SIR - It hasn't taken long for the bleeding heart, human rights fraternity to start their liberal bleatings about the Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners in Cuba.

It never fails to amaze how much power these dubious groups of misguided do-gooders seem to wield and how they always attack the easy targets yet ignore the more serious breaches of human rights.

Why did they not fight for the rights of the women of Afghanistan who, for ten years, were treated worse than caged animals?

Why no armies of lawyers descending on Zimbabwe to fight for the white farmers and their workers who are being persecuted and murdered by Mugabe and his thugs?

Why have they not raised merry hell about the woman in Nigeria who is to be stoned to death for having an illegitimate baby following her rape?

When there are so many desperate causes in the world, why they have wasted everyone's time and money by persecuting two silly young men who play for Leeds United?

Why? Because it is easier to denounce soft targets like democratic America or affluent footballers than fight a real battle against a genuinely evil regime.

M Wood, Westercroft View, Northowram

SIR - Most people will not support the young men who went to fight for the Taliban and al Qaeda.

These young men were trying to make the world a better place.

We may disagree with them but they are not bad people. If one was my son, I would want him to have his head tested, but I would not be ashamed of him.

Osama bin Laden is hardly the flavour of the month, but his motive was to stop wicked injustices to people in the Middle East so he cannot be totally bad. His attack on the World Trade Centre was made to force the world's super power to recognise a responsibility to help suffering people.

Young idealistic men would want to fight for him.

William Boocock, Wheatley Lane, Ilkley.

SIR - We've heard and read how the euro has been successfully introduced into 12 countries on the Continent, even if we haven't seen much of it yet around Yorkshire. This will change as we start planning holidays, and find we can happily travel most of the EU with the same money in our purses, except, of course, in Sweden and Denmark.

However, latest opinion surveys in those countries suggest there is now a balance in favour of both of them joining.

Scandinavian countries are usually chillier then we are, but it will be we who are left out in the cold when this happens. Our situation will be more exposed in a few years as other central European countries join the EU and also sign up to the single currency.

Britain could shortly be the only EU country that is not a member of the euro-zone, leaving us isolated and exposed to the winds of globalisation.

Over 300 million people in the 12 countries that take more than half of our trade now share the same currency. It's time we woke up to the realities of present-day economics and joined as full members- not just as associates in the holiday club.

John Murray, Moorside Road, Honley, Huddersfield.

SIR - The sheer ignorance of some of the Europhobes who contribute to your columns is breathtaking.

Trevor Williams-Berry, for example, has it that Britain is set to join the euro in 2009.

This will come as a surprise to Peter Hain, Minister for Europe, who as recently as January 8 stated that the Government will "recommend membership only if it is clearly and unambiguously in Britain's economic interest", and he restated that "The Government ...would hold a referendum on Britain's membership were we to recommend membership".

This has been Government policy for as long as I can remember. I'll pass on Trevor's remarks about duty-free which has been abolished for some time now for travellers within the EU.

Suffice to say, we will all have our say eventually.

Stuart Baker, Place St Michel, Etalle-Chantemelle, Belgium.

SIR - Is there a glimmer of hope? At last it appears that a small sample of our councillors have finally realised that not any development is the right one.

Councillor Phillip Thornton and the Shipley area planning panel deferred an application because of "ugly building syndrome". Indeed, he said that applicants, Ilkley-based Mitre Estates, needed to think again about the design.

He was quoted in the T&A saying "I welcome the development of this site which is an eyesore at the moment, but not at any cost." What a shame his colleagues in Bradford didn't do the same for the Odeon cinema.

Perhaps the T&A could host an ugly building competition locally. What do readers think are currently the district's ugliest buildings? Perhaps we could expand it to include those ugly buildings of the future such as the replacement for the Odeon!

Ian Stone, Knowler Hill, Liversedge.

SIR - Kris Hopkins is very keen to persuade Council tenants to vote for stock transfer. The Tory Councillor does not, however, give a complete picture.

The boards may be made up of unpaid volunteers, but there will also be many extremely highly-paid executives at the top. The umbrella group that will make the decisions will not have a tenant majority, meaning estates will not actually be tenant-run.

Any "similar" rights written into the new inferior "assured" tenancies will only apply for existing tenants, meaning we give away our children's and future tenants' rights.

It is a myth to say there is no money for improvements. Council housing is largely self-financing.

However, this government has been siphoning money from Council rent accounts, money that should have gone back into our homes.

Eileen Allen (Defend Council Housing Campaign), Reevy Road West, Buttershaw.

SIR - I am trying to trace an old Army friend who in 1953 lived in Hirstwood Road, Shipley.

His name is D Boocock and he joined the Royal Scots Greys in Luneburg, Germany and Barce (Lybia) in 1952.

I would like to know how he is after 49 years so if anybody knows anything about him, I would be very grateful if they ring me on (01482) 783430 (just ask for Tony) or write to the address below.

A Agnew, 5 Brooklyn Villas, Ceylon Street, Hull, HU9 5RH.

SIR - Re Liberal "Democrat" John Hall's letter concerning Councillor Juliette Kinsey (January 10). It is obvious why the Lib Dems like PR. They came fourth in Scotland and yet share power with their Labour friends. Some democracy!

As far as the by-election in Bingley Rural is concerned, surely it is better to have won by a mile than a short head!

Derek Green, Daleview Court, Baildon.