Sir,- As each month passes, and figures are released, it is all too clear the Chancellor’s targets are being repeatedly missed.
The deficit isn’t shrinking and the national debt continues to spiral totally out of control.
Austerity certainly hurts, but it certainly isn’t working.
In common with this, Cameron’s plans (if he really had any) to reduce immigration to controllable levels, are clearly in shreds.
In England, employees in education, the police and all aspects of the National Health Service tell us that they and their organisations are on the brink of collapse.
Surely now is the time for the Government to bite the bullet and enter into cross-party talks with that expert on plan Bs, Alistair Darling.
Although Darling’s policies when in office have a lot to do with the mess we’re in, a credible plan B is “a must have” and seems unlikely to come from anyone but him, as he constantly reminded us during the referendum campaign.
However, in case he’s a bit rusty, here are a couple of suggestions from a mere layman.
We still get more than 20% of our energy from burning coal stop importing it and start digging some up.
We still have millions of tons of it.
Visit the docks and see what other goods we are importing and start manufacturing them instead.
Use the money intended for Trident.
Joseph G Miller, 44 Gardeners St, Dunfermline.
No intergalactic star captain
Sir,- I just read about Alex Salmond’s attempt to board a British Airways flight as Captain Kirk of the Starship Enterprise.
I suppose we should be grateful he wasn’t also dressed as his hero.
I wonder what Lieutenant Uhuru, aka Nicola Sturgeon, thinks of all this.
I hope it won’t “phaser” too much and she allows Alex to “Klingon” to his job as foreign affairs spokesman, in charge of the SNP’s intergalactic relations.
Allan Sutherland, Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Training to fight alien invaders
Sir,- During a referendum debate Alex Salmond asked Alistair Darling about alien attacks from outer space in an independent Scotland.
Mr Darling later quipped “that’s what happens when you have a Trekkie as First Minister”.
Now we learn Mr Salmond tried to book himself in a flight from London under the name James Kirk the captain of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise.
Apparently Mr Salmond often travelled under a false name and told a national newspaper: “I just wanted BA to beam me up Scotty”.
The latest bizarre situation begs the question as to what planet Mr Salmond and the SNP are really on, as clearly it is not the real world.
Ian Lakin, Pinelands, Murtle Den Road, Milltimber.
Former leader in state of confusion
Sir,- I am not surprised that Alex Salmond used the name James T Kirk to try to board a flight.
This proves to me, if such proof indeed was required, that the man is a total fantasist who appears to exist in a constant state of confusion over which planet he inhabits.
Donald Lewis, East Lothian, Pine Cottage, Gifford.
Highway Code is a driver’s friend
Sir,- To the driver on Kingsway East in Dundee who asserted rather aggressively that I should not cycle on a dual carriageway as I would cause an accident I would like to make a couple of points, which I couldn’t do as he drove by shouting at me and not paying full attention to what was in front of him.
First, I have a right to cycle on the road.
I am a qualified cycling instructor so I know that the road position I take is the one officially recommended, which gives me maximum visibility and safety.
Approaching junctions or on narrow roads this may prevent overtaking, which can irritate some drivers who would like to overtake where it is unsafe.
But I prefer my safety to their convenience, which would often just mean their catching up with the next hold-up.
Second, motorists have a legal obligation to allow sufficient space when overtaking and to not overtake at junctions, where the road narrows, on blind corners and other situations as detailed in the Highway Code.
I would suggest that if drivers are unaware of the Highway Code, are unable to overtake bicycles safely or have such a negative attitude as the driver that shouted at me they should not be driving as they are the ones who are likely to cause accidents.
John Richmond, Shamrock Street, Dundee.
City has a duty to the future
Sir,- Though not a Dundonian, never having seen it until 1990, I worked at the college for 10 years, and got to know, and like, the place rather well.
I must agree with RHL Mullerton (Letters, October 6) on the planning vandalism in the city.
I know from your own archives, particularly Craigie, what a lovely architectural heritage you had, and can see how it has been sacrificed at the altar of the great god “car”.
I could not believe, when I first saw a photo of the Royal Arch, and asked what had happened to it, that it had been demolished, and not preserved.
From what I could see it could have stood alongside Marble Arch and the Arc de Triomphe, and you have let it go for ever.
Shame on you, Dundee. Shame on you.
It is your city, to do with as you will, but you do have a duty to future generations,
Laurie Richards, Crail Road, Cellardyke.
Supporting a needy neighbour
Sir,- It has now become clear we maybe asking the wrong question regarding the affordability of our nation’s survival.
Proponents of the union love to bandy figures around to show how poor Scotland is, but never mention how our neighbours south of the border would fare if the pooling and sharing stopped.
So why not ask “can England afford to be an independent country?”
With a sizable deficit adding to an already huge debt London is barely able to service, a welfare system on its knees and an austerity agenda that is proving to be of little help in stemming the crisis.
And some are still gullible enough to believe they also want to subsidize Scotland out of the goodness of their hearts!
At the end of July the headlines reported growth in the UK economy attributable to “a surge in North Sea oil and gas production”.
Not bad for a sector in a slump!
So, on a bad day we are propping up the system imagine the good or even excellent days the industry has enjoyed in the past.
Who is really subsidising who? Which nation really has the broadest shoulders? Who would actually suffer the most if the UK split?
Maybe if we asked our questions differently and put politics aside for a moment we would find out why they are so desperate for us not to leave?
Richard Clark, Craigton, Monikie.
The slow death of BBC sport
Sir,- The BBC had commentators like Bill McLaren, Peter O’Sullevan, Dan Maskell, David Coleman, John Motson, David Vine, Murray Walker, Ritchie Benaud and Henry Longhurst.
The 84-year-old veteran Peter Alliss, raged against the dying of the light, but it still bailed out a year early from live coverage of golf at the Open.
It is the end of an era, and just to underline its significance the BBC’s charter expires at the end of next year and the future of public service broadcasting is clearly up for debate.
I must admit I watch it less because its global-warming hysterics are so tiresome and tend to source news from Al Jazeera or CNN and entertainment almost wholly from Sky.
Dr John Cameron, Howard Place, St Andrews.
Minister owes us an explanation
Sir,- Surprise, surprise. Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop apparently will not appear again before her peers to face any further questions regarding her decision to award £150,000 to DF Concerts to help them stage T in the Park.
Instead she will be allowed to give any follow up information by letter.
We can be forgiven for querying why such a grant should fall into the lap of this company given they made £6.2 million last year.
The Scottish Government must be awash with cash that such a “donation “was allowed.
Their spokesperson has said the matter had been “carefully examined.”
Which almost sounds as if the matter has been put to rest.
Had they not considered that in the face of food banks, cancelled operations, a cash-strapped police force and a limp-along education system, that this money could and should have been put to better use, and the continuing future episodes of wisdom from the culture secretary carefully examined.
David L Thomson, Laurence Park, Kinglassie.
Kingfisher’s tale not uncommon
Sir,- Some years ago my wife and I were holidaying in Crete and while swimming one day a kingfisher landed on a little beached dinghy close by us.
I dashed back to our room, leaving my wife in the water, to get the camera and raced back to take a beautiful shot from very close range.
I was really pleased with the result, but a hotel worker asked why such a hurry, so we told him how seldom we could see this bird at home.
He told us that this bird came every day at one o’clock and fished among the bathers for about a half hour and so it did!
JR Smith, Glamis Road, Kirriemuir.
Killjoys behind bra bunting ban
Sir,- I refer to your story about Fife Council suggesting using bras as bunting is a health and safety hazard.
Once again, as so often, health and safetygets blamed because a jumped-up local environmental health killjoy, who wouldn’t know an adequate risk assessment if it bit them on the backside, becomes too full of the sense of their own importance.
Laurie Richards, Crail Road, Cellardyke.