LEFT IN A VOID: I HAVE been a parishioner at St Augustine's RC Church, Darlington, for more than 20 years, a lay minister for 14 years and a Catholic all my life.

You would think, then, that it would take a lot to undermine my faith. But the Church is trying hard to do just that in the case of our long-lost parish priest.

Fr Michael Higginbottom was removed from the parish in December 2004, and to this day no-one (reputedly even Fr Michael himself) seems to have a clue as to what it is all about.

St Augustine's continues, thanks to Fr Pat, an overworked locum who has a parish of his own in Stockton. He exhorts us every week to pray for Fr Michael, and Fr Michael's name continues to appear on top of the weekly parish bulletin. But I have long since ceased to think he will return, and I am not alone in that view.

I recognise that the RC Church is short of priests, and that many parishes no longer have a resident priest. That is a hard sign of the times. But to adjust to those circumstances is far different to being left in a void, as St Augustine's is at present.

Also, it is rather insulting of the Church to think so little of parishioners that it cannot trust them with any information at all. Surely there is something to be said after nearly 18 months?

Geoff Taylor, Darlington.

HONOURABLE THING

LISTENING to Home Secretary Charles Clarke saying it would be the dishonourable thing to do if he resigned over the scandal of releasing foreign nationals back into the community after serving their prison sentences, instead of deporting them back to their own countries, reinforces my belief that politicians have little understanding of the word honourable.

Taking responsibility for what you are in charge of means little or nothing to our politicians. It reminds me of an accident in Japan a number of years ago when an aircraft built by Boeing and being used by a Japanese airline crashed with the loss of all lives.

The chairman of the airline immediately resigned even though his airline didn't build the plane. Unlike a politician, he didn't slink away and hide. He used radio and TV to give his apologies to the relatives and the nation.

It showed him standing at the door of the arrivals lounge greeting all the relatives of the dead passengers and expressing his sorrow for what had happened to them.

It should be shown to all politicians to highlight the conduct expected of them when they are in the position of representing a government department and failing.

Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

SO, a thousand or so foreign convicts have been released from prison over the last seven years. While it is deplorable that those of them who should have been deported haven't been, it is important to get this in perspective.

Since foreigners make up only a small proportion of our prison population, we can assume that, over the same period, many times more British convicts have also been released.

All these people, British or foreign, have served their sentences and must be released. It is inevitable that many will re-offend, and there have been a number of tragic misjudgements with regard to the suitability of offenders for release.

Nevertheless, there is no reason to suppose that a foreign rapist or murderer presents a greater danger to the public than a British one.

Pete Winstanley, Durham.

WAGE RATES

IN an effort to rebut BNP claims, some commentators deny that migrant workers are undercutting British wage rates. One paper cites the fact that Nestle in the Calder Valley hired Eastern Europeans only after their local agency failed to provide sufficient workers.

They seem to neglect the possibility that the trawl for British workers might have been more successful had the pay on offer been more attractive. Indeed, any employer can now offer a rate acceptable only to migrants and justify their recruitment policy on the basis of a supposed labour shortage.

Meanwhile, we all have to pay for benefits to support the British unemployed and low paid, and for the foreigners when they become dissatisfied with their present conditions. It is a dangerous folly to get the latest arrivals to do the unskilled work while the rest of the unskilled sit on the dole.

John Riseley, Harrogate.

COUNCIL ELECTIONS

LET 2007 be the year of the Independents. What is needed is for an Independent candidate to stand in every seat for Darlington Borough Council so as to ensure that the electorate can see that a vote for an Independent is not a wasted vote but a vote which could swing the council. Suggestions for the Independents' platform could, for example, include:

Restore democracy in the council - away with the cabinet system and all meetings to be open to the public.

Save the high street - no to Tesco in the town centre.

Restore and maintain the individuality of the town - reconstruct High Row (the sketch in the Echo, Apr 25 should show vehicles on High Row to be accurate).

No secret meetings between the council and others.

Free off-street parking - bring in more shoppers.

John W Antill, Darlington.

FARE ANSWER

IN reply to the letter headed Fare Question, from Barbara Hardy, of Spennymoor (HAS, Apr 19), air travel tickets for Councillor Olive Brown's flight from Newcastle to Brussels on April 3 were paid for by the European Commission and not Wear Valley council tax payers.

I am replying as her ward colleague, as Coun Brown, while carrying out her role representing the interests of our region in Europe, had an accident which required an operation and has left her in a great deal of pain.

As Mrs Hardy will no doubt be aware, Coun Brown represents the North-East region on the Committee of the Regions. All representatives on that committee, of whatever political party, region or country, are entitled to open travel tickets to ensure they can carry out their duties, sometimes at short notice.

Councillor Geoff Mowbray, Wear Valley District Councillor, Crook South Ward.

CONFRONTING OUR OWN CRIMES

IN reply to B Kidd (HAS, Apr 22) I would point out that on numerous occasions over the past few years I have condemned Saddam Hussein and a perusal of past Echos will prove this to be the case.

However, Saddam Hussein is now in custody on trial for his crimes and surely we should now be confronting our own crimes against humanity.

Isn't there something in the Scriptures which states we should cast the mote out of our own eye before we castigate the faults of our neighbours?

Mr Kidd rightly condemned Mr Bush, but forgot his ally, Mr Blair. If they are Christians, as they claim to be, they must be dreading the Day of Judgment.

Hugh Pender, Darlington

UPLIFTING EDITION

CONGRATULATIONS - your best front page news for decades - the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, conducting an open-air Easter baptism service (Echo, Apr 17). What a glorious story and picture. Easter is good news - a young girl finding new life in Lord Jesus Christ, which I found at 14 and still believe at 75.

Print more good news and I will buy more of your papers.

Pastor Bill Bailey, Consett, County Durham.

SAVING THE PLANET?

EVER since the terms "greenhouse gases", "global warming" and "saving the planet" became major items in the rhetoric of our politicians, we have been subjected to numerous statements which at best seem to be somewhat misleading.

For instance, are we expected to believe and accept that even though the UK is responsible for only about two per cent of the world's emissions of carbon dioxide, it is absolutely vital for us to take various immensely drastic steps to reduce them?

Are we expected to believe that if we fit a micro wind turbine generator producing only 400 watts at 24 volts to our houses it would power our existing electrical appliances?

Are we expected to believe that if we fit solar panels to our existing houses they will slash our electricity bills with some left over to sell back to the supplier?

Unless someone has invented a solar panel which can produce electricity at 240 volts AC (alternating current) then I doubt it.

Are there companies which can supply us with electricity only from renewable sources? If so how?

How can we have any faith or belief in people who continually come out with these statements?

J Routledge, Witton Gilbert.

UNDERSTANDING NEEDED

THE EU is criticised for making laws which we obey. At a recent conference in Vienna the Government's method of studying proposed European laws was self-criticised.

The Leader of the House of Commons, Geoff Hoon, said: "It is important to engage MPs in the process far more than they have been and for MPs to work alongside MEPs."

Given this step forward, the public may be more readily informed about the work of the EU. There was a healthy self-examination of the principle of subsidiarity (making decisions at the lowest practical level).

There needs to be vigilance to see that this principle is kept properly. When it is not, it should be referred to the European Commission which has a duty to see that it does happen.

The cross-party European Movement constantly stresses in its educational work the importance of the EU to the UK and the value to all Europe of the UK.

Members of the movement strive to enable people to have an understanding of the constructive work of the UK within the Union. In doing this work, members face the challenges of ignorance and xenophobia, and mendacious anti-European propaganda.

It is a Europe where there is much step by step work to do to improve the human condition, both within and without. The situation deserves a better understanding.

Bill Morehead, Darlington.

'STOP BNP'

I WISH to state my support for the Comment column (Echo, Apr 18) in which the BNP was described as a "threat".

The letters from W Morrison, G McTeer and T Horne (HAS, Apr 24) seem to suggest that the BNP is a normal political party. This is patently untrue when both the statements and the record of the leadership of the BNP, as well as the effects of voting in BNP councillors, are studied.

Use your vote to stop the BNP. A low turnout favours them. They are not what they seem. We do have problems in our communities, but voting BNP will not stop these problems, it will exacerbate them.

Maureen Stowe was elected as one of eight BNP councillors in Burnley, Lancashire, in May 2002. She subsequently broke all links with the BNP and backed the fight against them with Unite Against Fascism.

I urge all readers to find out more about Unite Against Fascism which has its roots in the trade union movement, and is supported by about 50 MPs and 11 MEPs. The website address is http://www.uaf.org.uk.

J Hall, Sunderland

ALLEGIANCE SWITCHED

TORY leader David Cameron recently branded the UK Independence Party as "closet racists". Mr Cameron has fallen for the old trap that it is supposedly cool to be left-wing.

He has set his manifesto on being more tolerant and has moved the party's aims to the left side of politics, no doubt to try and win a few votes from veggie students and politically-baffled milkmen.

I have no respect for David Cameron, and I believe that he was the wrong choice to become leader of the Conservatives.

The only real racist political party that I know of is Labour, whose anti-British rules and regulations have turned Great Britain into the dumping ground of the Western world, with millions of asylum seekers wandering our streets undetected and living off our taxes while our deserving pensioners live on next to nothing.

For me, it's goodbye to the Conservatives and hello to UKIP, no matter what David Cameron and his cronies have to say. They are a disgrace to everything that was once Conservative.

Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

WASTE IS COSTLY

WASTED effort means that some other more deserving task is robbed of attention or somebody can be found more productive work elsewhere. It is also very costly.

A great deal is spent on reports and meetings which achieve little or nothing and tend to demotivate people, affecting their performance on other more important tasks.

Small groups with team leaders working alongside them, work well and enjoy competing with other similar groups. Motivated people achieve more and motivation is a dying skill. A very good measure of administrative reports and meetings can be gained by getting the answer to a few questions:

Who raised this?

What do they do with it when it is completed?

What action do they personally take on it and when?

What effect does it have on the operation?

How many people take part in its completion?

Would it not be more productive to set working team goals, monitor progress and acknowledge success?

Would our money, in the control of our politicians and administrators, be better spent if these skills were cultivated to replace wasteful activity which prevails?

George Appleby, Clifton, York.

VITAL ISSUES

JOHN Young's letter, Where Blame Lies, (HAS, Apr 22) berates me personally, the Church of England, Wear Valley District Council, Gordon Brown, politicians in general and by implication at least, much else besides.

Conspicuously absent from his letter, however, are rational arguments and precise facts.

Referring to my original letter, therefore, I criticised the Conservatives' record of the last 50 years. Things I had in mind include joining Europe, the loss of rural rail services, the loss of rural services generally and especially affordable housing for young people, and intensive farming and its social ramifications.

These and other disasters are all directly or indirectly due to Conservative policies.

They are vital issues needing informed, adult debate.

Tony Kelly, Crook.