GREGG Beaman (Citizen Letters: June 15), makes the point that those who actively oppose capitalism are "extremists" who are "out of touch with 21st century reality" he goes on to say how he will defend what he describes as "freedom and democracy".

I can't help but feel that it is, actually, Cllr Beaman who is out of touch with 21st century reality.

The fact is that we live in a world in which 828 million people go hungry (real people, real lives, councillor!), while at the same time the planets 358 billionaires exceed the combined annual incomes of the countries with 45 per cent of the world's population. That is the sickening reality of the 21st century.

The unequal distribution of wealth is not just a problem in the so called Third World.

It's another fact that the richest 1000 individuals in Britain have a combined wealth of £98 billion, that is more than the government spends on health, education and welfare put together.

As for Cllr Beaman's "freedom and democracy", where is it for the children of Iraq, suffering and dying, because the "democratic" countries impose economic sanctions, which have done nothing to weaken the dictator Saddam Hussein, but just created misery and premature death. Where was the freedom and democracy for the innocent civilians of Serbia killed by UK/USA bombings on civilian targets - TV stations, roads train lines and bridges.

These were bombings that were not even sanctioned by the UN, and have not brought about an end to ethnic intolerance in the area.

In Cllr Beaman 21st century reality, I'm all for more goatee bearded anarchists!

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