But the project must involve wider regional interests through links to English devolution. I can think of no reason why the new mayor of London should not sit on the council to represent the London Irish, but we can also look to more exciting times w...

What we will and can do, however, is to deliver the national curriculum from within the Islamic ethos and perspective of the schools. This will ensure that the education on offer will be broad, balanced and Islamic. What your correspondent calls "a n...

ANNIE HENRY London W10

PAUL WALTER Newbury, Berkshire

He will start with a list of scary statistics to make the flesh creep. In 1971 only 18p in the pounds went on welfare, now it's 30p. Horrors! That's why reform is essential, he'll say, with some stern stuff about his determination to see it through. ...

Those of us who happen to have inherited ambitious stable parents, decent education, middle-class competitive values and the virtual certainty of being employed in good work should view them as national assets (like North Sea oil) from which all shou...

During its nine months in office Labour has been charged with nannyism. The complaint was loudly articulated when Mr Cunningham banned beef on the bone. In fact that decision was justified - pending further elucidation of the link between BSE and ana...

You will get some flavour of the trial with this extract from Monday's proceedings ... Counsel: Your name is Higgs? Higgs: It is. Counsel: And what is your first name, Mr Higgs? Higgs: Higgs has always been my name. There was never any other name whi...

Sir: There is a facile self-righteousness in the recommendation by Trevor Phillips (Comment, 10 January) that the BBC chastise John Motson for his inability to recognise certain footballers, especially if they are black. We are, by and large, best ab...

If the Japanese method of being post-war Japan differs from the British method of being post-Empire Britain, it is because they are Japanese and we are British. David Walker's chief mistake is to doubt the normality of diplomatic dealings with a fore...

Well, tough! War is war. At least they came back. My own father didn't come back. He was cut in two by a grenade while trying to help a wounded comrade. We didn't expect apologies, or compensation. What if the Japanese ask for an apology and compensa...

Sir: You report on the effects of an oceanic asteroid impact on coastal areas ("Asteroids' tidal wave threat", 8 January). A spacewatch programme to monitor the skies in order to detect potentially dangerous space objects and give advance warning (po...

The only thing not common to both groups was that we were not vaccinated as babies, whereas my children and their contemporaries had multi-vaccines at an early age. As asthma seems to be an allergic reaction I often wonder if the immune system is ove...

That is not an argument in favour of Harriet Harman's "affluence test" - which, as she described it, would totally exclude the highest earners from maternity benefit. An arbitrary division between the haves and have- nots would produce, at best, a tw...

In the field of economics the obvious, glaring issue which is not being discussed is the overwhelming probability that there will be another world- wide recession within the next five years. That recession will have a profound impact on relations bet...

Sir: Has anyone noticed the quite uncanny resemblance between the Thing/Blob/Dinosaur/Giant Squid cast up on a Tasmanian beach (photograph, 10 January) and the Millennium Dome? Same shape, same mystery about its contents, same unpleasant odour? RICHA...