The closure of libraries in Wharfedale and across the county is a direct consequence of a Tory government undemocratically defending its wealthy capitalist friends while making those on low incomes pay the price for its greed.

This is a deliberate political vandalism greater than that perpetrated by another Tory axe man, Richard Beeching, who destroyed the railways to poor rural communities in 1960. For example, working class Otley was a victim whereas wealthy Ilkley was spared.

But this is not only an attack on our quality of life; it also is a threat to democracy, with sinister connotations of a fascist totalitarian dictatorship.

It is a subtler version of 1933 Nazi Germany's Ministry of Propaganda’s book burning to deny access to accumulated wisdom, knowledge and learning. An informed articulate public is the last thing the Establishment wants.

Many libraries are scheduled for closure and others surreptitiously taken over for other uses that will lead to their demise. For example in Otley it is proposed to move the Council’s One Stop Shop into a library, which is already short of space. This is a creeping cancer that will kill the remaining sanctuaries of democracy.

We should do what the Egyptians have done. Take to the streets en masse and boycott all elections until genuine democratic reform is implemented. What is the point of voting when all candidates are Establishment lackeys who use our votes only to give themselves credibility?

We have suffered the greed of bankers and capitalists for far too long. Now it must be stopped before they do any more damage. ‘Power to the people’ is not a joke. It should be a reality Malcolm Naylor

Grange View, Otley