THE planet and all its mineral wealth and productive resources are owned by a tiny fraction of the world's population. This is capitalism. It is this and this alone that is the cause of hundreds of millions of unnecessary deaths through starvation and illness every year. The cause of billions more living in abject and unalloyed poverty.

It is the cause of homelessness, unemployment, war and all the other problems that affect us, the majority, the working class.

In Britain, it is the cause of people being denied access to drugs and medical procedures because of "cost" and many more problems.

If the above and much more, is not sufficient reasons to be bitter, then nothing is.

Finally, can Kev McStravick (HAS, July 9) name one communist country that exists or did exist?

What he deems communist is, in fact, state-capitalism and nothing more.

Steve Colborn, Seaham, Co Durham.