YOU’VE really got to wonder at the ability of some people not to see realities that are staring them in the face.

A five-year-old of average intelligence would have been able to tell that you can’t screw a system the way bankers and speculators have been screwing the global economy and expect that, sooner or later, there will be no repercussions.

You’ve also got to wonder about politicians like Gordon Brown who gave their blessing to these activities. On what basis did their seemingly flawless economic expertise rest? Did it have any basis in reality at all?

Now, alas, the chickens have come home to roost and, as always, it’s the most vulnerable who will suffer the hardest.

I feel really sorry for people on moderate incomes with young families. They’ve been shamefully betrayed by both politicians and financial interests.

Tony Kelly, Crook, Co Durham.