CORRESPONDENTS have argued about whether the recent local election results were the final nail in Labour's coffin, a new dawn for the Liberal Democrats or the precursor to a Tory government.

Surely these are the wrong questions. Changing one lot of Westminster politicians for another won't result in any significant changes to economic or social policy.

All mainstream parties have accepted the Thatcherite economic and cultural status quo, which has largely led to our present problems.

We live in an economic free market world. We can sign petitions, harangue MPs and write to newspapers, but where profit is the key motivator these are peripheral at best.

The increase in food and fuel prices, economic downturn and exploitation of the third world didn't happen by accident, but are among the prices we pay for being "free" to exploit others.

Nearly 30 years of Thatcherite/Blairite economics has created an unsustainable gap between rich and poor with the social dislocation we now see.

This has been replicated in first world countries with a neo-liberal economic and social model. There are alternatives - Respect and Green Party policies for example - but until we rid ourselves of thinking there is no alternative to the threeparty, first past the post system, nothing will change.

Dave Atkinson, Darlington.