It has to be said that J Calpin ('Leaning to the Left', January 25) has a point in his comments on the rather leftish bias slightly colouring the excellent columns of Julian Cole and Chris Titley and the need to counterbalance this.

As Brian Marlowe seems to be a 'middle-of-the-roader', I suggest you call on the good offices of Ida Mary Goodrick. She could take over the late John Potts's much-missed 'those-were-the-days' feature. And who better to complete the political equation than our correspondent DN Quarrie, whose oft expressed true-blue views would surely appease the most dinosaurian of Press readers?

R Powell,

Cawood Common, Selby.

...I can understand J Calpin's concern about political persuasions, but just because you may not agree with someone does not make them "loony left" or indeed "wacky right". I would like to bet J Calpin is of the "right" persuasion.

However, to make such a ridiculous statement that Mrs Thatcher was the most popular PM in 100 years is amazing to say the least. When the history of the last political century is recorded, she will be (in my view) the most vilified for what she did to Britain and its long suffering people. Victorian values indeed - the industrial might of Britain decimated, poll tax and all the rest of her manic determination to drive the working man and their families into the ground.

Rex Barley,

Tennent Road,

Acomb, York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.