Sir, – Perth and Kinross Council’s chief executive Bernadette Malone quite rightly tells us (December 4) of her concerns for her staff and services already under severe pressure and the prospect of having to make more savings.
Her words reflect the state of local government across the whole ofScotland.
Our SNP council leader Ian Miller is to consult with us on impending savings so here’s one contribution of assistance to Ms Malone and the other chief executives across Scotland: unfreeze the council tax which should have been done years ago.
Councillor Miller’s SNP government promised to replace it with a local income tax.
It has broken that pledge. In eight years of government it has neither replaced nor reformed the tax but simply and irresponsibly frozen it to the great detriment of local authority budgets and the voluntary and charitable sectors which rely on local authority funding.
The freezing of the council tax has disproportionately benefitted the rich and wealthy in Scotland.
Some of the most expensive streets and properties in the UK outside London are to be found in Scotland, some very close by Perth itself and luxury homebuilding adverts abound every week in the pages of the press.
The first SNP MSP leaflet about next year’s Scottish Parliamentary election has just dropped through our doors.
It lauds its freezing of the tax as benefitting and protecting Scottish incomes and that is quite correct: the incomes of the increasingly rich and comfortably off.
If this SNP government of the people won’t replace the council tax as it promised, then it should reform it with more high-end property bandings.
Joan McEwen. King James VI Building, Hospital Street, Perth.
Crumbling building risk
Sir, – I write with regard to the falling masonry injuring some pedestrians in Perth on Friday December 4.
With the current gales, even sound buildings can be affected and beingvigilant is no defence against such unexpected occurrences.
A current situation comes to mind, alsopresenting potentialdanger to the public.
I refer to the derelict Clachan building in Methven Street, the rear of which collapsed at the end of October.
Sadly, this affected the bistro next door, which has been closed since that day.
Being a very regular patron I recall the owners previously expressing their concerns about the state of the building next door which, ultimately, were proved to bejustified.
Since then there has been a notice on the doors stating “unsafe building” with a two-foot orange mini-barrier in front as a warning.
Would this proveadequate warning should the gales take their toll on the remaining shell of the building? Without the support of the rear, there is every chance a collapse might be inevitable and being a busy street, this could be a serious danger.
There is no protection from this and I have heard many comments that the remaining shell should be razed to the ground.
I am surprised that the council has not taken up cudgels on behalf of the bistro, the owners of which are losing their livelihood.
Also, the local authority must take responsibility to ensure the safety of pedestrians.
I for one, will not be brave enough to venture past this derelict shell until some greater safety measures are in place, preferably flattening.
One wonders what part the council willplay in ensuring nofurther accidentshappen. Friday’s collapse should come as awarning.
Irene Thomson. 73 Glasgow Road, Perth.
Benefits of carbon dioxide
Sir, – Ms Wilson’s letter (December 3) defending the climate-change theory contains the usual hyperbole of those who seek to support unproven and unprovable theory.
She argued there have been “more frequent and severe weather events”. Even the IPCC acknowledge there has been no such increase.
She stated: “every academy of science in the world agrees that human activities are the primary cause of global warming”. No they don’t. No such survey has been done. This is simply propaganda.
Since the last ice age, the climate of earth has been following a steady cycle, with high points approximately every thousand years.
The Roman warming period 2,000 years ago, saw wheat and grapes being grown at elevations presently impossible.
The Medieval warming period, 1,000 years ago, had temperatures higher than those current. Greenland was aprosperous agricultural economy.
This cycle indicates that we are currently into a new warming period. In other words nothing has happened that wouldn’t have happened anyway, whether humankind existed or not.
The IPCC’s conclusions were based for more than a decade on the hockey-stick theory, defended tooth and nail against those who would expose its faults.
The BBC went so far as to apologise for allowing a speaker who criticised the theory to appear on one of its programmes.
The faults in the theory were so varied and obvious that it has now been obliterated by the IPCC.
There have been no apologies for misleading the world and many results from what has been shown to be staggeringly bad science are still being promoted.
We should enjoy the warm period while we can. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant. It is a clean gas essential to life on earth. Its effect as a greenhouse gas has been quite ludicrously exaggerated. There are many sources of man-made pollution. These and population growth should be our real concern.
Bill McKenzie. 48 Fintry Place, Broughty Ferry.
Climate-change cash dash
Sir, – Gail Wilson, Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, is upset that I dared to question her climate chaos religion.
She stated: “every academy of science in the world agrees that human activities are the primary cause of global warming”.
This is patently untrue.
She preaches that there are “more frequent and more severe weather events” caused by mankind.
For 18 years, while atmospheric CO2 levels have dramatically increased, global surface temperatures have not increased and thisimportant fact has been acknowledged by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
The IPCC also admitted, as did the MetOffice, that there is little or no link betweenclimate change and extreme weather events as Ms Wilson stated.
She mentioned the Philippines. Would that be the country that is building 17 new coal-fired power plants?
China, India andBrazil, with 33.2% of global emissions, have already indicated they will not sign any legally-binding emissions-reduction agreement and will grow theiremissions until 2030.
Developing nations desperately want to get their hands on theWestern-funded$100 billion a year.
It’s all about money.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Unscientific argument
Sir, – In her letter (December 3) Gail Wilson of Stop Climate Chaos, implores Clark Cross to listen and then proceeds to cite her one-sided coterie of those to whom he should listen.
What she does not provide are the sources of the evidence she claims is available to her fellow climate-change activists.
Her argument iswoefully lacking inscientific support, her claims are not supported by facts and she is totally devoid of credibility.
Ms Wilson, please stop your fear mongeringand indulge in more intelligent, fact-based arguments.
Dr GM Lindsay. Whinfield Gardens, Kinross.
Deplorable behaviour
Sir, – I watched the debate on the proposed Syrian war with great interest and despite my disagreement with the outcome, witnessed and accepted democracy in progress.
But why the infantile braying and jeering from the Tory benches whenever a speaker with an opposing view rose to speak?
It should not have been necessary, but Jeremy Corbyn advised the rabble that their exploits were being televised.
Unfortunately, the louts did not appear to possess the mannersto cease their oafish behaviour.
And yet the samepeople wonder why the kids on the street behave badly.
It was noticeable that the Prime Minister made no effort to quieten his followers.
The Speaker was largely ignored and must be empowered to ban the miscreants from the House for a period at his discretion.
It was difficult not to make a contrast between the conduct at Westminster and conduct atHolyrood.
Duncan A Kennedy. Midfield, Perth Road, Abernethy.