READING the article by Gordon Thomson (Evening Times, January 5), the successful initiative to tackle unruly behaviour is to be welcomed.

However, it seems to me that there is one aspect of education which is missing from teaching, one that would be a sound basis on which to build basic social skills.

After reading, writing and arithmetic should come articulacy. We need to increase communication skills and give young people more confidence in any social situation.

The lack of this skill in our children is fairly obvious when you happen to overhear a group of them at a bus stop, or even more painfully when we get to hear and see them on TV.

In these days communication between children (and of course adults) is of paramount importance and being articulate could be the foundation for improving the social skills of children. ANGUS MacINNES Glasgow Debate time for party chiefs

WITH the elections coming up in May would it not be a good idea for the party leaders, especially of the two main parties in Scotland - the SNP and Labour - to have a televised debate on their plans for the future of the country?

Too many people are put off by the negative campaigning going on.

I think many people would prefer a head to head debate between McConnell and Salmond, minus all the spin doctors, to let us see who really is up to the job of taking Scotland forward. KENNY MacLAREN Paisley Journey through time

AS a regular visitor to Glasgow Green, I have often walked past the circular stone display that is sited on the Green near to the football pitches and this weekend I decided to take a closer look.

The stone spiral time line is brilliant, a great display and lasting feature that proudly records key events in Glasgow's history. My children enjoyed taking the journey through time, but sadly it seems to end prematurely with the last recorded event being in 1996.

Surely there is something that has taken place in the past 10 years that deserves to be recorded in the spiral time line. So, come on Glasgow City Council, add a few more stones. RITCHIE CASWELL Bridgeton Pub's pie ban is a disgrace

THE decision - by an English pub chain - to ban Scotch pies from the menu in Glasgow's famous Horse Shoe Bar beggar's belief. What are they proposing to replace them with? Jellied eels?

I'm all for a healthy diet but a pie and a pint is a central part of Scottish pub life. At a time when the green lobby is focusing on food miles, and our tourist bodies are urging us to make the most of our native fare, I can't believe that a pub like the Horse Shoe is turning its back on tradition to "appeal to a wider customer base".

That translates as "we don't like the customers we've got and want different ones, preferably ones who spend more".

There are already enough poncy pubs in Glasgow serving the salad-munching middle classes, without the Horse Shoe turning into just another wine bar. MATT CULINAN St George's Cross Thanks for returning wallet

TO the fabulous Port Glasgow couple who drove from TGI Friday's in the city centre to my parents' home in Crookston when they found my wallet, my most sincere thanks.

They refused any reward, so all I can say again is many thanks, it makes me so proud to be Scottish. All the very best for 2007. DOUGLAS SHEARER Crookston WRITE: Evening Times, 200 Renfield Street, Glasgow G2 3QB. Please include your name and address. E-MAIL: letters@eveningtimes.co.uk Please include postal address. TEXT: key in the word 'etletters', leave a space then send your comments to 88010. Max 160 characters. Please include your name or initials and where you're from. Texts cost 25p at all times.