Letters

WE have been ramblers for 43 years and, as such, we have always respected the laws of the land.

In the face of this foot-and-mouth outbreak, commonsense must prevail as regards walking.

I do find some attitudes of younger walkers wholly selfish these days. Give and take on both sides is needed. At this moment in time our thoughts are with the farmers. Try a beach walk for a change. - M Carter, Redcar.

BEFORE we get too much of the hand-wringing that your editorial promotes on behalf of the "poor farmers" (Echo, Feb 26), I would suggest that if they had looked after their businesses in a more professional way they would not be in this position.

The systems and standards of quality control are absent in many farms and there is too much corner-cutting for profit - certainly the conditions in the farm that started the epidemic are unspeakable, by all accounts.

The cheap food argument doesn't wash either. We have campaigned for cheaper cars but do not expect the wheels to fall off the ones we buy whatever the price.

No doubt the farmers will have their hands out for compensation again for what is their own responsibility, and guess who picks up the bill?

It overdue that the farming industry cleans up its act. - C Greenwell, Aycliffe.

PALESTINE MEMORIAL

A PERMANENT memorial to members of the forces who served in Palestine will be unveiled and dedicated at the National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffordshire, on Saturday, May 19 at 11.30am.

The nearest convenient railway station from Darlington is Burton-on-Trent, about eight miles from Alrewas.

After the service, a buffet will be available at £5 per head, payable on the day.

If you are able to attend and, if you require the buffet lunch, please notify me by letter. - Mrs Irene Lewis, 7 Ravensdale Walk, Darlington DL3 8ED.

COMMUNISM

WILLIS Collinson (HAS, Feb 22) refers to Peter Mullen's "diatribes", but his own letter is an even worse anti-western diatribe than anything Mr Mullen can come up with.

He portrays communism as a totally innocent bystander in world events. Doesn't he know it was the communist North Vietnam which invaded the South, as in Korea and Cambodia?

The Marxist killing fields of both Korea and Cambodia don't come into the equation for him.

Both Lenin and Stalin were mass murderers. Lenin unleashed the "red terror" on Russia and ordered any who opposed his new communist regime to be treated "without mercy". Thousands were slaughtered.

Stalin took power in 1924 and extended Lenin's idea into a "great terror", and millions perished. Anyone who posed the slightest threat disappeared into slave labour camps, and even those who failed to show enthusiasm for the slaughter became the next victims. - CL Lambton, Middlesbrough.

TRAVEL

I READ with some despair of the meeting of Darlington Borough Council to decide the options to be offered to OAPs and holders of concessionery fare bus passes.

A detailed leaflet which explained the options open to bus pass holders was in fact delivered to every household the previous weekend. I also believe that the details were published earlier in the Town Crier.

Why, therefore, was it necessary to hold a meeting to discuss an already decided policy?

Does the council realise that every bus pass holder will be worse off under the new scheme? At present, users pay 25p per journey; when the new passes are issued they will have to pay more. And this is from a council that has announced one of the highest council tax rises in the country. - JR Waterson, Darlington

PETER MULLEN

"CAN bias and sheer stupidity ... become any more extreme?", writes Peter Mullen in his rant against the BBC (Echo, Feb 27).

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black!

I am sure that Peter Mullen need not fear any rivals for bias and sheer stupidity.

Mr Mullen admits that Churchill was in favour of a United States of Europe but claims that he saw no part in this for Britain. Churchill's active life was, of course, during the time of the British Empire to whose dismantling he was strongly opposed.

Has Mr Mullen forgotten Churchill's advocacy of the creation of joint UK/French citizenship? Or, might truth spoil his story? - HW Heslop, Crook.

OPERATION LANCET

IS it not a sad indictment of today's society when the headlines (Echo, Feb 23) highlight the utter waste of million of pounds on Operation Lancet, when on the same day we read that little Zara Fox needs £6,000 to go to the US for treatment for a rare disorder and that her parents have had to launch an appeal. - Trevor Schofield, Leyburn.

EURO REFERENDUM

UNDOUBTEDLY, the people of Britain are more progressively and democratically minded than at any other time in their long history, a fact which makes it hard to accept Tony Blair's comment that no referendum on British monetary union is being planned by his Labour Government.

It is tragic that Britain's Prime Minister is unwilling to nurture his own people's love for democracy and the democratic process. - Andrew Lightfoot, Bridlington.

EDUCATION

LABOUR has the audacity to mount a poster campaign claiming that the Tories will cut spending on education. For the party which has abolished student grants, introduced tuition fees and which, until recently at least, was spending less money on education than the Major government, this is really a bit much.

Some of us can even remember Tony Blair, while still masquerading as a socialist, speaking out in defence of student grants. Ramsey MacDonald is starting to look like a man of principle by comparison. - Carl Watson, Darlington.