RAY MALLON

I HAVE been on Ray Mallon's side for a long time now, believing him to be innocent of the charges brought against him, and trusting that the British justice system will do its job and clear his name.

The investigation has cost millions, resulting in a noticeable decline in our local police force.

If Ray Mallon is to be found innocent by following proper procedures, then maybe some of this cost can be justified. Also, many public figures have placed their faith in, and voiced their support of, Ray Mallon.

I feel that for him to now admit to the charges, simply to close the case quickly so he can stand for elected mayor, is to make a mockery of all the support he has received and to undermine British justice.

Do we want an elected mayor who has done this, casting doubt on his credibility (in which case a candidate should be disqualified from standing) or one that sticks to his cause and gets his name cleared, resulting in a more dedicated electorate when he has opportunity to stand for elected mayor at a later date?

I know which one I favour. If he admits to the charges, I will see this as it is, admitting guilt, and I certainly will not support Mr Mallon when I visit the ballot box. - Name and address supplied.

I FIND your editorial on Ray Mallon (Echo, Feb 6) puzzling, to say the least.

You share a "concern that democracy would be undermined if the people of Middlesbrough were denied a candidate with clear public support". Further, you "fully expected him to be found guilty" as "there had to be some kind of end result for the police".

Ray Mallon's "gamble" is to trust the people of Middlesbrough to give him a hearing fairer than the one he has received to date from the police disciplinary procedures.

An important principle of the English legal system is "justice delayed is justice denied". What would be the point in spending another year, or two, or three, going through a procedure which is widely seen as flawed and open to malicious abuse by "the establishment"?

Voters in Middlesbrough will now have the opportunity to judge Ray Mallon's honesty and ideas to improve services and jobs against those of all the other candidates. That must be good news for democracy. - Stuart Hill, Darlington.

RAIL SAFETY

YOUR front page article (Echo, Feb 5) gave clear enough evidence: 42 vehicles ploughed through rail bridge fences, 27 ended up on the tracks, three were hit by trains and one person was killed, all in less than a year since Selby. Selby was not a freak event. It is a disaster waiting to happen again.

The analysis is clear but the authorities, especially Railtrack, suffer paralysis by legalysis. Members of Revolt are concerned at the intense heavy traffic for building National Grid's giant powerline, now permitted over some of these bridges.

With very little money and initiative, striking danger signs might be put in place until repairs are made. Or shall local people do it and shame the authorities? - Mike O'Carroll, Northallerton.

FOOT-AND-MOUTH

THE North-East has some of the most impressive countryside in the country.

However, last year the foot-and-mouth crisis resulted in a minimal amount of tourist trade and a general reduction in commercial activity in the North-East countryside. Matters were made worse by the lack of tourists from the US in the aftermath of the September 11 atrocities. Many previously thriving rurally-based businesses were, by the end of the summer, under threat of ceasing to trade.

In a survey carried out last year, more than 60 per cent of small businesses surveyed in the region said that they had been badly affected by the crises.

The inquiry that is now being conduced by Sir Don Curry, to draw up a blueprint for farming and one of a series of three ordered by the Prime Minister, is not enough to restore business confidence in the rural communities.

As the Northumberland County Council public inquiry revealed, there are too many questions that still need to be answered, so many lessons to be learnt and there is so much more help that needs to be given.

That is why The Federation of Small Businesses has joined many other organisations, including The Northern Echo, in calling upon the Government to hold a public inquiry into the causes, management and effects of the foot-and-mouth crisis.

This inquiry must be open, totally independent of the Government and more far reaching than the three tame studies that are currently under way. - P Troy, Chairman Darlington Branch, Federation of Small Businesses.

CLUB ENTERTAINMENT

SOME five years ago I made a conscious decision to have a break from visiting working men's clubs in and around Darlington.

However, some five years on, I recently visited a local club seeking live entertainment, and it soon became apparent why I took this break.

What has happened to live music? What has happened to quality cabaret? Ballroom dancing? The compre? Stage decoration and those monthly spectaculars?

Initially, I was pleasantly surprised to see a full concert room of some 300-400 people.

However, I did not have long to wait before an almost lifeless and untalented karaoke act took to the stage.

Why do working men's clubs continue down this road of destruction? Don't club members deserve quality entertainment for their loyalty and entrance fees?

Please, will at least one club in Darlington attempt to address the situation and recreate the cabaret entertainment of the 1970s and 1980s, which was so lucrative for the clubs and very enjoyable for the patrons? - Name and address supplied.