Sir, The prominent article on February 4 (Windfarm fund milestone) was meant as a news story, but it read more like a press release from SSE.
Indeed, as the solepurpose was the promotion of its “Drumderg windfarm community fund”, SSE should have paid yournormal charge for a half-page advertisement.
Its opening words “Funding generated by a Perthshire windfarm” create the illusion of a charitable energy company, but in fact the windfarm industry generates far more self-publicity than community funding or electricity!
We are told that “the cash is set aside” for distribution by the Drumderg fund, but by whom? And where does it come from?
As the company does not claim that the money is donated by shareholders, it must come out of the vast subsidies paid to windfarm developers by the government, ie taxpayers including all those among the “beneficiaries” of the Drumderg fund!
Without subsidies, there would be no windfarms.
Taxpayers are actually hit twice, because the companies can simply load the amount of the “community funds” onto customers’ bills.
So the net cost to the suppliers of this proclaimed philanthropy is zero.
Meanwhile, the public are conned as their energy bills soar as do the suppliers’ profits and taxation stays high.
When will the media, and your readers, realise there are no windfalls from windfarms?
Vivian Linacre. 21 Marshall Place, Perth.
Why have passports?
Sir, It has been reported that Francois Crepeau, UN spokesman on human rights, is advocating that illegal immigrants should be given free access to all the benefits which this country has to offer, that theirs is not a crime and that the UK is “repressive” in trying to establish controls.
What planet is he living on? Clearly as both a professor and an official he is wholly out of touch with the real world.
As a small country we must have limits and parameters instilled, some of which are already beyond our control subject to the laws, edicts and dictates of our European Union masters.
What, therefore, is the point of possessing passports and visas if others have no such need? Such pundits and pedagogues as M Crepeau and some of his cohorts should descend to Earth from their ivory palaces and see what the real world is about.
Too much to expect, however, from yet another example of creative socialisation and interference from Europe and their futility, all of which is regularly proving both unconstructive and counter-productive.
David L Thomson. 24 Laurence Park, Kinglassie.
Haven’t had real jobs
Sir, I was unloading shopping from the car last Saturday when I was approached by a Parliamentary candidate in the forthcoming election. The party he represented is irrelevant.
We exchanged words (perfectly politely) and I said I was not sure how I was going to vote as at the age of 70 because I find myself so cynical about politics and politicians.
I thought about how proud I had been 50 years ago as I slow marched in Sir Winston Churchill’s funeral cortege through the streets of London (I was then a senior officer cadet at Sandhurst), then thought about now and the steady decline and fall of this country largely brought about by the steady deterioration in the calibre and standing of our modern politicians.
Very few have served in HM Forces or been a nurse, doctor, teacher or serving police officer or experienced a real job actually producing something useful for the country and its people.
John D Ridley. Spoutwells Drive, Scone.
Focus on the positive
Sir, I read with interest your recent article on the announcement of the annual Scottish Carbuncle Awards, with the recipient this year being Aberdeen.
Although I appreciate that these awards are meant to help stimulate debate and discussion on the quality of places across Scotland, the focus on the negatives does not help.
No place should be labelled as a carbuncle but rather we should be looking to build on good practice and celebrate our new iconic buildings.
Indeed, last year the Royal Town Planning Institute did this very thing through our Scotland’s Best Places initiative which asked the public to put forward ideas on those places they cherished and which had been created, enhanced or protected by planners over the last 100 years.
This generated interest across Scotland with a wide range of places being put forward from Shetland to Dumfries. People were proud of regeneration projects such as the Dundee Waterfront, the Gorbals, Lerwick Waterfront, Glasgow’s Merchant City and Raploch; and rural places including the West Highland Way and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.
As the ‘place profession’ planners constantly strive to reach these high standards but often face challenges in convincing politicians, investors, developers and communities of the need to invest in quality and to take a long-term view.
Pam Ewen. Convener, Royal Town Planning Institute Scotland, Edinburgh.