This is The North East | Features | Hear All Sides: Daily letters

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Write to: Hear All Sides, The Northern Echo, PO Box 14, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF. Fax: 01325 380539 or send by e-mail. Please note that all letters, including those sent by email, should include the sender's full name and contact details. e-mail to echo@nne.co.uk.

25/05/06
VIOLENT CRIME: AS incidents involving knives continues to be a worrying feature of violent crime, it is vital that those who inflict injury, or take life, must suffer the consequences.

24/05/06
REPRESENTATION: TORY Jim Tague continues his personal attacks on me and Councillor Olive Brown (HAS, May 16).

23/05/06
CHRISTOPHER WARDELL: I MUST protest at the letter from Hugh Pender regarding Christopher Wardell (HAS, May 19).

22/05/06
NUCLEAR POWER: DAVID Miliband, the South Shields MP and the new pro-nuclear environment secretary, has as his constituency chairman Alan Donnelly, a chief lobbyist for US multinational Fluor.

20/05/06
PEDESTRIAN HEART: MAY I thank you for publishing my letters about the Pedestrian Heart changes to Darlington town centre.

19/05/06
SEX SLAVES: CAN we be assured that no social service or housing benefits are being used to support Darlington's Kaotian fantasists? - Name supplied, Heighington.

18/05/06
LAW AND ORDER: I WAS disgusted to read in yesterday's Northern Echo about a case at Darlington Magistrates' Court whereby a man was charged with drink-driving, driving without a licence and insurance and obstructing a police officer.

17/0506
REGIONAL QUANGOS: CONGRATULATIONS to Ruth Kelly on her appointment as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

16/05/06
IMMIGRATION: IN reply to Bob Jarratt (HAS, May 12), I have no doubts that immigration has benefited British society in ways far outweighing any problems.

15/05/06
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.

13/05/06
OFF THE BUSES: WHAT has happened to the Arriva bus company service? Recently, I have waited for ages for buses which just do not turn up.

12/05/06
TV LICENCES

11/05/06
LIFEBOAT MEMORIES: IT was clearly a great disappointment to the crew and supporters of the Teesmouth lifeboat when told of the station's closure.

10/05/06
PENSIONS REFORM : The pensions system isn't working - two million pensioners live in poverty and many more struggle to make ends meet. Small increases in the State pension do not cover the steep rises in council tax, water and energy bills experienced in the Teesside area in recent years.

09/05/06
TIME TO PROTEST: SOME would explain the localised BNP success in the recent elections on the basis that whites in areas with large immigrant communities are ignorant and bigoted about immigration, while those in almost exclusively white areas are well-informed and enlightened.

08/05/06
EVERY VOTE COUNTS: THERE isn't a single party that can command enough faith from the population to be representative of a majority view in our affairs.

06/065/06
REWRITE NEEDED

05/05/06
TV LICENCES: WE are continually reminded of the consequences if we operate a TV set without a licence. Now the BBC has decided to make it harder for some of us to get a licence.

04/05/06
ENGLAND HYPE: IT seems the national media hype surrounding the England football team and the World Cup is even more over the top and has started earlier than ever this time.

No headpine
POLICE AMALGAMATIONS : Everyone who read the article by Sean Price, Chief Constable of Cleveland Police (Echo, Apr 19), cannot fail to be impressed by the integrity and logic of one of our respected senior police officers.

02/05/06
CLIMATE CHANGE: I SHARE much of Dr Glen Reynolds' concern that the growth in air travel is not good for the environment (Echo, Apr 25), but I must protest at the statement "...as carbon dioxide, which causes climate change".

01/05/06
WASTE MANAGEMENT: I READ with interest your recent views on waste management (Comment, Apr 24).

29/04/06
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.

28/04/06
RURAL AREAS

24/04/2006
GAMEBIRDS: YOUR anonymous correspondent from Crook (HAS, Apr 18) got the facts wrong about gamebirds and avian flu and has misrepresented the views of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC).

29/04/06
UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY : UKIP contains former voters from all parties, so why are we supposed to be "extreme right-wing" or racist? Replies welcome.

25/04/06
DEEPER CONCERNS: RE The Big Issue question, Should Cherie Blair pay back her hairdressing bill? (Echo, Apr 22). This is a matter for Labour Party members - the only comment I would make is that she could probably have got just as good a hairdo in Trimdon for a fraction of the cost.

24/04/06
REPLACE LEADER

22/04/2006
ST GEORGE'S DAY: PAUL RIVERS is opposed to celebrations to mark St George's Day (HAS, Apr 20), which takes place tomorrow. I wonder why?

21/04/06
PUBLIC SERVANTS: THE issue of pay for the public services has always been a difficult call. The police are no different to many, like nurses and the Armed Forces, facing risks and pressures, often in the limelight and the target of scrutiny.

20/04/06
FILTHY MAN OF EUROPE?: WHEN driving through County Durham it is quite noticeable how disgustingly filthy our county has become.

19/04/2006
POLICE FACTS: DAVID T Colling, of Bishop Auckland (HAS, Apr 15), needs a bit of a reality check himself. As a serving officer with a North-East force, let me respond to his claims.

18/04/06
CARE HOMES: IT is heartening to win support for my views about residential care homes for the elderly in County Durham (HAS, Mar 31). I know that most people are living longer and want to live independently in their own homes.

17/04/06
ID CARDS: UNDER a last-minute shabby compromise agreed between the Government and Tories in the House of Lords, anyone renewing their passport or any other "designated" document will be compulsorily entered onto the National Identity Register.

15/04/06
SUCH HAPPY DAYS: THE picture of Lord Baden Powell reviewing the Scouts at Raby Castle Jamboree in 1936 (Echo, Apr 7) brought back many happy memories for me.

14/04/06
POLICE FAITH DIVES: IT'S great to know the police are cracking down on irresponsible motorists. Acting Chief Inspector Mike Grinter, of South Shields police, states that he does not care if it is 3am, people who leave valuables on view in their cars will be woken up and reminded about their responsibilities (Echo, Apr 11).

13/04/06
BUDGET SPEECH: I WAS disappointed with the House of Commons Budget speech of Bishop Auckland MP Helen Goodman, as it appears on her website.

12/04/06
OFFICES MOVE : We have delivered the Richmondshire Focus newsletter to 20,000 houses, not just because we were "unhappy with the decision" to move Richmondshire District Council (RDC) offices out of Richmond (Echo, Apr 5), but because we know that residents have not been consulted about such a major change.

11/04/06
LABOUR SHAME...: IT is heartening to note that Labour MPs, councillors and party members still holding Labour beliefs and principles are starting to fight back against the de facto Tories who infiltrated and took over the party.

10/04/06
PARTY FUNDING: REGARDING the cosy discussions between Messrs Blair and Cameron whereby the public will subsidise the election campaigns of these two financially-seedy political parties.

08/04/06
MARKET FORCES: ON a recent trip to Liverpool I visited a well-known market in a disused 19th century tobacco warehouse. The place was thriving with the hustle and bustle of traders and customers alike, the noise and the atmosphere was electrifying, to say the least, and Liverpool is not even a market city.

07/04/06
CONDOLEEZA RICE: US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice is fooling nobody with her patronising remarks about our "democratic protests" regarding the war in Iraq.

06/04/06
PAY DIFFERENCES: THE pay gap between workers in the public sector and private industry has widened, but not in the way many readers of The Northern Echo will realise.

05/04/06
IRAQ WAR : In your story (Echo, Mar 30) about Ashok Kumar's recent article you wrote: "Dr Kumar's loyalty was tested by the decision to go to war in Iraq. The MP only decided on the day of the vote to back Mr Blair."

04/04/06
THE NHS: YET again the NHS is in the headlines - not for the wonderful service it offers but because it is running up a debt which is quite modest by spending standards.

03/04/06
PENSION STRIKE: AS a joiner employed by Darlington Borough Council, I feel I have to put my point of view about the pension strike and the 85-year rule.

01/04/06
POLICE MERGERS: AFTER reading the letter (HAS, Mar 10) from Councillor Dave McLuckie, chair, Cleveland Police Authority, it is plainly obvious why the authority is reluctant to accept modernisation because the tone of the letter was predominately doom and gloom and Dixon of Dock Green.

31/03/06
MAIN PROBLEMRE: residents warned of gas main upgrade at Brookfield in Middlesbrough (Echo, Mar 20).

30/03/06
FAIR TRADE: CONSIDERING that Northallerton is now a Fairtrade Town I thought there was a poor show of fairly traded products in the shops during the recent Fairtrade Fortnight.

29/03/06
BOTTLE SHOCK : I am so incensed and annoyed at an incident which occurred involving my son that I felt I had to make some comment about it.

28/03/06
RAIL FACTS: THE article: Wealthier travellers can afford fare rise (Echo, Mar 23) was wrong.

27/03/06
BUDGET BLUES: I WAS disappointed to see the Chancellor did hardly anything for the low paid in the Budget.

25/03/06
ENGLISH PARLIAMENT: LORD Falconer has told the English people that England will never have its own Parliament.

24/03/06
GARDEN OF EDEN: HUGH Pender made a interesting point concerning evangelism in schools (HAS, Mar 16) but he forgets to mention that not only will evolution not be taught, but children won't be told that the Garden of Eden is a Middle Eastern creation myth found nowhere else, or why there are so many creation myths.

23/03/06
PIPE DOWN: GAS pipes? I don't believe it, as one TV character would say.

21/03/06
SENIOR CITIZENS: IN answer to the letter on pensions (HAS, Mar 18), I would like to reply. Most pensioners today lived through the war years and we paid our dues without help.

20/03/2006
LAW AND ORDER: RE rowdy behaviour tackled in joint operation (Echo, Mar 6). Your article on the operation in Crook and the assertion that the local people warmly welcome such a move is, as usual, too little and lacks the truth.

18/03/06
FANS PRAISED: AFTER watching and reading about the disgraceful attacks by neo-fascist, and racist Roma Ultras on Boro fans in Rome, I was really heartened to see and hear about the excellent conduct of the Boro fans.

17/03/06
BAD SCHEME: I AM appalled at the Government's suggestion to pay gangsters to behave (Echo, Mar 9).

16/03/06
PASSIVE SMOKING: RE the smoking ban (HAS, Mar 3). The correspondent and his opinion on the risks to those who smoke are nothing new but will the so-called ban in all public places change the habits of those who smoke and help to save lives?

15/03/2006
REVISION COURSES

14/03/06
TEENAGE GANGS: MPs have recently been debating the shocking state of affairs caused by gangs of teenagers who lure emergency services to places, where they then physically attack crews and ambulances and fire engines are damaged.

11/03/06
DOUBLE STANDARDS:

10/03/06
MICROCHIPS: RE identity cards. Why waste millions talking about it? Why can't they microchip all babies, like cats and dogs?

09/03/06
HEADSTONES SHOCK: ARE the relatives of people buried in the North Cemetery, Darlington, aware of the desecration that has been carried out to their loved ones' headstones?

08/03/06
NO CRISIS: THE article "Milburn urged to support campaign" (Echo, Mar 2) stated that Darlington CAB is urging Alan Milburn "to help with a crisis over legal aid funding".

07/03/06
NOT A FIELD: RE: Illegal camping site to be closed (Echo, Feb 23). I would like the following points to be made clear. The area where the vehicles are parked is not a field as stated, but is industrial land with full planning permission as a coal storage and distribution depot.

06/03/06
RURAL POST OFFICES: LAST week there was much ado about the threat to close upwards of 10,000 rural post offices in Britain; causing much distress to their customers and the hard-pressed small business community.

04/03/02
POSITIVE REPORTING: I VERY much enjoyed reading Olivia Richwald's articles on British soldiers in Iraq (Echo, Feb 20-23).

03/02/06
SMOKING BAN: THANK you for publishing information on how North-East Members of Parliament voted on the recent bill to ban smoking in public places. It certainly makes salutary reading.

02/03/06
SINKING FEELING: I WISH to thank The Northern Echo for continuing to publish my updates regarding the ongoing siege of Crook.

01/03/06
SMOKING LAWS: I THINK it is a very good idea to ban smoking in pubs and restaurants, but the ban is not necessary in certain clubs.

28/02/06
LIBRARY PLEA: COUNCIL tax has risen by 84 per cent since Labour came to power. Councils often face tough choices between increasing council tax or spending less on local services.

25/02/06
HOSPITAL PRAISE: WE had to take our daughter Emily, aged five, to Bishop Auckland Hospital to have three teeth taken out.

24/02/06
FOOT-AND-MOUTH: I WAS interested to read that Newcastle University's Centre of Rural Economy has carried out a study of the foot-and-mouth crisis, marking the fifth anniversary of the epidemic which caused untold suffering to farmers and businesses in rural areas (Echo, Feb 18).

21/02/06
CREDITABLE PERFORMANCE: I WAS disappointed to read the letter from Mr Robert Bridgett of Shildon (HAS, Feb 15) which contained, in my view, unwarranted criticism of Durham Constabularys new single non-emergency number.

20/02/06
PACKAGING: ALL your readers should be told that an historic decision was made in the European Union Parliament on February 2.

18/02/06
MY COURAGEOUS SON: I WAS concerned to see several references to my son, Lance Corporal Ben Hyde, in the main article about Families Against The War demonstrating in Newcastle (Echo, Feb 6).

16/02/06
HELP WANTED:

16/02/06
COMMUNITY SUPPORT: WHEN the Tory government succeeded in closing all the mines, it also thought it had got rid of mining folk and their union, the NUM. Unfortunately for them, this has not happened.

15/02/06
THE HOLE TRUTH : Re my previous letter (HAS, Jan 25) which opened up the Crook holes in the road saga.

14/02/06
LIVE EXPORTS: THE trade in live sheep exports which has been dormant for the last nine months has resumed again this week through the port of Dover.

13/02/06
PATRIOTIC STUFF: AS an earlier riser and regular listener to Radio 4, it was good recently to hear the reassuring voice of BBC announcer David Myles telling listeners that they would shortly be having the UK theme followed by the news headlines.

11/02/06
WAR MEDALS: RE the letter from R Moore (HAS, Feb 3) about medals for aircrew who served during the Second World War.

10/02/06
TWO STANDARDS WHAT strange times we live in. A man is secretly filmed by a BBC film crew at a private political meeting. Later this man's comments are screened nationwide by the BBC.

08/02/2006
STUART'S THE MAN: I HONESTLY cannot understand how some football pundits and fans would like Steve McClaren to become the next England manager.

07/02/06
ISLAMIC CARTOONS: MODERATE Muslims speak about respect and put forward a lack of respect for their religious culture by native Britons as a significant factor in the worldwide havoc which is being wrought upon non-believers in the name of their prophet.

06/02/06
CRIME FIGURES: THE recently published British Crime Survey ignores the wealth creators of the country - small businesses.

04/02/06
MERMAID BABY: After watching Channel 4's Body Shock: The curse of the mermaid, I found myself completely appalled.

Hear all Sides
DANGER FEARS

02/02/06
CANCER CURE : Re Colette McCormick's letter (Has Jan 21) regarding cancer.

01/02/06
CHILD SEX CAMPAIGNER : The shocking story of the child sex campaigner Tom O'Carroll living among the Shildon community (Echo, Jan 26) yards from the homes of innocent little boys and girls is sickening.

31/01/06
COUNCIL TAX: Durham's Labour MP (Echo, Jan 18) comments that there is absolutely no reason the council tax bills of her constituents should rise excessively this year - remarks targeted only at the Liberal Democrat run city council.

30/01/06
KIDNAP THREAT : Re the disgraceful intentions of a radical militant section within the Fathers for Justice pressure group indicating they were preparing an audacious attempt to kidnap Tony Blair's son Leo.

28/01/06
WATCH THE BIRDIE: I WOULD like to appeal to readers of The Northern Echo to help the RSPB find out more about how garden birds are faring in the North-East by spending one hour watching garden birds this weekend.

27/01/06
TAXI DRIVERS: I HAVE always defended Darlington taxi drivers over the rules and regulations that have been set up for them by the local council, demanding that taxis are a certain shade of red and the like.

26/01/06
COUNCIL TAX: IN TWO months' time we will be faced with the annual hike in council tax bills.

25/01/06
NUDE ART?: IT SEEMS to me after seeing the photographs in the paper of the Nudes of the North - in some cases quite a big one too, that the law is indeed as ass.

24/01/05
WILLIAM GIBSON: ONCE again the media has conducted a campaign this month and totally destroyed a mans life.I have a special interest in the case of William Gibson as he was my grandsons maths teacher in Bournemouth.

27/02/06
ACTION NEEDED: RE Superintendent Barry Knevitt's reply about the new non-emergency, one number system, adopted by Durham Constabulary (HAS, Feb 21), he may wish to note that the only people with a good word for it and the new centralised control rooms are the senior management who suggested them.

23/01/05
GEORGE REYNOLDS: I READ with interest Margaret Gordon's letter castigating Mike Amos for his opinions on George Reynolds (HAS, Jan 17).

20/01/06
FREE BUSES: I TOTALLY agree with the letter (HAS, Jan 14) re the free bus pass.