Sir, – I see York is the current favourite for a possible new home for the House of Lords – but why not Glasgow or Dundee?
Besides the sheer pleasure of watching nationalists gurn on endlessly, both cities could benefit from some political diversity.
Martin Redfern.
Woodcroft Road,
Edinburgh.
Farmers have been ley preaching for years
Sir, – I respond to George Murdoch’s letter (Revolution in food production is needed, Courier January 20) referring to my earlier letter about Channel 4’s anti-livestock farming programmes.
In his letter, Mr Murdoch reinforces my point with his introduction of the subject of soil fertility.
Every farmer knows that soil laid down to grass ley even for as little as a couple of years, is a soil transformed and improved.
There is nothing new about this. Robert Elliot, a Kelso farmer and a former coffee planter in India, wrote a book about this in the 1890s called ‘The Clifton Park System of Farming and Laying Down Land To Grass’.
This book is still referred to as a seminal work particularly by organic farming enthusiasts, one of whom used to be one George Monbiot.
The organic farmer’s organisation The Soil Association, has however now disowned Monbiot for his increasingly bizarre views.
Grass ley and livestock farming is good for the soil and for wildlife too as, in my observation, there is always plenty of wildlife around a field of cattle or sheep.
However, farmers have to live in the real world and if it ceases to be commercially viable to grow grass and farm livestock, then we will have to stop doing that.
That is why the reputational damage being done to livestock farming by biased, vegetarian driven TV programmes is a problem, particularly when Channel 4’s ulterior motive is to boost the value of its investments in its pet veggie burger manufacturer.
Douglas Norrie.
Denhead of Arbirlot,
Arbroath.
Rethink on police spending
Sir, – I understand the annual budget of Police Scotland has fallen by around £200 million since the devolved force was created in 2013, and it now faces a staffing crisis, with finance needed both to avoid paying off officers and to recruit replacements.
Might I suggest a few ways whereby it can save money?
Firstly, to stop the rolling out of ‘gender neutral’ baseball caps to replace the present male/female hats. Secondly, the adding of the word ‘police’ in Gaelic to all police shirts.
Finally, the painting of the Gaelic word for ‘police’ in addition to the English word, on all police vehicles.
After all, the last census in 2011 showed only 1.1% of Scots had Gaelic as their first language, and that number is still falling.
Not much of an actual financial saving perhaps, although as the old Scots proverb goes, ‘many a mickle maks a muckle’, but at least a declaration of intent, the avoidance of unnecessary expenditure in this desperation to be seen to be ‘politically correct’.
Mona Clark.
9 Millbay Terrace,
Dundee.
Weed killer on Garden of Eden
Sir, – Your report on the state of Arbroath Town Mission’s finances made for sad, sad reading (Town Mission left broke after fighting court case, Courier, January 20).
The root cause, even before the recent legal proceedings, was the change of policy to exclude members who were not church-goers.
This was the opposite to the way the Mission was run energetically for 60 years by the late and much missed Town Missionary, Dr Bob Clapham, BEM.
Bob’s policy was to welcome as many people as possible to events at the Mission, where they were greeted with the Christian message to accompany fellowship, entertainment and good food.
Although I am not a Bible scholar, I suspect Christ would have been happy that Bob had taken on his franchise.
Exclusion and exclusivity have been the weed killer on Bob’s Garden of Eden.
Gordon Cook.
Gowanlea,
Friockheim.
When black becomes white
Sir, – Not for the first time has your selection from The Archives been exceedingly apt.
Fifty years ago from Saturday’s Courier made me smile.
Likewise, your editorial in yesterday’s Courier on Gordon Brown’s Neighbourhood Assemblies was balanced and fair.
Perhaps with all political parties what starts off as black over time becomes white.
Andrew D Hodge.
28 Wellmeadow,
Blairgowrie.
What motivated change of mind?
Sir, I note in the Archives (50 years ago, Courier, January 18) that the SNP were unhappy that Scotland was being dragged into the Common Market.
What has made them change their minds?
As a point of interest I have come across an entry in my grandfather’s journal of May 3, 1923.
It states: “I have been to the Annual Meeting of Scottish Liberal Party where I secured approval of address in regard for Confederation of Europe. The only chance I see for settled peace.
“But alas for our hopes I fear the chance is the smallest.
“The whole social atmosphere is poisoned, what may come of it no-one can predict.”
F Webster.
Ashbrook, Nursery,
Arbroath.
Westminster’s performance
Sir, – In response to your correspondent Robert I G Scott (SNP’s sour grapes does Scotland no favours, Courier January 18), yet again we hear the lies about the Scottish Government’s performance.
Say something often enough and the brainwashed swallow it.
However, they conveniently forget about their London masters who have delivered the fourth most unequal country in the developed world, and second in Europe.
The UK is also Europe’s second-largest tax haven, one in four kids are born into poverty and rising and there are 120,000 deaths/suicides of the most vulnerable people in society.
We have £236 billion of failing government projects, there is the looming car crash that is Brexit, there’s impossibility of getting a secure home of your own if you’re a young person and the fact that wages are stagnant and people in employment are forced to resort to foodbanks.
There is consistently weak GDP growth, runaway housing and rental costs and explosive levels of private debt.
Further there are 127,600 homeless children, 1.9 million pensioners in poverty and, 9,000 rough sleepers.
NHS privatisation has doubled, we have the lowest pensions in Europe, and there was the Windrush scandal.
All forgiven if associated with the British Government.
Rod Selbie.
45 Silver Birch Drive,
Dundee.
Proper pronunciation
Sir, – Many, if not most, people pronounce kilometre to rhyme with thermometer, as does Alexa. I wonder what they say when they are asking for, say, a kilogram of potatoes. Perhaps another reader could enlighten me.
W M Young.
4 Elgin Gardens,
Dundee.
