18/03/06

The violent attacks of these neo-fascist Ultras in Italy, groups which, incidentally, have well documented links with the National Front and the British National Party in Britain, demonstrate how far Britain has come with dealing with these problems.

But also, how closely football hooliganism and the political far-right are tied together.

Kevin Popper, Redcar.

JERICHO PRISON

I CAN'T believe that the Israeli army stormed Jericho prison.

This wasn't just a further trampling of Palestinian rights - it was an absolute slap in the face of the international community by Israel.

When has there ever been any suggestion that the prisoners in Jericho weren't being held securely?

Is this just part of the Israeli land-grab of the Jordan valley?

The British Government must act to do what they can to take back control of the situation.

Otherwise it's further compounding the widespread suspicion of double standards in the application of international law.

This aggressive action is playing into the hands of extremists on both sides of the conflict.

Helen Attewell, Secretary, Co Durham Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

NEW ZEALAND CHALLENGE

I AM delighted to support The Children's Society's forthcoming Trek New Zealand and invite your readers to experience the challenge of a lifetime in my homeland.

I have no doubt that every trekker will fall in love with the rare natural beauty of New Zealand, as they take on this amazing sea-to-summits challenge.

Our country is a land of snow-capped mountains, golden beaches, beautiful lakes and ancient rainforests. It really is just like the postcards!

The trek is sure to make a lasting impact on each and every one of your lives and, more importantly, will make a real difference to the most marginalised children in England today.

The 11-day trek during November 2006 is open to everyone with an average level of fitness and a commitment to raise the minimum sponsorship amount. If you're interested and want to find out more, then please contact the Supporter Relations team at The Children's Society on 0845 300 1128 or visit www.childrenssociety.org.uk

New Zealand and its people are waiting to welcome you.

Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt, New Zealand High Commissioner.

PIES THE LIMIT

READING Ray Mallon's column, How the mighty have fallen (Echo, Mar 10) I first assumed that he was referring to the unsuccessful Yes campaigners from the North East regional assembly referendum, many of whom have slunk away from public view.

Sir John Hall blamed me personally for "costing the North-East its best opportunity for decades". Sorry, Sir John, but I think that there were another 686,000 who were equally responsible.

However, Ray was talking about something perhaps more important than politics to many of the North-East public - football.

I invited Ray to Sunderland after he had branded the No campaigners "southern Tories" to meet the No campaigners who were certainly not Tories and definitely not southerners.

As the cameras clicked, the debate on politics lasted minutes, as I knew, and I think Ray did too, that an elected North East Assembly had about as much chance of happening as Sunderland have of avoiding relegation.

The conversation then turned to football and, being somewhat younger, my memories were of a different era but we surprisingly both found ourselves sharing the same passion for Sunderland Football Club.

However, at the time, Sunderland were not in the dire straits we are in now. Ray, along with the whole of Sunderland, hopes that we can salvage some pride from the season and achieve a victory in the Easter Monday game against Newcastle at the Stadium of Light.

At our meeting, Ray Mallon kindly offered me an invitation to a Middlesbrough match.

Ray, I wish to return the compliment. We need as much support as we can muster in our hour of need and I have a couple of spare tickets.

I hope you can join me - and I'll buy the pies.

Neil Herron, Sunderland.

SENIOR CITZENS

WILL pensioners ever be happy no matter how much money they get?

Yes, a lot of pensioners may be on the basic state pension, but they get their council tax paid plus other benefits, like the £200 winter fuel payment.

They will also get £8.50 if the temperature drops below zero degrees for seven nights in a row, free teeth, free glasses, plus their rent paid.

If a lot of people years ago had thought about their old age and they could have paid into a works pension but a lot of people live for today and never think of the future. Some pensioners that shout about their pension still drink, smoke and play bingo.

My late mother always said she was never as well off until she became a pensioner.

In her day there was not the handouts for pensioners as there are today. All she said was that she was still glad to be on this earth to claim her pension. She was able to take her first holidays while a pensioner.

Name and address supplied.

RACHEL'S PLEA

I WRITE to urge readers of The Northern Echo to join me in a bid to raise £2m for Cancer Research UK by clearing out their wardrobes and spring-cleaning their homes as part of the exciting GiveGet campaign.

GiveGet is a unique collaboration between "brands for less" retailer, TK Maxx and Britain's leading cancer charity, Cancer Research UK.

All you have to do is bag up clothes or household items you no longer use and take them down to your local TK Maxx store between March 18 and April 2 when you can deposit them at special collection points, knowing you're doing your bit to fund vital research into cancer - a disease which will affect one-in-three people in the UK at some stage in their lives.

All donations for GiveGet will be turned into valuable stock for Cancer Research UK shops.

Ensuring a constant supply of good quality stock is an ongoing challenge for Cancer Research UK's shops. Yet a nationwide poll suggests that 58 per cent of the population has five or more items in their wardrobe that they haven't worn in the last two years.

If every adult donated just one item, this stock could be worth over £120m to Cancer Research UK's 630 stores.

I'm hoping people across the North-East will join me in having a clear out and help to make GiveGet 2006 the biggest charity collection ever.

Rachel Hunter.

PLEA TO THE YOUNG

TO the young people who smoke and drink large amounts, usually once a week on a Friday night in the local park.

I understand that all they want to do is meet up with friends and have a good time. They want to relax after a week at school just as adults do after work.

But they have nowhere to go and nothing to do that interests them so they chose to group together, get drunk and get up to mischief.

The youngsters that gather complain about not being treated as adults, but if they wish to be treated as adults they need to learn to be responsible and think of others.

I don't want to stereotype them as a group of delinquents, most of them aren't.

Every now and then they get a bit rowdy when having a little too much fun.

Teenagers, you have to think of others. Everyone has a right to a peaceful life.

Amy Bell, Middlesbrough.

SECURITY CHECKS

THE 30-year anniversary of Harold Wilson's surprise resignation, the subject of two television programmes, suggests that MPs would benefit from security checks to protect their reputations from smears.

Had Harold Wilson accepted the recommendations of his Paymaster that ministers should be positively vetted, he could have used this to defend his reputation against what he felt to be deliberate smears against him.

Politicians could use the fact that they had been vetted to defend their reputations if faced with the sort of smears and innuendo that rained down upon Harold Wilson towards the end of his time in office.

And all MPs should have access to someone to whom they can disclose indiscretions and personal mistakes in absolute confidence. Indiscretions do not bring people down or endanger our security. It is when such events become known to those who would use them to influence decisions. It is the misuse of power by a politician that can compromise them and ultimately end their career, not the indiscretion itself. MPs need someone to talk to, some sort of mother-confessor. And such disclosure of personal indiscretions does not necessarily mean the end of a political career, in fact I believe vulnerability equips people for true responsibility.

If a person has truly learned from their experience perhaps it makes them more suitable for holding office than they were before.

As an aside, perhaps John Profumo did not wish to return to politics as the work he did after Westminster was more meaningful than what preceded it, and he knew it.

If we had vulnerable leaders chastened by hard lessons in life, power would be exercised with far more sensitivity, decisions would be less extreme, and there would be less war.

Bob Goodall, co-ordinator, www.vetmps.org.uk, Campaign for Security Checks for Members of the Government.

TONY BLAIR

I KNOW the saying goes that we should not mock the afflicted, but really Mr Blair has gone too far by shifting the blame for the Iraq fiasco on to God.

Mr Blair will be remembered not for the good things he has done but for the barbaric bombing of Iraq, ostensibly to remove a dictator, but we all know it was to secure oil supplies to the US.

He will be applauded only by the warmongers in the Pentagon.

In Sunday School we were told that God spoke to Moses and handed down the Ten Commandments, one of which was: Thou shalt not kill. I wonder what God told Mr Blair to kill?

Hugh Pender, Darlington.

PROTECT PEOPLE

WOULD John Young care to let us know by what provision he considers himself empowered to state that people who hold a different view from him are "unintelligent, uneducated morons, who must be eliminated from society"? (HAS, Mar 7).

Rather than pursuing people on horseback around the countryside I personally would prefer to see our police forces, who all seem to be short of adequate funding, spending their time, energy and resources in protecting people and property from all the various terrorists, murderers, armed robbers, thieves, burglars, child molesters, conmen, vicious thugs, drunken yobs, dangerous drivers etc who infest this society.

Until such time as they are all eliminated, the fox will have to look after itself - something for which it is well equipped.

J Routledge, Witton Gilbert.

COUNCIL TAX

WHILE I agree with everything that J Bowlam says (HAS, March 2) regarding the increase in council tax, he says that the highest rates are category C and D.

In fact, the categories go as far and H. I am on category G.

R Forster, Bishop Middleham.