PETER Barron, in his From the Editor's Chair column headed "Straying over the line" (Echo, Mar 19), says it would be a dull newspaper which avoided being controversial and thought provoking.

A fair comment, but the problem is that many find The Northern Echo insulting, especially when we are told repeatedly that our jobs and rights as British citizens are irrelevant.

There are those, and in particular the government of the day, who deny most of us from speaking up on issues that are threatening our jobs, standard of living and the demise of our way of life.

Immigration is out of control and has allowed those who have no intention of conforming to our laws to threaten and intimidate.

The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer. There are more than five million of the working population unemployed and on benefits, many better off than those who are working, yet we are told we need those immigrants to keep our economy strong.

Sounds more like cheap labour and a way of keeping the rest of the workforce in its place.

These are the facts the Echo wishes to ignore, because it has become a War Cry for the Government and the establishment.

John Young, Crook, Co Durham.