HOW I agree with F Estall, especially the statement "For evil to flourish all it takes is for good men to do nothing''.

We seem to have these good men in abundance, and yet doing nothing! There seems to be a sad lack of common sense around these days and I have to wonder at the intelligence of some of the people who are responsible for the safety of the public.

The recent hue and cry about knives is a classic example, the terrible tragedies of late should make us all think about how easily our freedoms have become eroded, especially when in so many cases the law protects the criminal.

We used to be free to walk the streets in safety, no more, we were able to shop without fear of being robbed or mugged, no more, we used to be able to let our children out to play unsupervised, no more.

The older generation lived in an era when it was safe to leave the window open for some fresh air, now they are told make sure your windows and doors are secure, even in the daytime!

Our children cannot play in the park without fear of being attacked.

I am afraid this age of criminal selfish greed starts at the top.

You cannot put all the blame on the young people when they see a Government which openely robs the old, not only of their meagre savings but even into the grave!

I am sick of these people who treat the elderly as though they have no right to a decent way of life, most of these pensioners (who were lucky enough to survive a war) were forced to work long, hard hours. No social security then to bail them out in the lean times, or if dad was sick, they looked after their own, it was a moral duty to do so, most often they turned to one another in times of trouble and helped each other out.

I feel sorry for today's young people when they see those at the top getting more and more for less and less, and all they have to look forward to is working longer hours to subsidise the lifestyle of those who do and have done little or nothing for their salary.

I would say to these youngsters while you can still change things...use your vote!

Stop feeding the the inflated salaries of those who have done nothing.

It is your world now, while you still have the power to change things, do it! Don't wait for someone else and certainly dont wait for the good men.

MOLLY BENNETT, Bursledon.