Sir, – Your reports (November 2) show vast evidence of continuing applications for wind turbine installations all over many beautiful parts of Scotland as well as plans for huge arrays of offshore wind turbines.
That is very disturbing and damaging because although wind-generated electricity is advertised as cheap, creating employment and cutting CO2 output, all the evidence shows that none of these aims have been realised.
The first appointedscientific adviser to the Scottish Government advised politicians notto go ahead with wind turbines until vastly improved means ofstoring electricity were available because of the severe intermittency of wind generation.
His advice was rejected but proved sound, sothat now, only a very small proportion ofour electricity is derived from wind becauseconstant back up with conventionally produced electricity is needed.
Forty years worth of depressing wind turbine experience in California was ignored and nopilot projects done to determine renewables’ viability here.
Politicians are elected to get the best deals for the nation and the voters but here we have been given the worst by the wind industry.
Our countryside is being ruined, our finances damaged and the only gainers are developers, foreignmanufacturers andlandowners.
Money, which should have been spent on useful purposes, is frittered away.
Those responsible for continuing this crazy wind turbine-generated electricity scheme should never be forgiven.
(Dr) Charles Wardrop. 111 Viewlands Road West, Perth.
No support for steel industry
Sir, – Allow me to reply to Steven Windsor’s comments (October 29)regarding my letter focusing on the Tata Steel disaster.
I would suggest to Mr Windsor that Tata Steel would be only too well aware that there would be no level playing field in tendering, given the difference in the cost of steel manufacturing in the UK and China.
In this event, I cannot believe that some discussion would not have occurred between company and government.
However, putting that to one side, would it not have been incumbent on any concerned government to foresee the likely need to support our own steel industry, to use our own workforce and our own resources and, at least, invite Tata to tender for this contract, while suggesting support by way of the possibility of subsidies.
Or does Mr Windsor believe the Tata should have been allowed to go under with no government involvement?
In any event, this is a situation which will come back to haunt us in that it is yet another nail inour manufacturingcoffin.
Regarding the parallel of the costly Edinburgh tram debacle, my comments were not against the SNP but rather the short-sightedness of any government awarding contracts to foreigncompanies, over which we seem to have little control.
David L Thomson. 24 Laurence Park, Kinglassie.
Accident at danger junction
Sir, – The accident at Forfar Road junction, Dundee, foretold by Tom McDonald (October 30) has already happened to me.
I was a victim of another driver’s failure to see the red light in front of her and only saw the green one in thedistance.
Of course, I am bound to say I had the green light, but the other driver disputed this and I lost out on insurance.
There are already cameras at the Forfar Road/Kingsway junction but unfortunately they were looking the other way in my case.
Like Tom I, too, have witnessed this failure to see the short view on numerous occasions.
Jim Robison. 70 Lour Road, Forfar.
Cut abortion time limit
Sir, – I was delighted to read Alex Salmond, writing in The Courier, (November 2) state the following: “There is no greater loss of civil liberty than the loss of a life. There is no greater tragedy than the needless loss of a young life. There is no greater freedom than the freedom to live”.
Does this mean that he and the SNP will now be seeking a reduction in the abortion time limit in order to preserve the freedom to live?
David A. Robertson. St Peter’s Free Church, 4 St Peter Street, Dundee.
Impressed by bus workers
Sir, – I have just been over to Broughty Ferry from Perth, Western Australia, and wouldlike to congratulate Stagecoach buses on the service the drivers and conductors give.
My 85-year-old dad is suffering from the onset of dementia and occasionally uses the buses to get about.
Anytime I have been with him, the drivers and conductors have had good banter with him, waited patiently for him to sit down safely and again when rising for his stop.
One time he lost both his bus pass and wallet. Later when walking in his street, the bus we had boarded earlier stopped and the conductor ran across the road to give them to him, having found them earlier that day.
He was a bit overwhelmed and didn’t manage to thank them properly.
On a couple of occasions dad has been confused with the time of day and gone out at night in the dark.
The bus conductors and drivers have helped the police locate himand bring him home safely.
And even on occasion when he has boarded the wrong bus during the day, they have realised he was confused and stepped in to help.
Nicola Limond. 7 Galwey Street, Leederville, Western Australia.
Tax gambleby Labour
Sir, – Kezia Dugdale’s transparency over income tax plans is to be applauded.
But will this help Scottish Labour retain seats in next May’s Holyrood elections?
The SNP conference provided scant detail about how new devolved income tax powers would be used.
Nicola Sturgeon sweeps away suchdiscussion, ignoring the UK Government intention to devolve tax changes as early as 2017. Why?
It is because MsSturgeon realises tax increases, howeverlaudable their intention, turn off voters.
Ms Dugdale’s plan to introduce a 50p tax rate on Scots earning over £150,000 is, since there are only 15,000 high earners in Scotland,fundamentally uncontroversial.
Yet her intention not to press ahead with Conservative medium-term plans to raise the higher rate income tax threshold from £43,600 to £50,000 will mean a significant number of comfortably-off Scots would be disadvantaged. And many will be Labour voters.
The SNP, despite its anti-austerity rhetoric, is as conservative as New Labour in terms of tax and fiscal policy.
Tony Blair’s approach won him three general elections, so for MsSturgeon, what’s not to like?
Most Scots are politically moderate so the pragmatic First Minister will tailor her policy accordingly.
And she must win to keep her party’s raison d’etre, independence, centre stage.
Ms Dugdale’s honesty over plans to increasethe tax burden formiddle-income earners could risk driving her better off supporters possibly into the arms of the SNP.
But much more likely, with a second referendum threat ever present, into the arms of the Tories.
Martin Redfern. 4 Royal Circus, Edinburgh.
EU gains were thrown away
Sir, – While one hopes that our Prime Minister will improve Britain’s position within the EU, it is worth remembering that Margaret Thatcher obtained a rebate of 66% of Britain’s net contribution in 1984, after putting pressure on France and Germany right from the start of her premiership.
And, all this while, she repaired the economic damage of the previous Labour Government.
Then the Labour Government, led by Tony Blair, gave it all back.
Malcolm Parkin. Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood.
Girl on the busto St Andrews
Sir, – How ironic that Paula Hawkins, the author of the best-selling thriller, Girlon the Train, is to visit St Andrews, which doesnot have a railwaystation.
Jane Ann Liston. 5 Whitehill Terrace, Largo Road, St Andrews.
Tax burden must be shared
Sir, – Some decades ago I was employed by the tax office.
At that time, therevenue operated on the entirely fair principle that the more money made, the more tax was paid.
Sadly, this principle has been completely turned on its head in recent years.
Nowadays the high rollers among us, via skilled accountants and financial advisors, can utilise a multitude of loopholes in the system, to avoid paying large chunks of tax, and, in some cases, pay no tax at all.
I do not blame theindividuals for taking advantage of this flawedsystem.
I believe the guilt lies with the series ofWestminster governments, of all political hues, who throughout the years haveallowed the explosionof taxloop holes togo unchecked and unchallenged.
If someone, or some large company, makes money in this country, it is in this country they should pay their tax.
If they are making a lot of money in this country, they should pay a lot of tax, not the miniscule amounts that we have seen reported.
It is obscene that in a society, where tens of thousands of pounds are squandered on thevanity of personalised number plates for cars, queues are forming at more and more foodbanks, but it is evenmore obscene for the mega-rich in the United Kingdom to escape their legitimate burden of income tax.
Joseph G Miller. 44 Gardeners Street, Dunfermline.