New regimes

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34044, 7 January 1976, Page 10

New regimes

Sir. — Debates like that on “New regimes” bring; forth those who reiterate the excesses of totalitarian States to demonstrate the evils of communism. While;

this might be no more naive than to suggest all the world’s problems are the fault of capitalism, we must remember the basic reason 1 : why nations resort to communism. When a nation allows development of elites, whether by wealth or race, when free speech is stifled, when corruption is rife and social services inadequate, the oppressed look for other avenues. In the present historical context most of the Western oppressors are Right-wing “democracies” and the oppressed tend to turn to socialism. If “democracy” does not permit socialism, the more liberal members are by-passed by the more extreme who resort to violence. A regime; so formed inevitably pro-' duces its own excesses. A: democratic socialism is the best method of preventing 'totalitarian communism. — ! Yours, etc., DAVID JACKSON. January 5, 1976. Sir, — Mrs Garrett refers to people in our society who I “do not listen” to “the testiimony of brave men like Sol-! : zhenitsyn and Sakharov.” I ; agree that far too few people read books like “Gulag Archipelago” and, in secondary schools. there! .ought to be a social studies; topic on different kinds of government with “Gulag Archipelago” as recommended reading. Clearly our form of society and government is far from ideal, but it is mainly lack of proper education which causes dissatisfied groups in our society to see Communist tyranny through rose-col-oured spectacles as some sort of solution to mankind’s: problems. Solutions must be looked for, and urgently, but only those who clearly see the inadequacy of the Communist attempts at solutions' are likely to begin them-j selves, or to welcome from' others the fresh thinking and action that, the survival, of democracy and civ-1

ilisation requires. — Yours, etc., MARK D. SADLER. January 6. 1976. ‘ Sir, — Cannot Messrs McAllister, Small and Wilkinson see through the contrived cloak of communism? One might ask why an international tyranny, unprecedented in extent or excess, is taken at its word. Far from being misguided idealists, these people I believe can see through the cloak. We can see them now, frantically patching it up, lest too much of the foetid body be revealed. Meanwhile, back at the Kremlin, Brezhnev, liberator of Czechoslovakia, is laughing up his tailor-made sleeve. Back in Peking, Mao, ;liberator of Tibet, is laughing up his. Both are careful 'not to be caught laughing at the same time. — Yours, etc.. R. E. STONE. January 6, 1976.