Authorised selective culling ( not trigger-happy anglers.

The letter printed in The Journal (September 2) by a lady from Animal Aid was one of the most ill informed letters I have ever read.

In it she claimed that anglers were shooting cormorants recklessly for no reason other than to protect their sport and that the poor birds had been driven inland as the seas had been denuded of fish for them to eat.

This is simply not the case. What has happened, is, over the past 30 years a sub species of cormorant, (sinensis) a freshwater dwelling bird living mainly in southern Europe and North Africa, has invaded Northern Europe in the same way that the collared dove did in the 1960s.

Waters throughout Britain, whether run by anglers or not, are currently being totally denuded of fish by this invader, and a move to cull them is not the reaction of a trigger-happy band of irate fishermen but follows as a result of a lengthy scientific survey into the birds that led to selective culling being authorised by both MAFF and the Environment Agency, bodies highly unlikely to persecute any type of birds needlessly.

The claim that the seas are denuded is equally and sensationally inaccurate.

If that were true then our freshwater environment would be invaded by shags, guillemots, puffins, gannets, razorbills and all other fish eating marine birds.

This is not the case.

Anglers are trying to protect an environment we are happy to share with Britain's indigenous fish eating birds such as herons, grebes and even ospreys, which themselves will suffer if waters continue to be decimated by this super efficient invasive predator.

Animal Aid and its like are the type of organisation that do not understand that we live in the 21st Century. Only man can take responsibility for trying to protect a fauna that is now made up of none indigenous introduc-tions and invaders that flourish because of man's actions. Such groups who think it wrong to kill grey squirrels, and who liberated mink only to find the water vole, dabchick and dipper paying the price for their actions, do nothing at all to help our precious countryside.

DAVID HALL,

Fisheries Officer to Tyne Anglers Alliance,

Right of way claim resolved almost 10 years ago

IN The Journal of August 31 you published a letter from Mr B Douglas about a "lost right of way" in Corbridge.

The county council did in fact resolve this matter almost 10 years ago. The path to which Mr Douglas refers was Alleged Public Footpath (Byethorne) Parish of Corbridge. A report was considered by the Rights of Way Sub-Committee on May 17, 1996.

The sub-committee considered the evidence both in support of and against the alleged existence of the public right of way and decided that on balance there was not sufficient evidence to show that a public right of way existed. The parish council, as the applicant, had the opportunity to appeal to the Secretary of State against the council's decision but did not pursue this.

DAVID BROOKES,

Countryside Support Team Leader,

Northumberland County Council.

Labour Government selling Swan Hunter down the river

IFIND it really sad and disgusting that a government I have voted for since being old enough to do so is literally selling Swan Hunter shipbuilding down the river.

Labour used to tear into the Conservative Party for doing the self same thing years back, and yet a party which is supposed to stand for the working class is in my view going out of its way to sabotage any attempt by Swan's to get any new orders.

Think back to 1977 and there were 11,000 workers in these yards ( now there are 700. How is it then that Portsmouth is receiving the lion's share of this country's naval orders and my home town is at this moment in time getting nothing?

Swan Hunter is renowned the world over for its expertise in building all types of ships.

I'm ashamed of Labour's hypocritical stance with my town's once great shipbuilding heritage.

Come on Mr Blair, let us in Wallsend see some backbone on your part and see Swan Hunter receive a major contract, thus keeping its head above water until the aircraft carriers are constructed.

Instead the greedy southerners are getting everything going and we in the North-East are as usual being stabbed in the back by our so called friends in London.

Quite frankly Labour is no better than the Tories, whom we all know tried to eradicate shipbuilding on the Tyne prior to 1997. Now my party is doing exactly the same thing.

Please get your act together Mr Blair before another world class company on our once famous river goes the way of the dodo.

GARY WILLIAMS,

Members of HM forces killed during the Cold War

RE Tony Bennet's letter (August 30), serving members of HM armed forces, as a component of Nato, held the forces of the Soviet Union at bay during the Cold War.

As to the Cold War being an illusion, tell that to the widows and fatherless children of my old friends and comrades-in-arms, who as RAF aircrew gave their lives in defence of Queen and country during this period of great danger to our freedom.

In memory of some old friends and fellow RAF aircrew who died as a result of the Soviet threat, I recall one small event that took place on one day during the Cold War, that resulted in the deaths of an entire RAF crew.

An RAF aircraft on an unarmed training flight which took it close to the East German border was intercepted and shot down by Soviet Air Force fighters.

The RAF crew baled out of their stricken aircraft, but were strafed with cannon and machine gun fire from the Soviet fighter aircraft as they descended in their parachutes.

Not one reached the ground alive. It was an act of war rare even amongst the worst of our Second World War enemies for its savagery.

That Mr Bennet, however unpalatable you may find this account of one minor incident during the Cold War with Soviet Russia, is officially recorded fact.

P RIVKIN,

We have to stop the abuse of innocent children

ONE of the biggest problems we face today is the abuse of children. Who cannot fail to be angered by stories of bullying, or the violent abuse of youngsters?

It was with dismay that I recently read that ChildLine desperately needs money to continue its work. I urge your readers to give what they can afford to a really excellent organisation.

When I was a boy I had a teacher who was a thug and a bully.

I only wish ChildLine had existed then.

We have to stop the abuse of innocent children.

WILLIAM ELLIS,

Letter of the Week

THE letter of the week for the week commencing August 22 was written by Robert Phillifent, of Whitley Bay, on the subject of exam standards.

He wrote: "In the subject I taught, chemistry, the syllabus has been decimated and is but a fraction of what it was say 20 years ago. Almost all the parts involving `harder' mathematics have been eliminated and the course is now reduced to `general principles'".

The winner for the week commencing August 29 was P Warren of Gosforth for his thoughts on possible changes to abortion laws.

He wrote: "At what stage is the foetus sentient, ie capable of sensation or response to stimulus? From the philosophical standpoint the question hinges on determining at what stage the interaction between mind and psyche begins. It is, in other words, a religious question of the deepest significance, and not religious in the superficial sense of belief, creeds and churches."