Letters

THERE have been recent reminders of the great journalists once associated with The Northern Echo, people such as WT Stead, giants of the literary profession.

What would they think if they could read the puny efforts of today's pygmies. The recent election results must have been particularly galling to such biased writers as Peter Mullen and Harry Mead.

These people do not write of their dislike of the Government or of the Labour Party, but of their personal hatred of Tony Blair. Indeed in his most recent column (Echo, June 20), Harry Mead mentions Mr Blair's name ten times.

In an effort to belittle Mr Blair's huge majority, Harry Mead describes it as a "so called re-election landslide" then he goes on to tell us that it was "in reality a slight slippage towards his Tory opponents".

After the last election, Harry Mead criticised the Prime Minister for being pictured with his women MPs, now he criticises the PM because he has not being photographed with them. I would like to remind Mr Mead that, at the election, the Echo supported Labour. The Echo was on a winner. - J Scott, Easington, Peterlee.

TORY PARTY

CHRIS Patten had said that, without the right policy, the Conservatives could have been led by either the Duke of Wellington or Donald Duck.

Unfortunately, the party assumes that it has a God-given right for it to rule.

It has always breathed the "us and them" attitude with unfailing monotonous regularity.

Richmondshire liked William Hague but the country didn't understand his vague manifesto. Heading up a "decimal" coin was absurd, when one realises that it was the Romans who introduced the coin.

Then we had the referendum issue, which the electorate will decide away from the politicians. As for asylum seekers, most European countries are faced with this problem, which is worldwide.

Really, the Tory PR team failed miserably to present Mr Hague visiting hospitals, schools, surgeries, residential homes and also talking to people.

They put a clamp on his wife and she didn't speak. She was presented like a loyal Barbie doll. Also, Lady Thatcher's intervention proved a real boost for Labour.

As for William, he spoke with "Churchillian" flavour, yet the country was not at war.

The conclusion: the media blamed the low turnout at the polling stations on apathy. However, if your standard of living is reasonable, then maybe apathy equals contentment and in turn common sense - a slogan that the people in Smith Square never really understood.

To even win the 2010 election, the Conservatives must change rapidly if they are to remain a political force. - George Hayes, Richmond.

THE EURO

MR Wealands (HAS, June 16) is labouring under a mistaken belief that Tony Blair is going to enter the euro system in an arbitrary manner.

If we join the EMS, it will be as a result of a democratic vote by the British people.

Mr Wealands displays an intemperate manner in his letter, but I imagine it is prompted by the thought of the chaos in the Tory party after two catastrophic election defeats.

If his brand of Conservatism keeps control of his party, then they are condemned to the political wilderness for a very long time.

The outcome of the euro debate will be decided by democracy at work and the euro-sceptics would do well to keep that in mind. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

LABOUR PARTY

PERHAPS Hugh Pender (HAS, June 18) has forgotten these are the same Front Bench ministers, with salaries of £96,000 per year (before their postponed obscene 27 per cent recent rise), who agreed that a 75p a week rise was adequate for pensioners and 25p a week adequate for those over 80. There are also other surprises from this Government in the pipeline, such as scrapping free nursing care for the aged, despite the Government's pledge that it would meet the full cost. Gordon Brown may also hit married couples with tax changes.

By the time I am 85, I will be paying £1,025 a year more tax than an 86-year-old and I will have paid £15,236 more tax altogether.

It's about time this country woke up to these con men that are running this country. - A Carter, Redcar.

CHURCH SCHOOLS

THE fact that so many more church schools are to be built must mean something (Echo, June 15).

Why do parents find church schools have generally higher standards, achieve better results, have high moral values and a caring ethos?

Christian parents naturally want their children to be schooled under the same loving Christian regime they provide at home. Non-Christians see the results and want it for their children, hence the clamour to get their children into church schools and the need for more to be built. How strange then, that so many people still say they can't be bothered with that God and church stuff for themselves.

Much has been said and written about the severe problems of discipline many of our schools are facing. Could a reintroduction of strong Christian principles to all our schools as it used to be. be a solution or at least the start of a solution to the problem? - EA Moralee, Billingham.

EUROPE

THE attempts to turn the General Election into a referendum on the single currency failed. Nevertheless, because the issue of Europe was moved so far up the political agenda, the Government has a mandate to lead the national debate that is needed so desperately.

North East in Europe has spent the last two years assembling a coalition of business, trade unions, politicians and civil society in the region. We are ready to continue to play an active part in the debate. But only the Government can take the lead and it must not shirk this responsibility. - Hugh Morgan Williams, North East in Europe.