsibility.

It is up to the Government to make people face up to their responsibilities, thereby freeing resources for the truly needy, not opportunists. - H Pender, Darlington.

STEPHEN BYERS

WHAT a shame Stephen Byers's system of privatising Railtrack and then re-nationalising it without paying for it has not worked. The Government would be very rich if it could keep doing that. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

DURHAM COUNCIL

COULD any Durham County Councillor tell me why the council is wasting our taxes?

I refer to the narrowing of the road at the junction to Dean Bank beside the Westend Post Office in Ferryhill. This job has taken more than two weeks and so must be costing the taxpayers many thousands of pounds - even though it is not necessary.

Another big mistake is the speed trap at Ferryhill Station. It is dangerous as it has been built on top of a bank and so cannot be seen by traffic coming up the Chilton side.

All this is a waste of our taxes. If Durham County Council has so much money, why does it not build a multi-storey car park, which Ferryhill needs. It may cost a few million but at least parking fees would cover it in a couple of years.

Is there no one who agrees with me? - D Jones, Ferryhill.

MIDDLE EAST

THE double standards of Tony Blair and Jack Straw towards the Middle East are, frankly, nauseating. They want war with Iraq but continue to supply weaponry to the real threat to world peace, the murderous state of Israel and its terrorist leader Ariel Sharon.

A few weeks ago, a leading Israeli general said that Israel should learn the lessons of the German destruction of the Warsaw ghetto during the Second World War. Well, it has certainly put Nazi-style, blitzkrieg tactics into operation. Thousands of homes have been destroyed by American-supplied Apache helicopters. Hundreds of innocent civilians are dead. The wounded were also denied access to doctors and ambulances, in clear breach of the Geneva Convention. It is even alleged that summary executions and mass burials have taken place - more examples of alleged war crimes.

Despite Sharon's previous record of atrocities, he was recently an honoured guest of the "great moral leader" Tony Blair at 10, Downing Street. What a hypocrite. - John Gilmore, Bishop Auckland.

Weardale CEMENT WORKS

WELL done to Councillor John Shuttleworth for the battle he went into with the French company Larfarge. Coun Shuttleworth explored every available avenue to keep open the Weardale Cement plant, and he certainly made politicians and bosses all over the world sit up and take notice.

Also, the workers and people of Weardale sent out a very clear message.

I'm sure I echo the views of the whole of Weardale when I say, well done Coun Shuttleworth, and thank you. - K Lally, Bishop Auckland.