04/03/02

Her reports gave a good and positive account of what life is really like for our servicemen.

Despite the difficulties in Iraq, the morale of the men is high and they are approaching their work in a professional manner.

Of particular interest is the splendid way in which the hospital and medical personnel are coping.

It is also good to hear of bridge building and other engineering projects that are underway in the country.

The Northern Echo articles giving the soldiers' point of view are the first I have read on the matter and have been of some service.

LD Wilson, Guisborough.

WHO SHOULD BE HELD TO BLAME?

YET another vulnerable, in need and at risk child dies whilst under the supposed care, supervision and monitoring of social services - the case of Newcastle baby, Aaron O'Neil (Echo, Feb 25).

Yet another "independent inquiry" report and case review into that child's tragic, horrific and wholly avoidable death.

Yet more weasel words and the same old mealy-mouthed excuses spouted from the city hall.

Yet again no individual from the agencies involved in the case will be held culpable in a court of law. It's truly sickening and despicable stuff, and it's got to stop now.

Ever since the first major inquiry into the tragic and horrific death of seven-year-old Maria Colwell 33 years ago in 1973, we have had scores of similar social work inquiries into the "avoidable deaths" of social work clients who were deemed to be vulnerable, in need and at risk.

These so-called independent reports usually produce a litany of damning criticisms and recommendations, and inevitably result in the same old mealy-mouthed excuses being spouted from those in charge of our social work "services" at city halls and directors' offices up and down the land.

But every single time no individual is ever properly held to account in a court of law for the blatant failures that each inquiry highlights. It's insulting to those who have died and been miserably failed by the "care" system - and to our intelligence.

I will welcome the day when social work chiefs at local councils; their chief executives, party leaders and ruling group; directors, managers and their frontline Indians (the "everyone responsible") are ALL properly held to account when someone avoidably dies who was entrusted to their "care", or is otherwise miserably failed due to their breathtaking arrogance, indifference, inexperience and incompetence.

The charge? Simple: corporate manslaughter and responsibility at the hands of "everyone" involved.

G Thomas, Edinburgh.

COUNCIL TAX

I AM concerned that the Council Tax Report (Echo, Feb 25) failed to mention that a Liberal Democrat amendment, proposed by myself and supported by 11 opposition councillors, was not reported.

My amendment called for a three per cent, or a £466,875, reduction from the General Fund, which included 2.5 per cent energy and efficiency savings.

My major concern is for the younger generation of workers, many of whom have had to move south to obtain employment.

The new 2006/7 A Band council tax for Aycliffe would be £1,008 and for Spennymoor £1,007. A huge amount of money for an area with below average wages, plus 22 per cent gas bill increases amid many areas of social deprivation.

A Spennymoor 2006/7 D Band payer would be charged £1,511 or £29 per week.

I pointed out that Sedgefield Borough received a 5.4 per cent Government grant, when the January inflation rate was only 1.9 per cent.

Also, that ten years ago in 1996/7, the Sedgefield Borough average D Band was £89.25.

The new rate was £180,87 or plus 2002 per cent. In 2005/6 a Sedgefield Borough average D Band charge was £1,428, whilst Wandsworth was £614 and Westminster was £618. A clear North/South divide on council tax.

Councillor Ben Ord, Sedgefield Borough Council.

MIND

I WOULD like to take this opportunity to ask your readers to help mental health charities like MIND .

While Bob Geldof and his Labour Party allies are constantly begging us to help feed the Third World, it is British charities like MIND that suffer due to the huge publicity that certain other organisations receive.

MIND is a charity that helps everyday people to try to combat their mental health problems, and without their assistance, many of its members would be in great difficulty.

While certain members of the public may mock those with such difficulties by labelling them all as living on handouts etc, many of these folk are heavily involved in operating the British working machine and making an honest living for themselves.

I only have to look at the successful career of Spike Milligan to see that people who suffer from such an illness can combat it with help and determination.

I politely ask your readers to do two things: donate to a MIND collection box if they ever see one and show support to a charity that has helped millions of people to go on to better things.

Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

CARTOON FURY

I THINK that CT Riley (HAS, Feb 27) misses the point. The Danish cartoons do not mock terrorists, but imply that Islam itself is the cause of terrorism.

Thus they do a grave injustice to the majority of Muslims, like Bilal Atkinson (HAS, Feb 16) who are not terrorists, do not condone terrorism and regard Islam as a religion of peace. The offence must be understood in the context of the War on Terror, which many Muslims see as a war on Islam. Many feel that Muslims in general are being blamed for the violence of a fanatical minority among them and have protested peacefully against the negative portrayal of Islam.

They have condemned the violence and death threats orchestrated by a minority who have, of course, succeeded only in reinforcing such negative stereotyping.

Sadly, the voices of the moderate majority are being drowned out by the howls of violent extremists on one side, and on the other by those who loudly defend freedom of expression without accepting responsibility. Those who insist they have a right to cause offence, and do so with crass stupidity and insensitivity, must accept that those they insult have a right to be offended, and a right to protest. _

Pete Winstanley, Durham.

OBSCURE VIEW

THIS New Labour has an obscure view of democracy and representation. We have the former Transport Secretary, Stephen Byers, saying that Labour should again look at its links with the trade unions.

This comes from a man who sits on the ruling benches in the House of Commons alongside 120 union-sponsored Members of Parliament, who, it would now seem, does not know the meaning of the word democracy, and who has, in the last four months twice had to make an apology to the House of Commons for not telling the correct story.

There are now more of Tony Blair's unelected friends running this Government as ministers and members of the House of Lords unaccountable directly to Parliament than ever before. His latest list for entry to the House of Lords has been held up after close scrutiny for the number of people who have, you could infer, bought their peerages by donation or sponsorship.

I can only think that anyone who votes for this New Labour thinking it is the Labour Party can't tell the difference between chalk and cheese.

Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

SUPPORT PLEA

THIS spring 3,300 additional British troops are heading for Afghanistan, increasing the number deployed there to 5,700.

They leave behind thousands of loved ones who wait and pray for their safe return. Separation is always difficul t for families and many people feel the need for extra support at these times.

SSAFA Forces - Help the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association - runs a nationwide confidential support line for all service men, women and their families.

It is an independent and non-judgemental service aimed at listening to those suffering from any type of difficulty and also welcomes calls from the ex-Service community.

People call about loneliness, isolation, depression, bereavement, relationship breakdown and debt, to name just a few. The confidential support line operates outside the chain of command. No two calls are the same and each call is treated with equal respect and anonymity.

The confidential support line number 0800 731 4880 is free and open year-round from 10.30am-10.30pm every day.

Staff answering calls are highly skilled individuals drawn from a variety of welfare organisations and caring professions who are committed to providing the best possible service.

They have recently been accredited by the Telephone Helpline Association, a mark of professionalism few national help lines achieve.

The work of the SSAFA Forces Help in Durham is also carried out in complete confidence through trained volunteer caseworkers who visit people in their homes and can assist people with emotional, financial and practical needs.

To contact the Durham Branch please call 0191-3839452 or visit www.ssafa.org.uk

Les Hutchison, County Secretary.

ADVICE SESSIONS

I WANT to clarify a few points in your article 'Advice sessions under threat' (Echo, Feb 27).

Darlington Citizen Advice Bureau (CAB) is unable to renew its funding from the Health Extra project. This money was obtained by a partnership of Darlington CAB, Darlington Council and the Legal Services Commission through One NorthEast to support a three-year project.

Darlington CAB was given about £59,500 to deliver advice through a number of GPs' surgeries. This funding is now coming to an end. Although great efforts have been made to gain replacement funding for the project, applications have been unsuccessful so far.

The Legal Services Commission supports the Community Legal Service Partnership in Darlington. We fund a network of quality marked advice providers in the area to help people with a wide range of problems, including relationship breakdown and problems with debt, housing and benefits.

A full list of these suppliers is available from CLS Direct: www.clsdirect.org.uk or 0845 345 4345.

Both Darlington Borough Council and the Legal Services Commission continue to fund Darlington CAB. Darlington Community Legal Service Partnership has not withdrawn funding from the CAB in any capacity.

Yvonne Collins, Regional Planning and Partnership Manager, Legal Services Commission.

THE HOLOCAUST

HISTORIAN David Irving has again denied that the holocaust happened, claiming that if such a programme existed why did "so many survive".

Who exactly is he referring to as survivors? Is he referring to the many Jewish and non-Jewish survivors? Maybe he is referring the thousands of Allied troops who survived the war to witness the concentration camps as liberators, none of whom have ever denied what they saw, even on their deathbed when they had nothing to lose?

Maybe he refers to the vast amounts of surviving physical, documentary and confessional evidence produced by the Nazis themselves?

No, he is of cause referring to the many concentration camp guards, leaders and senior members of the Nazi party who, unlike Hitler, did not take the coward's way out. They survived the war, stood trial and, whilst fighting for their very life at Nuremberg, never once denied murdering over 11 million Jewish and non-Jewish men, women and children in the concentration camps, but each using as their defence the infamous excuse that they "were only obeying orders".

CT Riley, Spennymoor.

COUNCIL MEETING

I ATTENDED a full meeting of Durham City Council on Feb 27 and was appalled at the contemptuous way questions and motions were dealt with.

Carol Woods refused to say who she had consulted when she said that most Durham residents were against ID cards.

Mike Syer's question about the partner for the new leisure centre was dismissed with a contemptuous: 'Read yer minutes!'.

It wasn't clear if Paul Leake's question on following the county council's good example in informing the public got an answer.

Even when it was pointed out that our MP, Roberta Blackman-Woods, had already signed the Early Day Motion on Sustainable Communities, the Lib Dems insisted on calling on her to sign it.

Paul Taylor called on the council to apologise to the public for the way the planning meeting (Feb 15) had been handled, but the Lib Dems refused.

The Lib Dems hid behind the officers and then had the temerity to attack Labour councillors for allegedly criticising officers. Is this the open local government we were promised by the LibDems?

Mathew Teale, Durham.