Madam, – Using children to spread the false message of “climate breakdown” is educationally disruptive and spreads fear, alarm and lies among young people.
There is no “climate emergency” or “climate breakdown”.
The earth’s climate has always been changing and will continue to change long after humanity has disappeared from the planet. The predictions of the alarmists have been proved wrong so often that sensible people are tiring of them.
In March 2009 Prince Charles said “we have less than 100 months to alter our behaviour before we risk catastrophic climate change”.
In 1989 the UN caused fear by stating “entire nations could be wiped off the face of the earth by rising sea levels if the global warming trend is not reversed by 2000”.
While in 2006 Al Gore, now a carbon billionaire, warned “we have less than 10 years to make dramatic changes in our global warming pollution”.
There is a vast difference between environmental awareness and green quasi-religion.
We in Scotland, a cold country with only 0.13% of global emissions, should welcome climate change not attempt to oppose it like King Canute.
Parents concerned about their children’s future employment prospects and their capacity for reason and logic should ensure that their sons and daughters are not used as pawns by green fanatics.
William Loneskie,
Amulree, 9 Justice Park,
Oxton,
Lauder.
Sturgeon not a national leader
Madam, – I refer to the letter from your correspondent Allan MacDougall in which he avoids providing any factual detail to support his defence of the spending habits of the SNP (Those in glass houses…, Courier, March 16).
Maybe I can help him to remember:
The annual cost of Holyrood is around £150 million.
The amount spent providing free university tuition to foreign students is £100-plus million.
The amount spent on foreign aid is £23m (although foreign aid is not a devolved responsibility.)
Then there are the, as yet, undisclosed costs of the VAT fiasco, the Gaelic language necessity on road signs, police cars, and the costs of blocking FOI requests.
And in his letter, Mr MacDougall is attempting to convince readers that such amounts pale into insignificance compared to the costs of UK ministers crossing the Channel to confer with their European Union counterparts.
I think his maths calculator requires a visit to the repair shop.
Mr MacDougall tries to claim it is perfectly OK for a “national leader” to undertake frequent foreign trips with an accompanying entourage, forgetting that Nicola Sturgeon is not a national leader.
She is the leader of a devolved regional government within the United Kingdom to which a majority in Scotland chose to belong in the 2014 vote.
Really it is high time that the SNP was called to account for its budget management.
Or is Nicola Sturgeon trying to take a leaf out of the EU rule-book that prevents any audit of its accounts?
Derek Farmer.
Knightsward Farm,
Anstruther.
Representing the people
Madam, – Watching Kirstene Hair MP on TV last night I was reminded, once again, of her gross dereliction of duty. We live in a supposedly representative democracy where we elect MPs to Westminster to represent our views in Parliament.
In an ideal world, MPs should seek their constituents’ views before every vote.
Obviously this is impractical so we rely on our MPs to exercise their best judgment in the interests of their constituents.
In the case of Brexit, however, there is no need to exercise judgment.
Brexit is happening because there was a referendum, where Ms Hair’s constituents expressed the view that they wished to remain in the EU.
She seems intent on ignoring this.
Similarly for her 12 Scottish Conservative colleagues.
We have seen the 10 DUP MPs extract £1 billion from the government for their province and possibly an important role in any future trade talks.
What additional benefits have the 13 Tory MPs won for Scotland by their support of the UK Government?
Precisely nothing.
Perhaps they should be reminded they are sent to Westminster to represent their constituents and not the Tory party.
I hope that when the next UK elections occur, if we are still unfortunate enough to be in this infernal union, that voters will remember how their wishes were ignored by these individuals and punish them at the ballot box.
John Henderson.
Roebrek, Linross,
Glamis.
Interfering in UK politics is wrong
Madam, – Despite the result of the European Union referendum it is obvious the UK Parliament has no intention whatsoever of making Brexit happen.
Most MPs are simply not going to respect the 17.4 million or so voters who voted to leave.
Now, despicably, they have passed a vote whereby the leaders of the other 27 EU member will be asked to “postpone” the UK’s leave date past March 29.
If any of the 27 give their approval they will have knowingly and willingly interfered with the wishes of the majority of UK voters.
Leaders of the 27 know perfectly well that most British people want nothing more to do with them and that is why we want out of the EU.
They should be sticking to their own day jobs instead of interfering with the wishes of UK voters.
Kenneth Brannan.
42 Greenlee Drive,
Dundee.
Brexit veering out of control
Madam, – In 2016 Leavers promised they would restore the parliamentary sovereignty they claimed had been lost to Brussels.
Since then they have turned Westminster into a theatre of anarchy unable to agree on anything.
A nation once admired for its robust institutions and pragmatic democracy has been turned into a global joke.
The EU has now more say in our affairs than it has ever.
A delay is in its gift and requires unanimous consent, from the likes of Spain.
Theresa May’s half-baked deal, which is much worse than remaining, is getting closer to the winning post and may succeed on its third (or fourth) attempt.
Is this really taking back control?
Rev Dr John Cameron.
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
All hatred is wrong
Madam, – I agree entirely with Mohammed Mukhtar in his horror at the attack on people at prayer in a New Zealand mosque by a right-wing extremist (Fears after New Zealand mosque atrocity, Courier, March 19).
Sadly it is only when Muslims are killed that we see Muslim leaders preaching brotherly love and peace to all men.
I would have been more impressed had Mr Mukhtar been more even handed by calling for action against Christophobia as well as Islamophobia.
George Dobbie.
51 Airlie Street,
Alyth.
