JAMES Young (“A ‘spin’ masterclass”) makes a flattering case for venture capitalists and quotes Dragons’ Den. My overall view is that entrepreneurs would be far better off using sources like The Funding Circle where investors contend to loan them money without any ‘strings attached’.

One advantage is their not having to cope with demeaning and belittling criticisms from a row of inflated egotists and giving half their company away in the process.

Until 2010, I held both Labour and Tory governments responsible for the mess they had made of the NHS with under-spending on nurses and hospital workers and over-spending on bureaucracy.

After that, the Tories must shoulder the blame with increased PFI (knowing it was a waste of money) and a program of austerity which world authorities are now saying is downgrading our international credit rating by damaging growth.

The reason for my letter “NHS stripped bare” was to draw an analogy between the ways asset strippers operate and how the NHS seems to be ‘getting prepared for slaughter’ by the Tories. Their mates (many of whom are in the current Honours List, having given huge donations to Tory funds) are now gaining ownership of NHS by proxy it seems.

NHS assets include our health records (customer list), land, freeholds and doctors and nurses trained by using our taxation cash. They are now being ‘tossed to the wolves’. NHS soon won’t own any hospitals or employ any staff and we’ll be queuing in golf carts outside Superdrugs and ‘8 ‘till late's. By the way, the websites virginhealthcare.com and virginhealthcare.co.uk have already been taken. That was a surprise wasn’t it?

Andrew Martin (“The IS whirlwind” – June 11) puts all of our troubles down to capitalism. I disagree. It helped me escape from poverty, obtain a free education, learn new skills, work in interesting parts of the world and eventually run my own business.

Until the 1980s the top rate of progressive income tax was 75% and enabled our economy to grow at an extraordinary rate and house everyone. Following Margaret Thatcher’s mantra of selfishness, capitalism became totally corrupted by greed and rich lists. Acute debt problems now affect more wage earners than those who were over extravagant. Put that down to non-investment in affordable homes.

Under FPTP, 25% of our electorate allowed David Cameron to continue with ‘trickle up’ economics, enabling the rich to spend billions on paintings, yachts, filthy unmade beds and London mansions and creating “one nation” according to two Etonians I know. Richard Denton-White (“It’s time for reform”) knows what’s good for us - Proportional Representation An effective taxation system would also help. I’ll stop there – my head is spinning.

Mike Joslin

Garfield Avenue,

Dorchester