Hear All Sides

FOOT-AND-MOUTH

THANKS again Harry Mead (Echo, June 13) for speaking out for the vaccination of livestock.

Much of the recent foot-and-mouth publicity has, understandably, been focused on new cases and the plight and fight of people living near burial and burning sites.

It seems ironic that there should be any implications for human health at all over how a society chooses to deal with a (largely) non-fatal disease in animals.

Never before have carcasses, diseased or not, been buried in such large quantities and, even with long-term monitoring, no guarantees can be given about the future safety of these sites.

Of course, this is only one of the logistical problems of the slaughter policy.

By now, the current UK outbreak has overtaken the 1992 Taiwanese epidemic, which resulted in the slaughter of 3.8 million animals before the authorities resorted to vaccination - and halted the disease.

Other countries have effectively employed vaccination in their disease control and they export meat.

Now that Maff has become Defra, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, it would be desirable if the change of name may be followed by a change in policy. - Sabine Kuhilman, Wolsingham.

ROGUE STATES

IF George W Bush really wants to protect us from nuclear-armed "rogue states", he needs to acknowledge the part we have played in creating such states.

Saddam Hussein was armed in the first place by the United States and her allies, who were happy to supply unlimited conventional weapons as well as the raw materials for chemical and biological weapons. After the Gulf War, sanctions were imposed - not an arms embargo, which would have made sense - but sanctions which are crippling Iraq economically, socially and culturally.

This only strengthens Saddam's position - the people of Iraq blame Britain and the US, not Saddam, for the sanctions which kill their children by the thousand.

So long as we cling jealously to our own vast nuclear arsenals, believing that we alone have the sense of responsibility to wield such awesome power, there will be others, including dangerous tyrants, who will want the same power for themselves; and individuals willing to sell the required materials.

It is folly to imagine that we can keep the peace by developing a whole new generation of space-based weapons. - Pete Winstanley, Chester-le-Street.

PETER MULLEN

I HAVE read many letters wanting to silence Peter Mullen. I had thought Hear All Sides meant just that, all sides, not just the Phony Tony brigade.

The sudden interest of these left-wingers in Peter Mullen's religious views is mystifying. I had always thought they held the view that religion is the opium of the people, but they seem to have invented another commandment, "If thou has right-wing views, thou shalt not be allowed to air them".

What will it be next? Slave labour, camps for dissenters. - Peter Cartwright, Newton Aycliffe.

THE EURO

AFTER reading your editorial (Echo, June 11), Pound or euro - we must decide, surely the question is when do we join the euro?

While the Tories debate the selection of a new leader, the general public can enjoy a period of channel hopping.

What do we see? France and Germany want a European defence force. Nato wants a European rapid reaction force. Italy wants a European police force. Great Britain was a European immigration authority.

Tanks, aircraft and an unknown quantity of ships and ammunition prescribed in 20 different languages.

How do we pay for it? The answer to the sum total is tax. This means the journey to Euroland will be expensive whether it is paid for in pounds or euros.

When do we join the euro? We do not need to be too concerned about Whitehall, instead we should keep our eyes on Dagenham between now and 2003-4. - Thomas Conlon, Kirk Merrington, Spennymoor.

I DO do wonder why the likes of F Wealands (HAS, June 16) are so worried about the prospect of letting the nation have the chance to vote on the future of the pound?

As I'm no economic expert, along with many others, I look forward to hearing an informed, educated debate on the pros and cons of this important subject. I can't be the only one sick of the recent anti-foreigner, Little Englander rantings of William Hague and Co.

I also wonder what aspects of the British way of life that F Wealands and American billionaire Paul Getty wish to preserve? Could it be any of the following: a return to high unemployment; no minimum wage protection for the most needy; persistent underfunding of state education and the NHS; the poorest employee protection laws in Europe?.

Perhaps they also wish the retention of that most obnoxious "past time" of the landed gentry; specifically hunting with dogs? - M Citrone, York.

LABOUR POLICIES

THANK God the Labour Party is looking after its heartlands.

Fujitsu, Siemens, Vaux Brewery, Coles Cranes, Electrolux, Rothmans, Wilkinson Sword, Corus, the whole of the North-East textile industry and now Glaxo. Is that Mr Blair's promise for the region?

Remember the poll tax, set at around £250 per working adult. I'm sure, considering the going rate for council tax, most working people would prefer to pay the £250 each, than at least three or four times this amount for the same services.

Shame on those local councils who take into account war pensions when calculating council tax contributions. As for Mr Blair saying compensation for the miners would be a top priority, how much further forward are we after four years? Only The Northern Echo is showing any concern.

Not to worry, we'll all wait in line behind the Prime Minister for our 40 per cent pay increase. Only ours will be worthy and based upon achievements. - Jim Tague, Bishop Auckland.