Letters

FIVE years ago British petrol was significantly cheaper than anywhere else in Western Europe. It is now by far the most expensive.

Some garages are already charging £4 a gallon, of which over £3 is tax. As always, the elderly, the disabled and people on low incomes are the ones to suffer the most, but all drivers are feeling the strain and the indications are that things will get worse.

The good news is that there are 31 million of us and we are all voters. Remember this next time you go to the polls.

You can make a difference. Tell the politicians that you have had enough and that you will kick them where it hurts - in the ballot box. - Tony Vickers, Campaigns Coordinator, Association of British Drivers.

MOTOR CYCLISTS

I WOULD like to reply to Eric Gendle, (HAS, June 28) who thinks that all motorcyclists are lunatics.

I drive a car and a motorcycle and have passed advanced tests for both and I resent his assumption that all fast bikes flout the speed limits.

Is he honestly trying to convince us that all car drivers are well mannered and well behaved and obey every speed limit?

While agreeing that there are a minority of motorcyclists who act like hooligans and give us all a bad name, there are more lunatic car drivers with fast cars and not so fast cars who blatantly flout the law and endanger lives by their careless driving.

I know, I have been driving for 32 years and see it every day. - P Cooke, Bishop Auckland.

EUROPEAN UNION

AFTER President Chirac's speech to the Reichstag in Berlin in which he could not have made it clearer that Germany and France intend to create a country called Europe, can Tony Blair and William Hague now pretend to have any doubt as to what the real EU agenda is?

For the single market and the single currency to work there has to be a single government with power to raise taxes, namely VAT.

For Mr Blair and Mr Hague to pretend otherwise is a crime against our society.

We UK citizens must demand a proper debate and referendum on our future before it is too late. - Stephen Feaster, Yorkshire and Humber Region Committee, United Kingdom Independence Party.

SINGLE CURRENCY

WHEN Nissan makes its usual threats of rediverting investment owing to the strong pound, I wonder if it ever considers the motorists in the UK. They must be some of its best customers but will have to pay more for their cars should the pound be devalued to favour the Europeans.

Yet those who are able to cross the Channel and purchase a car of their choice can do more cheaply than buying over here.

Quite recently the Chancellor informed us that he was using some of our gold reserves to buy euros. What then is to stop us using both the pound and the euro?

With London being one of the money marketing centres of the world it should not prove too difficult; it could be the first step towards making the best decision of all, a single world currency. - D Punchard, Kirkbymoorside.

LEO BLAIR

THE antics of the Blairs never cease to amuse me.

If they do not want their unremarkable child to be photographed why do they not leave him at home when carrying out visits to places accessible to the general public?

Surely they must have access to an affordable child minder. - Sheila Wilkes, Darlington.

FOX HUNTING

HAVE any of the people who wish to ban hunting really given any thought of the harm it will cause to the people involved? They will lose their homes, their income and their way of life.

Ask the antis how they would feel if they stood to lose all or any of the above. Bewildered, anxious, desperate - a few of the emotions that come to mind.

Banning hunting will not change the antis' lives one bit. They will continue to live just as they are while other people's lives, which did not really affect them in the first place, will be devastated.

No hunting person wishes to harm or alter anyone's lifestyle so, please, leave hunting alone. - Carole Anderson, Stanley.

ANIMAL WELFARE

THE wonderful picture and story on the front page (Echo, June 30) reduced me to tears.

I refer to Angie Walker and lovely Effie, the dog rescued from Greece. If I were in a financial position to help her I would not hesitate.

All I can do is to commend her for her loving care and wish she and Effie a long, loving and happy life together. - Sue Warwick, Northallerton.

NEW LABOUR

VERY soon we will be treated to Tony Blair's sweet talk and fluttering eyelashes as he warms up towards the next General Election.

No doubt we will have a re-run of all the unfulfilled promises he made last time.

We must not forget, nor allow ourselves to be lulled into a false sense of security. Let us continue to remind ourselves what he did to the pensioners, what he did to the married person's allowance, what he hasn't done for the health service and crime.

I am sick and tired of this man telling us what his party inherited from the Tory party. I don't deny that but what has he done in three years to redress the situation. Let's see some action.

New Labour? I don't think so. Rather a very old, tired Labour, with policies of yesteryear imposed by yesterday's men. - A L Rowntree, York.

IMMIGRATION

WE have seen a huge influx of migrants into the British Isles, a politically-correct scenario that has brow beaten and insulted many who, it seems, have no say in the matter. Governments, which for many years have ignored the consequences and results of their failure, have allowed this country to become a doormat for other people's problems at the expense of the less well off in this country.

Tony Blair, who it seems has a bottomless pit of other people's money, ignores the plight of many young people, the old and others who have lost their jobs. - John Young, Crook.

PET CARE

THE Pet Health Council was formed in 1979 to promote the health and welfare of animals in the interests of pets and people.

The PHC works with a panel of medical and veterinary advisors and has produced a range of information leaflets. These offer essential advice for current and potential pet owners on caring for pets and being a responsible pet owner.

For further information and copies of the full range of leaflets, you can visit the PHC website: www.pethealthcouncil.co.uk. - Susan Mather, The Pet Health Council, 4 Bedford Square, London WC1B 3RA.