CAPITALISM IN ACTION

Defenders of capitalism laud it as a dynamic social system that may produce some problems, but claim that in the long run it is the only possible way to run society. "One of Britain's richest bankers has landed a record pay package of £63.3million. The extraordinary deal for Barclays president Bob Diamond sparked a major new row over payouts to banking fat cats. The sheer size of his salary perks and shares package flies in the face of assurances that Barclays and other banks have adopted a culture of restraint." (Daily Mail, 20 March) We can understand why the Bob Diamonds of this world would support capitalism but what about the predicament of the kids reported in the latest Water Aid charity leaflet? "Every 20 seconds a child in the developing world dies from water-related diseases. In around the time it takes you to read the next paragraph, a child somewhere will die. Every day, people in the world's poorest countries face the dilemma of having to trust their health and that of their children to the consequences of drinking water that could kill them. It's a gamble that often carries a high price - seeing children, needlessly dying is simply heartbreaking." A dynamic system for bankers maybe but a death sentence for these children. RD