Letters

JUSTICE of sorts is seen to have been done regarding the Lockerbie disaster.

It is right that terrorist individuals or states are brought to account but why are those who bombed Tripoli or an aspirin factory in Sudan still at liberty or those who shot down an Iranian airliner or destroyed a civilian TV station in Belgrade? Western politicians are blind to their own crimes.

A good democracy needs good journalists who are not afraid to point out the double standards applied.

America has no regard for interational law when it suits them or using its influence to have UN resolutions complied with (Israel's blatant abstinence, however understandable, immediately springs to mind). - Alec Featherstone, Pickering.

IT may be called Europe's worst terrorist atrocity ever, but at the recent trial of Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Al Megrahi, the authorities have sadly failed to succeed in their aim to provide justice for the bereaved families.

There is surely now a crisis within the European judicial system. The truth is that there is a strong case for the execution of Al Megrahi and the placing of capital punishment at the centre of European justice again. - Andrew Lightfoot, Bridlington.

PENSIONERS

I AM afraid I agree, Mrs Wilkinson (HAS, Jan 20), some pensioners are living on the breadline. Not all pensioners get the perks unless you are on Income Support, then of course you can get council tax rebate and rent rebate.

Some pensioners are not so lucky. Some pensioners have a bank account to reply on, but if you do not have any of these it can be a struggle.

Fair enough, pensioners are better off with a Labour government, the £200 winter fuel allowance was very acceptable and I know all pensioners can't afford a holiday in England, never mind go abroad. - D Howe, Darlington.

STAR WARS

IN defence of Stan Walinets, I would say that Martin Brown has missed the point (HAS, Jan 30)

The theory of nuclear deterrent works on the principle of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).

The US seeks to undermine this principle by acquiring the capacity to use nuclear weapons with impunity. This is an arrogant and belligerent stance, and doubtless Russian scientists will try to restore the balance.

MAD is both mad and dangerous, but Star Wars is even worse. The only way to make the world safer from weapons of mass destruction is through the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Non-proliferation Treaty and these treaties will only be effective if the major nuclear powers make some serious moves towards disarmament. - Pete Winstanley, Chester-le-Street.

JOB LOSSES

I AND my colleagues have just listened with incredulity to the announcement that 6,000 jobs are to be axed by Corus.

Not just because we are shocked by the number of redundancies, but also because of the Government's reaction.

Trade and Industry Secretary Stephen Byers complains that Corus has been "resistant to official dialogue, and have refused to discuss their plans". We face exactly the same problem with the DTI.

The EU is about to impose an illegal export ban that threatens to close factories and put up to 10,000 UK manufacturing and supply industry jobs at risk. UK Ministers could stop this happening, the DTI could step in to veto the proposal, but our Government has been resistant to official dialogue and refused to discuss the plans that will wipe out our livelihoods, for no benefit whatsoever.

Presumably, they do not believe valuable manufacturing jobs in the tobacco industry are worth saving. One thing is for sure, if and when redundancies are announced at our factories in Darlington and Southampton, as they could be soon, our Government will not be able to say they didn't know. We will have warned them, but they have refused to believe us or to act. - Ian Coverdale, MSF Union Representative, Rothmans (BAT), Darlington.

STOCKTON

I WAS gratified to see a reference to Stockton, County Durham (Echo, Feb 1).

Dare I hope that this implies a change of emphasis from Stockton. Teesside? I presume that there is some hidden agenda which requires the media to make frequent references to the name Teesside, but I cannot understand why this should be so.

Teesside has no official status and would be difficult, if not impossible, to find on a map and surely within your circulation area, Stockton or Stockton-on-Tees, would locate us.

And it is even more perplexing as to why towns such as Hartlepool or Guisborough should be included within Teesside. Perhaps your reporters don't observe road signs such as the one in Hartlepool which reads Teesside 12. - Peter Elliott, Eaglescliffe in the County of Durham.

LABOUR POLICIES

JUST how well have the Labour Party done in their term of office, which is rapidly approaching four years?

Fiscal experts seem to be in no doubt that there have been significant increases in taxation. The complete removal of MIRAS and the married persons' allowance and substantial increases in fuel taxation have been just three contributory factors.

Without doubt, the health service remained untouched until the flu epidemic of last winter and still seems to lunge from one crisis to the next.

In education, with teachers having to spend large amounts of their own time doing planning and paperwork, it is of no surprise that recruitment programmes are facing difficulties and that teacher shortages are now occurring.

Add to this, by way of example, the rising crime figures, the second Mandelson affair and proposed council tax increases of five times the rate of inflation and we seem to have a pretty dismal show.

Whatever one's political persuasion, we are surely entitled to a much better performance from our government. - Barrie Caton, Darlington.