Churches oppose Trident renewal.

The Prime Minister recently apologised for Britain's role in the slave trade. It took 40 years of dedicated campaigning to abolish it.

The reasons so many people opposed its abolition were that so much of Britain's wealth was being produced in the sugar plantations of the West Indies where most of the slaves were employed, and so much employment in this country in building, maintaining and provisioning the slave ships was dependent on it. In short, irrespective of its immorality, it was in our material national interest to continue it.

Our national interest is used in much the same way to justify our manufacturing and sale of weapons, and now of upgrading Trident irrespective of the ethics. There are many regrettable divisions between our churches but there seems to be a remarkable degree of unity on the issue of Trident. In 2006, in May eight Anglican bishops, supported by 12 suffragen bishops, denounced its upgrading in a letter to The Independent; similar formal objections have been made in various ways in October and November by the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the United Reform and Methodist Churches, the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Episcopal and Scottish Catholic Churches and now the Archbishop of Canterbury has queried it on moral and ethical grounds. To these churches may be added the traditional "peace churches", notably The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) who have been objecting to the existence of the present Trident for some considerable time.

In view of this degree of unity amongst the churches, I find it hard to understand how the Government, which contains a number of declared Christians in addition to the Prime Minister, can justify its position on any moral grounds. If the life and teaching of Jesus is their guide, can they picture him threatening to use such a weapon of mass destruction? But, to my mind, you don't have to be a Christian or a pacifist to find it at least as abhorrent as the slave trade was. I should be interested to hear if the authorised spokesperson of any church or other faith can defend it.

I hope it doesn't take 40 years to decide to devote the resources applied to Trident to finding the causes and prevention of wars.

Geoffrey P Cundall, Newcastle

Unaccountable and undemocratic

THE feeble attempts by councillors Watson and Foote-Wood to defend the continued existence of the North East Assembly fool nobody.

They cannot escape the fact that it is completely unaccountable and undemocratic. Its decisions are made by people whom we do not elect and of whom we cannot rid ourselves.

They claim that if the Assembly did not exist, its powers would be exercised in Whitehall. This is nonsense. Many of its powers were previously held by local councils, which are accountable to their voters. The Government was deceitful when it claimed to be giving "power to the people" when it established assemblies in all regions of the UK: in fact it has done the reverse.

Throughout the country, voters are realising that there used to be local, accountable control over such matters as planning, but it has been taken away from them.

Judith Wallace, Whitley Bay 

Mobile classrooms were part of plan

HOW strange that Coun Jim Wright has declared that paying for mobile classrooms was not part of Northumberland County Council's plan for reorganising its schools system. He must have forgotten that Brian Edwards, director of education at the time, admitted openly on June 8, 2004 (at the Castle Morpeth Area Committee public meeting at County Hall, which I and many others attended) that changing to a two-tier system would require our children right across the county being taught for some years in mobile classrooms, as there would not be enough funding to rebuild schools adequately and on time.

Kim Bibby-Wilson, Morpeth.

Sooner we have unitary authority the better

IREAD a report in The Journal (Monday, December 4) that Durham County Council Labour Group had angered the district councils within the administrative county by issuing a statement that it had agreed to pursue the single purpose option for local government service provision. This was the follow-up to the Local Government White Paper which invited councils in shire areas to bid for unitary status.

In a reply issued on behalf of the six district councils within County Durham (Durham District Forum) the chairman of the Forum stated that the White Paper called for greater emphasis on local government reflecting local needs and residents' expectations and that is what, in his opinion, the district councils were best at. Providing efficient value for money services.

I would point out to the chairman of the Durham District Forum that my expectations with regard to services provision within Chester-le-Street District have never been met. I have never believed that the council has provided efficient value for money services. I am not alone in this belief.

As a public finance accountant I have made it my business to read carefully all financial statements issued by the district council responsible for the service provision for the area in which I live. I have very recently read the Statement of Accountants for the year ending March 31, 2006, for Chester-le-Street and I quote: "I have undertaken my audit in accordance with the Code of Audit Practice and I am not satisfied that, having regard for the criteria for principal local authorities specified by the Audit Commission Council and published in July 2005, in all significant respects, Chester-le-Street Council made proper arrangements to secure economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources for the year ended 31st March 2006, in that it failed to meet the following criteria:

"To put in place arrangements to manage and improve value for money."

The sooner we have a unitary authority for County Durham, the better for all of us.

MR D HALFORD, Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Promoters should consider the loyal fans

IWAS interested to read Anne Fletcher's letter in Saturday's Journal about the value for money at the recent Cliff Richard concert and glad she has put her thoughts to The Journal as The Journal Culture Club is advertised on the reverse of all tickets.

Our party has kept silent about the poor seats we were allocated at the same concert, even though we applied for them at the point of release a year ago.

We were approached about six months ago by the promoters, to return the tickets as they were to be re-allocated seats and ended up in Block 204 Row S one row short of the back row of the Arena at the end of the side seating.

It did not seem a fair re-allocation and as Anne Fletcher stated there were no side screens which was a disappointment as our view of Cliff would have been improved.

The concert was value for money as far as Cliff's performance was concerned and we did not really voice our dissatisfaction with the seating, as even though we did feel cheated with our seats, the delivery of the concert was excellent and so professional.

However, a three-tier pricing system for seats at the Arena may be something the promoters of these concerts should look at and consider the loyal fans who buy tickets well in advance for these concerts and do not expect to be taken for granted.

HEATHER CARR, Whitley Bay

Blair a disgrace as Prime Minister

IF Blair is so concerned about his legacy it just proves what an absolute disgrace he has been as Prime Minister.

TR JOY, Whitley Bay

God reveals God is truth, just and good

RE a letter in The Journal on Saturday, December 2, headed: "Who can shed light on how we picture God."

God reveals that God is truth, just and good. All people believe in truth, justice and good, but many are unaware that in doing so they are believing in God.

Also they are unaware that their preference for truth over the lie, justice over injustice and good over evil is love of God. Also people don't claim to be perfect and quite readily acknowledge that they aren't, in doing so they are measuring themselves to God and confessing that at times in life they have chosen contrary to God, ie truth, justice and good.

When we aren't choosing contrary to God we are about God's business. If you are not against you are with.

WG, Blyth

I believe Jesus meant 'Son of Goodness'

YOUR correspondent whose name was withheld wrote concerning a report in The Journal, November 20. "God has to be left out of science lessons," "and what is meant by God," and he would like readers to shed some light on the situation.

Here goes, it seems to me that it is in the human psyche to imagine or to think above ourselves.

When my children asked me who is God I told them "anything that is good is God, and anything that is bad is the Devil", and when Jesus said He was the "Son of God" I believe he meant the "Son of Goodness." I think those of Islam have got it about right when they chant "God is Good." They could also chant "Good is God."

RON BONALLIE, Fulwell, Sunderland

A society that does not want God is lost

IAM writing in response to one of your letters with the heading "Who can shed light on how we picture God," and am astounded that the school curriculums are to leave "God" out of science lessons.

God and Jesus are one and anyone who is a Christian, ie someone who follows in the teachings of Christ, has the Holy Spirit in them which is referred in the Bible as the "Counsellor."

When I was at school you were taught RE as I was a member of a church school, although I wasn't really a true Christian at that time.

These days we are becoming like America where the Ten Commandments and Assembly are to be taken away. A society that does not want God or his teachings is a lost society in my opinion.

Ms G MORLAND, Millfield, Bedlington

Money better spent elsewhere

PIE in the sky. It will be if we go ahead building more nuclear submarines. The present ones are obsolete on the basis that they are vulnerable to sonar and Asdic resources and even radar and aircraft. They have no hiding place.

The wasted billions would be better served by building more hospitals and ploughing them into all our industrial requirements, more jobs and security for all.

TM MARTIN, War pensioner, Amble