I WOULD like to answer John Monaghan who asks why the people of Wales, through the Welsh Assembly, and the Scots, through the Scottish Assembly, get free prescriptions but the English, with our Parliament, do not (Oxford Mail, October 11). (Scots actually pay a small charge to be abolished next year).

The basic answer to the question is not the answer he or many others may like, but it’s called socialism.

The Welsh and Scottish Assemblies have a socialist majority, so, whether you like it or not, that is the reason they benefit, while the English pay through the nose.

Now, socialism may not be everyone’s cuppa, but in my system, Mr Monaghan would not pay a penny for his prescriptions.

Not everything has to have a price. I don’t hear too many people complain about the free NHS if you require an ambulance, a visit to the doctor or a hospital appointment. But that’s socialism. It’s not a perfect system, but it works and we must all fight to keep it so.

When we’ve got the NHS right, maybe we can concentrate on pensions, a socialist system which will guarantee dignity when we have worked for 40-50 years.

Dignity equals a liveable pension based on what the individual has paid into the system. Is that too much to ask in the 21st century?

Not if you’re filthy rich, of course, and that includes the millionaires on the government front benches!

We’re all in this together, are we?

Tim W Siret, Millmoor Crescent, Eynsham