Sir, – For decades we have enjoyed a reliable electricity supply.
This is not by chance but is the result of careful planning.
And now we are about to jeopardise this because of the obsession of our government with renewable energy, particularly wind energy.
Electricity from renewable sources is given priority over that from conventional power stations.
Consequently, the latter cannot be used efficiently, making them uneconomic, a major factor in the closure of Longannet power station and a major factor in why new power stations are not being built.
Green electricity is supposed to reduce our production of CO2, the most important greenhouse gas.
But electricity supplies only 18% of our energy needs and less than 30% of our CO2 is produced by power stations.
Heating, transport, agriculture and so on collectively account for much more of the energy we use and the CO2 we produce.
Hence, even if all our electricity is produced without burning fossil fuels we could not cut the amount of CO2 we produce by more than 30%.
But, the output from onshore wind turbines is less than 33% of capacity for two thirds of the time, often decreasing to less than 10% of capacity.
Even if we erected enough turbines to supply all our needs when the wind is blowing strongly, a simplistic calculation shows that, due to turbines being inefficient in lighter winds, a cut of about 14% is the maximum reduction in CO2 production that we can expect.
Unless we quickly build more power stations as our current conventional and nuclear power stations close, we will soon reach a point where we will have to import large amounts of electricity from elsewhere.
Recent submissions to the economy, energy and tourism committee at Holyrood by experts in power generation and distribution make alarming reading.
The present policy is described by one as the most expensive disaster in modern history and even the John Muir Trust expresses concerns about the decreased security of supply. It is time for politicians to listen to the professionals.
Dave Trudgill. Newmill, Blairgowrie.
Battle of Britain: myth of victory
Sir, – The Battle of Britain is a stirring tale of the RAF battling the Luftwaffe as our army lay broken and demoralised after the thrashing it received from the Wehrmacht.
Yet an invasion was little more than a pipe dream and by July, Hitler was already diverting essential supplies to the east for the main event, his attack on Russia.
Germany never had the troop carriers and other equipment to make a UK invasion realistic.
But we badly needed a win so an inconclusive battle became a victorious myth as our greatest propagandist intoned “never have so many owed so much to so few.”
Churchill presented a vision of Western civilisation saved by “the few” but even in that finest hour the Royal Navy was, as it had always been, our primary defence.
Rev Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
Anthem row was distraction
Sir, – It was both intriguing and disappointing to note so much of the news leading on the fact that Jeremy Corbyn did not sing the national anthem at the Battle of Britain remembrance ceremony.
This was on the same day that the Conservatives pushed through a vote in the Commons in favour of lowering the earnings level above which tax credits are withdrawn, impacting on nearly half of all families in Scotland.
Around half the people in poverty in Scotland live in working households, a worse situation than in the UK as a whole, with tax credits going some way to alleviate this.
While more than 500,000 children in Scotland benefit from tax credits, seven in 10 Scottish households who receive them are working households, with 90% of expenditure on tax credits going to households with an income of less than £20,000.
It is estimated that a 10% cut in child tax credit will cost Scottish families £150 million a year, while a 10% cut in all tax credits would leave households £250m worse off.
The UK Government’s cut in tax credits will hit Scotland’s poorest children and families hard, a frightening indication of the potential impact of the proposed £12 billion in welfare cuts.
If the media mirrors society, it is indeed a sad situation we are in which sees Mr Corbyn’s non-singing of the national anthem dominate while many thousands of Scottish children are destined to be driven into, or even further into, poverty.
Alex Orr. 77 Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh.
Media deference to Mr Corbyn
Sir, – How interesting to see Jeremy Corbyn being interviewed in hushed and reverent tones by Jon Snow on Channel 4 News; his waffling responses going unchallenged and uninterrupted.
What a contrast to the hectoring and aggressive treatment dished out to David Cameron after his election victory.
Malcolm Parkin. 15 Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.
Madras College bus study
Sir, – I have been reading the many letters on the debate about the number of buses that deliver pupils to the current Madras Kilrymont building in St Andrews each day.
Mr Bill Sangster says it is 72 buses every day, which seems an extraordinary number so I did a count of those that left the school at 3.30pm.
The total was 16 of which two were normal service buses.
Of that, 12 headed directly to Madras South Street via Priestden Place, Lamond Drive and Abbey Street.
The other two, when they got to Lamond Drive, turned westwards along Lamond Drive and out of the town.
Ken Reid. 201 Lamond Drive, St Andrews.
Devo max is way forward
Sir, – All the talk of another referendum on independence, so soon after a resounding rejection of the idea less than 12 months ago, seems a bit odd. Or does it?
Maybe trying desperately to cling on to the last shreds of a fading empire is just that desperate.
Recent polls show an increase in support for a split but it is not enough and I doubt there can be enough confidence in a yes vote anytime soon.
That’s why pro-independence parties should be promoting a referendum on devo max as promised by the vow but not delivered.
That is a surefire winner and a major step on the way to full self government while still pretending our colonial rulers are the masters.
Richard Clark. Craigton, Monikie.
Brits pay their way in Spain
Sir, – I was a shade puzzled by Alex Orr’s letter pointing out the number of British people living in Spain.
But these are pensioners who are not looking for jobs.
They are going there to retire. They have pensions and savings. They have money to spend.
Spain welcomes them.
K J MacDougall. 3 Logie Avenue, Dundee.
Poor response on refugee crisis
Sir, – It has been dismaying to hear politicians and media commentators speaking with such ignorance about the migrant situation at Calais.
Most of those currently stranded at the French port are from countries where conflict and persecution are rife: Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Eritrea and Afghanistan.
The 3,000 individuals at Calais are a miniscule fraction of the world’s 20 million refugees, the majority of whom are in places like Turkey, Lebanon and Ethiopia, countries which are struggling to accommodate these unfortunate people.
Europe has taken in very few of the world’s refugees.
Some European Union countries, especially Germany and Sweden, have provided shelter for significant numbers but the United Kingdom and even France (which receives twice as many asylum applications as the UK) are lagging far behind.
It is no good countries like France and the UK proposing the erection of ever-higher security fences. Calais, along with the crisis in the Mediterranean, needs to be tackled as part of a comprehensive EU-wide refugee approach including via managed settlements.
Europe has itself endured the horrors of wars, persecution and mass refugee flows.
We need to respond far better than this.
Alastair Dickson. Chairman, Pitlochry Amnesty International Group, c/o 19 Aldour Court, Pitlochry.
Courier takes me to dream world
Sir, – Looking at your wedding pages makes me glad that so many couples still believe in marriage.
May the couples have long and happy lives together.
I was married twice. The first time I was rather immature and did not know how to express my feelings.
In the second marriage I made up my mind to be married in church.
Both marriages ended in divorce.
Now I can dream where the marriages featured in your paper took place.
Two particular ones fascinated me, the weddings at Guthrie Castle and Kinnettles Castle.
My imagination takes me to Drummond Castle where I can dream of walking down the outside stairs into the castle gardens with a kilted man and a piper. Wow.
At 73 there is no hope for that but I did enjoy writing a light-hearted letter after looking at your wedding pages.
Mary J Sutherland. 47 Strathmore Street, Bridgend, Perth.
Bankfoot needs better sign
Sir, – Church Place in Bankfoot is a row of four houses but the road sign is so small it causes confusion.
I had an ambulance crew walk half a mile carrying their equipment until they found my house, all for the want of a bigger sign on Prieston Road where the road to Church Place begins.
It could be a matter of life and death if an ambulance missed the small sign as so often happens.
T. Brown. Church Place, Bankfoot.