NUCLEAR POWER: IN a few weeks time the Government appears likely to approve the building of new nuclear power stations, conflicting with its last energy review three years ago which concluded that renewable energy and energy efficiency was the way forward.

Since then, the Government has done virtually nothing but now sees going nuclear as the future. Nuclear power is, and will remain, dirty, dangerous and costly. Nuclear waste remains dangerous for more than a million years, nuclear power stations and trains carrying nuclear waste are vulnerable to accidents and terrorist attacks, and the building of new stations and the storing of waste will be very expensive.

Just cleaning up the imminently-to-close older stations will cost us all £10bn. We have two options for the future, nuclear power or a clean green future.

Britain should become a nuclear-free low carbon economy using a range of energy sources, a massive investment in renewables, such as wind, hydroelectric, solar and biofuels, and energy efficiency to stop the majority of heat generated at power stations being lost and to cut the 13 per cent of energy lost from our homes.

Fossil fuels, such as coal and gas, also have a role to play with technology now existing to make such fuels cleaner. This is the only environmentally-friendly way to meet our energy needs and to tackle climate change. - Councillor David Freeman, Liberal Democrat, Durham City Council.

PENSION INCREASE

HOW often do we see the case that when MPs want to give themselves an increase in salary and expenses it comes into operation within 12 months of the vote having been taken by no others than themselves?

We now see the vying leaders of the present Government putting forward their latest vote-catching idea - they are talking about restoring the link of the State pension to the increase in earnings, which was broken by the Conservatives.

But the people they want to continue voting for them must work until they are 68 years old and the increases won't be given until the year 2012.

The present-day MPs must have convinced themselves that with lowering the overall standard of education throughout the country they can lord it over a population of cretins who are going to fall over themselves to vote to keep New Labour in power.

When New Labour return to the wilderness after the next General Election they will have time to contemplate the errors of their ways for trying to take over the right wing of English politics with the votes of the working classes. - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

AS THE ROMANS...

HAVING sat opposite the Lynx helicopter door-gunner on flights into Northern Ireland, I'm sure a similar loss there to the recent Lynx crash in Iraq would have produced more Press coverage of the civilian casualties and raised the question of why a military flight was allowed to be routed in a way that endangered civilians.

Operations in Northern Ireland were heavily constrained by American public opinion (clearly not a factor in Iraq), British public opinion (barely a factor in Iraq), and good counter-insurgency practice.

One suspects a lack of political constraints is far more influential than good practice.

Imposing restraint makes force protection more difficult and would cause more casualties in the short-term. Yet, if the political value of allied troops means they can only be used in ways which are counter-productive, one questions whether they are the right people to send. Both the US and the UK face large numbers of fit, young foreign men willing to take risks to gain citizenship. Imperial Rome would have sought years of military service in return for this, and Roman matrons would have been less distraught if some of these, rather than their own sons, fell in battle.

Alternatively, in an era of small wars, it might be appropriate to pay troops very differently for the operational tours they serve than for the periods of preparation or waiting in between. - John Riseley, Harrogate.

LIVING WITH ME

SOME people with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis) who are reasonably independent and mobile are frustrated when told: "You always look fine when I see you."

But when you do not see them it is because they are not well enough to come out. It is worth remembering that many other chronic, even terminal illnesses, such as cancer, have no outward signs yet do not provoke such disbelief or derision.

The more severely affected that people are with ME, the more invisible they become, not only because of the severity of symptoms themselves, but also because they may be protected from view and intrusion by carers who feel that they have been through enough already.

One woman prepared to break this culture of invisibility is Linda Crowhurst, a severely affected ME sufferer of 12 years and stalwart representative of the 25% Group which supports those most severely affected.

If you will not be upset at the severity of her symptoms, take a look at a DVD presentation she has prepared, in which she pleads for more funding for research into the physical causes of this illness (go to www.25megroup.org and scroll to "Living with severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis by Linda Crowhurst" before following the link to view the presentation on your computer. - Dr John H Greensmith, ME Free For All.org, Bristol.

AFGHAN HIJACKERS

I AM utterly disgusted that the High Court allowed the nine Afghan plane hijackers the right to stay in this country until it is safe for them to return home (Echo, May11).

They should be deported back to Afghanistan immediately, whether or not their lives are "at risk" in their homeland.

Their welfare has nothing to do with Great Britain, and they should not be allowed to stay here.

This will show other asylum seekers that all they have do is hijack an aeroplane en route to England to be able to stay here.

The sooner we get rid of these left-wing High Court judges the better.

That way, innocent lives will not be put at risk, and our own taxes can benefit the plight of our own pensioners and the unemployed instead of feeding foreigners. - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

LISTENING DEVICE

WITH reference to Chris Foote Wood and his European Principles (HAS, May 5). One of these principles he mentions is to "listen to its citizens". This seems to mean "listen to, but disregard". The people of this region voted against regional assemblies and regionalisation in general.

Yet we have a regional assembly (the existing unelected North East Assembly that was allowed to continue) which is being handed more responsibility by government for the running of the region. Of course, I don't have to tell Mr Foote Wood this. He is a member of that assembly. - Barry Wood, Edmondsley, County Durham.

PRICE JUSTIFIED?

CAN the Quakers justify a price increase to watch them next season after missing out on promotion again? The Hartlepool match will be the only highlight to attract the fans into the stadium. - N Tate, Darlington.