Letter: Timely reminder of the real cost of growth in our post-opposition age

SELDOM have I heard such an unconstructive, blinkered piece of journalism as the article 'Is today really so much better?' How and at what point should mankind decide: 'Right, that's enough growth everyone, OK?' It is a totally preposterous notion. When should we have stopped - the Victorian Age? No, must be the Stone Age - surely the most environmentally friendly period ever; think of all the wildlife and plenty of rainforests]

The 'good old days' meant that only a few (the privileged, yet again) could travel to beauty spots, but why should you not have the opportunity to see beautiful places just because of the class you were born into? The 'growth' of education and affordable transport means these places are sought out and are available to all who wish to see them. How can this be bad? Beauty should not exist for the chosen few. Has he tried searching out beauty and solitude? It is still easy to find if you want it (more so in some cases as 'growth' takes us away from the Fifties and pesticides - good job we didn't choose that decade to stop).

JANE CROSSEN

Knutsford, Cheshire