Hear all sides

I AGREE with the editorial (Echo, Nov 1) that no one should begrudge senior directors handsome salaries and gifts on their retirement if they have earned it.

But the pay-off Sir Peter Bonfield will receive beggars belief.

If he had been paid by results, he would have walked away with nothing. Bonuses and share options used to be synonymous with success. Forty years ago, who could have visualised the collapse of communism yet, if the trend continues with the private companies giving Lottery style pay-offs to failed directors, capitalism could well go the same way.

There's no disgrace with failure, but there is in denying it. - Douglas Punchard, Kirkbymoorside.

MARGARET Thatcher reckons the privatisation of BT was one of her great achievements because it opened up share-owning to everyone instead of just City fat cats.

One million people who had never owned shares before dipped into the stock market. A triumph for capitalism.

But 17 years on, the glitter is gone and the old, greedy, incompetent, rotten City sleaze-baggery is on show for all to see.

Sir Peter Bonfield resigned as BT chief executive after an appalling six-year reign. The share price dropped from £13 to £3.30, international expansion failed, debts mounted to nearly £30bn and only last month 3,300 jobs were lost because of another failed venture.

BT is the only former European monopoly phone business that has failed to become its country's leading Internet provider.

Company performance doesn't come much worse. Yet Sir Peter Bonfield departs this bloody battlefield with a pay-off of £3.2m.

BT waved its chief executive goodbye, trumpeting abject failure as being "well positioned for the future".

The truth is the opposite. Staff and shareholders are stranded up a foul-smelling creek while Bonfield paddles off in a golden canoe with a grin as wide as a very fat Cheshire cat. - DT Murray, Coxhoe.

UNEMPLOYMENT

HUGH Pender (HAS, Nov 5) has finally woken up after four years of Labour rule. He's now griping about job losses.

Just a reminder off the top of my head - Fujitsu, Siemens, Vaux Brewery, Coles Cranes, Electrolux, Rothmans, Wilkinson Sword, Corus, Sanyo, Glaxo and the whole of the North-East textile industry. All brought or supported by the Tories, taken away by Labour.

Since when has the Labour Party been worried about working class jobs?

Given a level playing field, this region has a workforce to match the world.

Well done to The Northern Echo for again highlighting our plight (Echo, Nov 6) while those who are paid to represent us simply don't. - J Tague, Bishop Auckland.

WAR ON TERRORISM

AS you might imagine, most Americans have been in a state of shock after the events of September 11.

Assisting us to cope after the horrific attacks have been the love, prayers and support from around the world. I've had many messages of support and concern from people in Australia, New Zealand and Darlington, where my husband George was manager at Torringtons for three years and I taught at Reid Street school.

My nephew Darren is a young lawyer who works four blocks away from the World Trade Centre, and he saw the tragedy unfolding from the window of a judge's office. He got out okay, but was still very shaken.

As we watched the BBC World News the following day, we saw the service at St Paul's in London and the three minutes of silence across Europe. These demonstrations of support assisted us in coping with the aftermath of the tragedy.

Americans are a very resilient people, but we are all in deep mourning. Please express to all in Darlington my sincere thanks for your country's expression of solidarity, prayers and support.

No matter what your party affiliation, you must appreciate Tony Blair's strong stand with us at this time.

We all must continue to pray that President George W Bush makes the right choices in response to these terrorists. We must stand strong and united against terrorism. - Carol Viering, Florence, South Carolina, US.

DOES anyone really believe that giving in to Osama bin Laden will solve the problem?

This evil man and his followers have killed thousands of his own people over the years in all parts of the Middle East.

I agree with the actions of George Bush and Tony Blair. You do not beat violence with appeasement.

We will not have peace by appeasement. We are fighting a very evil man who is prepared to murder a lot of innocent people. Just think of New York and the people killed by his terrorist organisation. - F Wealands, Darlington.

FIREWORKS

YOUR corespondent Ms Abbey (HAS, Oct 30) is quite wrong when she says the indiscriminate letting off of fireworks takes place for three weeks out of every year.

It actually commences four weeks prior to Bonfire Day and continues for four weeks afterwards. When my dog comes out from behind the sofa in five weeks time I will get it to confirm this. - P Scholey (and poor Charlie), Chester-le-Street.

GREAT NORTH RUN

A BIG thank you to all readers who took part in the recent Great North events to raise money for the CHIN-UP Independent (not linked to adult hospices or hospitals) Children's Hospice Appeal and also to their friends, colleagues and family members who gave their sponsorship so generously.

There was also an excellent response to our Children's Hospice Week Appeal in September with many individuals and works canteens baking and selling cheese scones and other items for CHIN-UP. Many thanks. - Jack Charlton, Patron, Chin-Up, Gosforth.