19/11/05

He was only carrying out the orders that originated from the European Commission in Brussels whereby all member countries have to be organised into regions.

When that day dawns (and I hope it never does) the Europhiles will have won. Despite the 'No' vote, we still have the un-elected Regional Assembly in the North-East, along with the other eight that cover the rest of England. Scotland and Wales will each be a region in their own right.

Some years ago, Austin Mitchell, the Labour MP, is reported to have said that there was no way that a referendum on regional assemblies would end with a 'Yes' vote, "so we'll just have to find another way". When Eire turned down an EU referendum two years ago, the Irish prime minister was told to go back and persuade his electorate to change their minds! More recently, France and the Netherlands turned down the proposed European Constitution, but it is still not dead. Where is the democracy in all this?

Now our fire, police and ambulance services are in the throes of being made more "efficient" on a regional basis. What's the betting that we will eventually find that all three of them, nationally, end up as nine services, one for each EU region into which what is now known as "England" is set to be divided?

One cannot but be wary of an idea that is being put into operation by means so devious. - R Brownson, Belmont, Durham.

COUNCILLOR Chris Foote-Wood insults the intelligence of the vast majority of the people of the North-East (HAS, Nov 8) who do not want a regional assembly, either elected or unelected.

No-one on the present North-East Assembly was democratically elected by the people to sit on such a body.

The likes of Coun Foote-Wood were elected by us to serve on various county and district councils - not to select themselves to sit on a totally undemocratic assembly.

Unfortunately, we had this undemocratic body forced on us, but we do not have to accept it. - J Routledge, Witton Gilbert.

I CAN inform Councillor Chris Foote-Wood that his latest feeble attempt to justify the existence of the North-East Assembly (HAS, Nov 8) has failed spectacularly.

Mr Foote-Wood claims legitimacy for the assembly and its 73 members using the term "indirectly elected" to describe their status. May I inform readers that the individually elected councillors from the 25 constituent authorities of the North-East that make up the NEA (alongside other people from the TUC etc) have no mandate outside the wards/boroughs for which they were elected.

They have no collective mandate to decide any matters outside this remit.

They are, by definition, unelected to perform any other legislative functions - the NEA is therefore undemocratic and illegitimate.

The NEA, together with other regional assemblies in England, were decreed and brought into existence via the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 (Article 198A). - Dave Pascoe, Press Secretary, UKIP, Hartlepool Branch.

TONY Blair has set up a ragbag of regional organisations. This is an EU idea. What will happen to our central government when Brussels takes over completely?

We recently had a glimpse of the future when a motley crew of North-East local politicians entertained EU officials (and themselves) in Auckland Castle. Eventually British regional politicians will be competing with each other, trying to get back a small fraction of the billions we hand over to Brussels annually.

What we really need now is an honesty political party peopled by a new breed of British politicians. In any case, regions should be run from Westminster, organising agriculture, education, police etc and funded through British income tax - local politicians should be seriously demoted.

A step in the right direction would be Gordon Brown replacing Mr Blair, who, for once, should think of England and resign. - F Evans, Sunderland.

EDUCATION

THE Government has returned to the destruction of local democracy. It would enfeeble or destroy local education authorities, taking from the parents the opportunities they now enjoy of influencing and informing locally-elected committees.

Pretentiously named academies, sponsored by tender-hearted, altruistic businessmen and others, are to work with the remote Ofsted in their cloud cuckooland of league tables and an obsession with a national curriculum.

The true aim of education should be for the individual to reach his or her potential; not to provide qualifications for a labour force. Age, aptitude and ability should always be prime considerations.

Disciplinary powers were taken from schools and then from parents.

Headteachers, renamed 'School Leaders' by the Department of Education, no longer have time to teach and thus keep a finger on the pulse of the school. - Denis Towlard, Thornaby.

LEAH PATTISON

I NOTED the letter from the president of Crook Rotary Club (HAS, Nov 11) and our charity Start is naturally very grateful for all the club has done since becoming involved in the project.

When The Northern Echo first reported Leah Pattison's determination to help India five years ago, support grew rapidly. Donations arrived from all over the country and beyond. Some donations were very large, but many were from people wanting to support, but could ill afford what they sent.

The people of Weardale regard both Leah and her Indian friend Usha as belonging to them and have dug deep into their pockets to give support - with time as well as money.

The recent articles in the paper have been excellent and your reporter, Sarah Foster, was very brave to undertake the journey to find out things at first hand. - Judith Bainbridge, Chair of the Trustees of Start, Frosterley.

PITTINGTON

DEMOCRACY and freedom of speech have been dealt a blow by Pittington Parish Council's decision to suspend a ten-minute rule allowing members of the public to speak before each meeting (Echo, Nov 15).

The chairman argued that the rule was past its usefulness. Yet how could preventing the public from speaking give the council more flexibility when it already has such flexibility enshrined in its standing orders?

Crucially, the votes of just four councillors were sufficient to carry a motion to restrain several hundred people (whom they represent) from speaking. The effect is to gag members of the public who might wish to raise legitimate issues.

Rather than stifling public involvement, the parish council would do better to consider ways of engaging people at grass roots level. How can the chairman justify a resolution that is contrary to Government policy requiring greater involvement of the public in the governing of their affairs?

The parish council has taken a retrograde step. - Robin Newlove, Durham.