Dear Editor,
I read Betty Rosen's plea for communism (Letters, 13th Nov.) and on one level I strongly agree. Indeed the base philosophy "from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" should be the perfect mantra. But from contact with various leftist groups, it soon became apparent to me that the leaders of those groups are keen to be the ones who decide who gets what. Yes, the management of those "needs" and those "abilities" can easily be a trigger for megalomania.
But rampant, corporate capitalism as we have today certainly isn't the answer as this not only oppresses the poor but also ravages the environment and the natural world while eagerly supplying us the consumer with commodities (i.e. "stuff") that we really don't need.
I would recommend a re-reading of Schumacher's 1970's book "small is beautiful" and propose a push towards local, small-scale commerce where business is something which goes on between neighbours and between equals and where corporations are no longer allowed to scour the world for the cheapest (e.g. clothes from Bangladesh) and then sell for maximum profit.
Unfortunately the current economic trend is going in exactly the opposite direction as your recent report on the proposal for "mega-farms" illustrated.
Regards
