I AM depressed about the state of our country. No matter where you look, it is one sorry tale after another.

To make matters worse we have witnessed, under a Labour government would you believe, an entry into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that we cannot win.

Nearer home, we are witnessing a collapse of our financial institutions. We used to look on banks as pillars of rectitude. Now, it seems, in the headlong rush to make quick profits they have shown themselves to be cheap moneylenders (and they can't even do that any more) which have put at risk the finances of many investors.

In education we see gross abuse of the system of choice for our children. Parents have lied and cheated to get their children into a "good" school when sending kids to the nearest school was the best and fairest system.

Then, there are the dangers of mass immigration, the worst effects of which are yet to be felt.

Approaching my 80s, I conclude that rampant capitalism is no solution to the problems facing our society. Surely there is a connection between the relentless pursuit of material wealth and the breakdown in law and order.

Hugh Pender, Darlington.