Sir, Re Saturday’s article about the future of Dundee Airport: I am sure a major reason for the decline in passenger numbers at Dundee is the current scheduling of the Dundee to London City flights. The 8.20am flight from Dundee is far too late and not having the first flight back from London City to Dundee until 16.45pm is hopeless.
The Dundee to London City flight only worked really well when there were four flights a day in each direction. This number of flights meant that I and my colleagues could use it to connect to European destinations.
With only two flights a day, the chances of a decent connection on both the outward bound and return flight are negligible. I have to use Edinburgh Airport.
It was undoubtedly the recession that led to the cutback in the number of daily flights from four to two, but whoever took this decision clearly did not understand the history of the flight and why two flights a day didn’t work in the past and won’t work in the future.
There is an obvious way to not only secure the future of Dundee Airport but also to greatly expand it and that is to move it to Leuchars.
A huge opportunity has arisen with the announcement that Leuchars is to close as an RAF base and it must now be seized. A new civil airport at Leuchars would attract a huge amount of tourists as well as business traffic and would be highly viable.
It would be further underpinned by the air traffic supporting the new army base at Leuchars.
Sir Philip Cohen. The University of Dundee.
Turnout willbe even less
Sir, Turnout at elections is usually around 50%, because half of us don’t care who is in charge, so it is good we are encouraged to vote at the forthcoming referendum on independence (Letters, December 5).
My guess is the turnout for this important vote will be even less than 50%, because not only will the half of us who don’t care still not vote, but the half of us who do care have been so badly informed about the issues we will be frightened to vote, for fear of making the wrong decision.
Malcolm Parkin. 15 Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.
They have a right cheek
Sir, NHS Fife have begun to cancel outpatient appointments on a regular basis. My wife has had a second such appointment cancelled within a relatively short period of time. On this occasion her replacement appointment has been put back by six weeks.
In addition to this, if you have made an appointment with the Scottish Ambulance Service to transport you to your original appointment, they are making it your responsibility to cancel this appointment and make another.
I think they have a cheek passing this responsibility on to the patient when they are the ones cancelling your appointment.
Allan Murray. 44 Napier Road, Glenrothes.
How long until no West Bank?
Sir, Andrew Lawson (November 26) states that: “Israel was established by the UN in 1947.” Was this the same body as that which consistently points out that all the Israeli settlements in the occupied territories are illegal?
He also points out that, according to Hamas’s constitution “peace will be achieved only when there is no more Israel”. Hamas does not seem to be making much progress towards this end.
On the other hand, given Israel’s building of its wall, expansion of its settlements and disruption of Palestinian lives and livelihoods, how long will it be before there is, in effect, no more West Bank?
Gordon Dilworth. 20 Baledmund Road, Moulin, Pitlochry.
Time to axe these ‘luxuries’
Sir, With continuing public service cuts and families struggling to afford basics like food and heating, the government should axe luxuries such as quangos.
A start might well be made with anti-tobacco campaigners Ash Scotland, a pseudo-charity which last year raised less than 2% of its income from direct public donations. The taxpayer provided almost all of the rest, of which a ludicrous 75% went on salaries; not much left there for research, publicity or action.
This is a very poor return on investment and clear evidence of inefficiency, especially given the organisation’s 40 years of supposed activity.
Much of their research is vague and questionable, notably on the matter of cigarette packaging.
Their chief executive, Sheila Duffy cites on this, as on other topics, “a large body of evidence”, but provides no details.
She also fails to make an evidential case for investigating smoking within children’s playparks and in cars carrying children.
I’m sure our MSPs could identify other areas for suitable economies which would make it easier for the public to accept less avoidable expenses.
Do they care enough to do so?
Robert Dow. Ormiston Road, Tranent.
Vastly over-represented
Sir, The current furore about MPs’ salaries and expenses once more highlights the fact that we are vastly over represented in politics with little or no local control or accountability.
There is seating capacity for 427 in the House of Commons. I suggest that should be the number of members, some 200 fewer than at the moment. That alone would give the 427 a pay rise if the same total cost at present carried on.
I can hear the cries of the current lot saying that they require to answer their electors’ concerns. Perfectly true, but not the local little matters that should be dealt with by those elected to do that, ie county, town and city councils. We have plenty of them but far too many powers have been lost by Parliament taking control centrally of what very often should have been left at local level.
We in Scotland also are cursed with our extra layer of those who would control us in what Billy Connolly so aptly described as our “pretendy wee parliament”. Control should be in the hands of local people and that includes re-instating town and parish councils, where appropriate.
Lastly, the people should be able to get rid of a councillor, MSP or MP who is incompetent or venal without having to wait for the next election whilst the offender continues to draw salary and expenses.
John Dorward. 89 Brechin Road, Arbroath.
Give us some balance, please
Sir, The Courier’s political editor should present the facts rather than a version based on his own political views.
Anyone who attended the packed Five Million Questions event at Dundee University recently would acknowledge that Nicola Sturgeon gave an extremely well received performance, covering topics such as education, poverty, welfare and the White Paper.
She also issued a challenge to the Better Together campaign to produce their own version of the paper, setting out what voters could expect in the event of a no vote (rather then their current negative approach).
However, it seems the only point which Kieran Andrews has bothered to report is in the headline which stated “No might not mean no”.
Give us some balance, please.
Beth Whiteside. 11 Osprey View, Piperdam.
Serious thinking to be done
Sir, One main weakness runs through former First Minister Henry McLeish’s view on how to polish up Labour’s role in the independence referendum debate (Courier, December 2).
He has already declared he is going to vote “no” anyway. In that sense he really missed an opportunity in his speech to Fife Talks in Kirkcaldy, to highlight a number of points.
A “no” vote might be certain rather than simply likely if Labour can produce a new scheme for devolution before next September. But it is unlikely to bring forward something exciting if its leaders Johann Lamont and Anas Sarwar are constantly looking over their shoulders to Ed Miliband in Westminster for a lead.
Mr McLeish might have said something, too, about the need for Westminster to produce some facts and figures about the consequences of staying with the Union. Its reluctance to do so may yet see public opinion sway towards “yes”.
People do not like being taken for granted and may see a negative approach from London as deeply insulting to the Scottish electorate.
People might sense, too, that after a “no” vote there might be a vengeful approach taken by the main parties in London in the form of reductions in public spending and lower living standards north of the border.
Mr McLeish is right in that Labour has a lot of thinking to do in the next few months. It may yet be outmanouevred by a more visionary “yes” approach.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.
Good manners on way back?
Sir, I travelled from the new Halbeath Park and Ride to Edinburgh Bus Station and on reaching Edinburgh everyone leaving the bus thanked the driver.
I experienced the same on my return journey; both drivers acknowledged. I also notice an increase in the number of times people say sorry when getting in someone’s way or on varying incidents that occur in supermarkets.
Have people become more respectful in recent times?
Are good manners on the way back?
Jim Balneaves. 4 Tayside Place, Glencarse, Perth.