Sir, With his fake online identity exposed, Dr Luke Rendell tries to deflect his humiliation onto those requesting a Court of Session review of Fife Council’s decision process on Madras College’s Pipeland Farm relocation.
Disgracefully, he accuses them (three ex-Madras senior teachers) of “trying to damage my son’s education, crushing the dreams and ambitions of parents and children”.
Pipeland’s delays are entirely Fife Council’s fault: firstly for selecting such an ill-advised site; secondly for incompetence in their planning process, already 21 months old (Dunfermline HS was planned and built within 24 months!).
Having just discovered Pipeland’s serious flooding potential, what other problems will they “unearth” before paying Muirs £1.7 million for green belt worth £143,000 from their already maxed-out £40 million budget?
Pro-Pipelanders are also culpable, showing insufficient concern for the pupil/staff majorities living outwith St Andrews and schoolchildren generations beyond their own.
Had they supported the clearly superior North Haugh 21 months ago, public opinion could have impelled university and council to agree sensible terms. The school would now be near completion, more than two years earlier than Pipeland can ever be. (His son will realise that eventually).
Would they still support Pipeland if, however improbably, both sites were objectively judged equal in all respects except location?
John Birkett. 12 Horseleys Park, St Andrews.
Blue chip with food banks
Sir, I live not far from Kinross but it’s clear that according to Jim Alcock (Letters, October 2) I must live in another country.
We are still better together he writes, as “. . . we are still citizens of the most highly regarded and influential blue chip country in the world.”
Really? That will be the same blue chip country with food banks in every high street, then. The same one with the lowest state pensions in the EU, even lower than Slovenia and Hungary?
As for such claims as “. . . members of the same health service with easy referral . . .”, then this may come as news to those GPs who are banding together to complain that waiting times for appointments are now so long as to cause a risk to patients.
Compare this to another “insignificant” country such as France where one can see one’s GP the same day. But then I suppose that “better defence cover” does come at a cost and paying for Trident must mean that our NHS cannot be properly funded, even though it’s deemed the most cost-effective in the world.
Being citizens of an “influential blue chip” country comes at a price it seems, but if it must include taking part in various foreign wars at the behest of the USA then I’d vote for being “insignificant” any day.
George White. Cupar Road, Auchtermuchty.
Where’s respect for my beliefs?
Sir, The call for compulsory sex education for children from primary school age has been made by Sexpression:UK.
Part of their value statement claims that they are committed to: “Encouraging respect for personal beliefs and values”.
However, if sex education is to be compulsory then Sexpression:UK are only encouraging respect for the beliefs and values that they themselves hold.
I don’t want my primary school age children to learn about sex at school so how are my beliefs and values being respected if someone’s going to talk to my children about these things whether I like it or not?
Parents are the first and most important educators of their children and parents’ beliefs and values are respected when they are allowed to decide what their children learn and when.
Clare McGraw. 12a Castle Terrace, Broughty Ferry.
Not the wayit happened
Sir, Philip Roberts is incorrect in his letter (Parliament of the union must be undivided, Letters, October 2). He writes: “The union was achieved by an Act of the English Parliament to which the Scottish Parliament agreed.”
The union was achieved by the Treaty of Union in 1707 only after it had been ratified by both parliaments and received the royal assent: “Commissioners representing Scotland and England sat from 16 April 1706 to 22 July, when the Articles of Union were signed. The Articles were debated in the Scottish parliament from 3 October 1706 to 16 January 1707, when they were ratified with only minor changes. The English parliament then likewise adopted them, and they received the royal assent on 6 March.”
Michael Follon. 103 Canmore Road, Glenrothes.
Volcano claim is incorrect
Sir, Mr Cross’ s claim that volcanoes produce more CO2 emissions than humans is factually incorrect. The US Geological Survey (USGS) reports that human beings produce 130 times as much CO2 as volcanoes. Mr Cross then claims that warming stopped in 1998. The data from satellites, in fact, show a warming consistent with what computer models predicted.
Alan Hinnrichs. 2 Gillespie Terrace, Dundee.