EILEEN NOAKES of Seymour Court, Bridgetown, Totnes, writes:

A discussion about fracking on the Today programme confirmed the worst fears of anybody wanting grown-up democracy, that what we actually have is an elective oligarchy.

There was talk of the need for strong government, powerful leadership, having to override the environmental and safety concerns of citizens, including the destruction of wildlife. We destroy the latter at our peril.

We must surely question the assumption that the planet belongs exclusively to people, who have the right to to defile it as they will, and we must unquestionably resist the total erosion of people's rights between elections.

It is vital to remember that democracy is 'government of the people by the people for the people', not government by the very few, the very rich and business and commercial interests.