Letters

SO the anti-blood sport lobby has really got its teeth into banning fox hunting, and I wonder if it is always for the reasons it professes.

Foxes are vermin, they have to be controlled and their numbers reduced. Any form of control can involve cruelty, just as slaughtering animals for food can involve cruelty. It is unfortunate, but a fact of life. It has to be reduced wherever possible, but not banned.

Perhaps the reason for wanting to ban hunting is more allied to resentment towards the class of people who partake of this sport and have done for many years.

The vast majority who wish to see fox hunting banned are town folk. It has been said that shooting and fishing are next on the agenda for many of them. In fact, nothing short of a ban on most country sports would be acceptable. Fox hunting is the tip of the iceberg.

Many dog owners go to work in a town or city and leave their pets locked up all day within the confines of their homes, perhaps taking them for a walk at night, perhaps not. This is cruel, and yet never complained about by their country counterparts.

We need to leave well alone something we know very little about and let our Government get on with more important matters. - Barrie Caton, Darlington.

RACISM

P WINSTANLEY accuses William Hague of exploiting popular prejudice about racism for political advantage by pointing out problems with policing (HAS, Dec 6). Surely this is his job as Leader of the Opposition?

The simple problem is that Mr Hague is saying that police officers are reluctant to do their duty for fear of being accused of racism.

Mr Winstanley says police officers are human. Of course they are, they have been warned that if they are accused and found guilty of being a racist they will lose their pension, house and job. They can turn a blind eye and keep these things. What do you expect humans to do?

The result, eventually is that any group that considers itself a minority can indulge in crime without the fear of being detected. There is now a very large industry in race relations. Perhaps it might be easier if, instead of creating big definitions, we treated everyone the same no matter what their colour or creed. - Name and address supplied.

EUROPE

WILLIAM Hague's rejection of the Treaty of Nice means the Conservative Party will now enter the election on a commitment to block the enlargement of the European Union. It is a policy that is completely at odds with Britain's national interests.

As a country with more than three million jobs dependent on trade in Europe, Britain has a strong interest in plans to expand the Single Market. We also want the stability and security that enlargement will help to guarantee on our own continent.

On every aspect of European policy, the Conservative party is putting its own prejudices before the interests of the country. Its refusal to let the people decide on the single currency, even if the criteria for entry are met, is wholly undemocratic.

Labour has made great strides in realising the vision of a full employment society. Those efforts would be badly damaged if British membership of the euro was ruled out in the next Parliament, as the Conservatives want.

We believe the Government achieved a great success at Nice, defending our national interests and paving the way for the historic step of enlargement to the east. More than that, Tony Blair stood his ground and succeeded in exposing the hollowness of the anti-European case.

The Conservatives have badly misjudged the public mood. All pro Europeans should now have the confidence to make the case for Britain's full and positive engagement in Europe. - D Bowe, MEP, Yorkshire and The Humber Region.

BRITISH RESTAURANT

I WAS interested in the Eye in the Sky from the Past (Echo, Dec 15) which showed Darlington Market Place and the reference to British Restaurants.

I never visited the British Restaurant in Darlington but, as a wartime student in Leeds, I had a few extremely solid meals in the crypt of the town hall. I remember that the main course was accompanied by a mound of mashed potato and the sweet was of the jam roly-poly type. It was good plain fare and nobody would leave feeling hungry.

The British Restaurant was very popular around midday and the queue service was always quick and efficient from the serving hatch. - Margaret Lavender, Darlington.

FLYLINGDALES

HAVING read your report, Campaigner voices concern (Echo, Dec 18), I would like to ask Helen John to explain her statement that Fylingdales is an offensive weapon.

This early warning station was built because of the threat of communist missiles which totalled 13,000 at the time, mainly multiple warheads, 300 of which were targeted on England. - Mrs E Daniels, Darlington.

EQUALITY

WE are not born equal. The absence of identical characteristics does not warrant the denial of equal opportunities, especially in an economy of abundance.

Square pegs should not be forced into round holes and people do not give of their best when such practices are applied to them. There will always be a minority of people who cannot be slotted into any category but they should not be denied a place in society, provided they are not dangerous.

Oddballs can often be the catalysts for new discoveries and we owe much to such events in science as well as the sparks of genius from people previously regarded as misfits.

Civilisation is the triumph of the intellect over the instincts and there is still time, but we have yet to prove that we can survive the present chaos. - Maurice Jordan, Newton Aycliffe.