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SHARON Griffiths' piece on the children of today not knowing where the food on their plates comes from reminded me of a famous story dating back to the time of the Second World War evacuees (Echo, Dec 21).

When a young girl was asked on radio what she thought was the greatest difference between living in town and living in the country, she replied: "At home in the town we got our milk from a bottle but here in the country we get it from the dirty old cow." - LD Wilson, Guisborough.

TUP TEN

FOLLOWING the Sheep Top Ten (Echo, Dec 21), I recall an amusing printing error on the track listing of a Beach Boys CD (See No 1) which triggered off an investigation to find as many outrageous puns on a fish theme. This is my Fishy Top Ten:

1 Cod Only Knows - The Beach Boys.

2 All I Have To Do Is Bream - The Everly Brothers.

3 Whelkome To My World - Jim Reeves.

4 Whale Meet Again - Vera Lynn.

5 Sitting On The Haddock Of The Bay - Otis Redding.

6 Day Kipper - The Beatles.

7 All Shark Up - Elvis Presley.

8 Sole Man - Sam and Dave.

9 Salmon Chanted Evening - South Pacific soundtrack album.

10 Super Grouper - Abba.

I can hear the collective groans already. Sorry. - Dave Pascoe, Hartlepool.

POLITICS

MICHAEL Fishwick's assumption that the Conservatives would run Durham's public services better than the Lib/Lab parties is a matter of opinion (HAS, Dec 19).

In my view any political colour is always guaranteed to impose talk, tax and waste. It is par for British government. Any prospective MP voted into the Commons has a temporary 60 month contract to enhance his/her financial status as quickly as possible. - CE Scott, Scarborough.

Darlington

THERE is no way that Darlington Council leader John Williams and his Labour cohorts are going to accept anything that counters their deeply entrenched views about school reorganisation in the town.

He is now talking about an opponent's plan as "educational cleansing by social class", whatever that means.

But surely the rush to close Hurworth school is purely political. After all, Hurworth ward is a Tory enclave in a Labour stronghold. If things were the other way round, Hurworth School would remain open come what may.

As for Councillor Bill Dixon's hysterical remarks about children being bussed in vehicles flying all over town, what about all the bussing that goes on even now? A notable example is the Catholic Carmel school with pupils being bussed from all over town and all the surrounding countryside. And there would be considerable bussing from Hurworth to Yarm Road if the new scheme goes ahead.

I have no connections with Hurworth, but it does concern me when councillors are unable to deal with things like this without a modicum of decorum. - RK Bradley, Darlington.

DARLINGTON'S town centre and particularly its market are not just threatened by a poorly thought out pedestrianisation scheme. There is much greater threat. Tesco!

If Tesco gets its way it will have a hypermarket on the site of the Town Hall in our town centre.

Tesco controls over 30 per cent of the grocery market in the UK and it's share of non-food items is growing. Tesco claims to be an ethical company but its market power has serious consequences for suppliers, farmers, overseas workers, local shops and the environment.

Collectively, the supermarkets use their power to force down prices by paying farmers and their workers less, while increasing their own profits. In the UK 40 farmers and 30 farm workers are forced off the land every day, and 50 local shops go out of business each week because of competition from the supermarkets.

People arriving in their cars will not venture further than the Tesco in Darlington town centre. They won't take extra time to visit the market for their meat and vegetables when they are readily available in store. Do shoppers to Newton Aycliffe's Tesco also patronise its dying town centre?

If the council is serious about making Darlington a better place to live, it should drop the idea of bringing Tesco to town in exchange for a new town hall. - Alan Docherty, Treasurer, Darlington for Peace and Justice.

MAKE POVERTY HISTORY

I AM writing to thank your readers for the part they played in ensuring an unprecedented level of campaigning on global poverty in 2005. The political decisions made during the year would not have happened without the passionate commitment of many of your readers along with campaigners all over the world.

Important progress was made through the G8 meeting of the world's richest countries in securing promises of extra financial resources for developing countries in the form of more aid and proposed debt cancellation for some poor countries. If these promises are delivered, millions of lives that would have been lost could now be saved.

This special year is coming to an end but the campaign has inspired a generation who believe that it is possible to make poverty history. Their leaders have the power and ability to make it happen and all of those who have campaigned this year, including many thousands who have done so for the first time, will continue to urge them to deliver the changes that will make poverty history.

In 2006, the challenge will be different. The spotlight will not be on the UK in the way it has been in 2005, but the British Government must play an important role in sustaining international pressure. The Global Call to Action Against Poverty will continue to campaign and campaigners will continue to push the UK Government to change their policies and expend their political capital in the interests of the world's poorest people.

My message to your readers is this: 2005 is a year to remember. Thank you for playing your part. You were part of the biggest ever anti-poverty movement and in doing so you made history. - Richard Bennett, Chair of Makepovertyhistory.

HUNT WATCH

HOW typical of someone like Dave Wright to consider that I lack a sense of public duty and responsibility simply because I do not share his views and consider it wrong to spy on my fellow human beings (HAS, Dec 16).

The question which I posed was on what grounds do people in organisations such as Hunt Watch believe that they have the right to spy on (or monitor) other people to ensure that they stay within a certain law and where do such activities end?

For instance, who is monitoring the people from Hunt Watch to ensure that they stay within the law?

To me, such activities are more suited to totalitarian regimes as existed in former fascist and communist states and not the free democratic society we are supposed to have. - J Routledge, Witton Gilbert, Durham.