Sir, – Regardless of your political preferences, it was a touching moment when David Cameron left the House of Commons last week after Prime Minister’s Questions.
He certainly deserved the round of applause he got from his own party and the Labour Party.
Unfortunately, the SNP MPs decided not to join in the applause which I thought was really in bad taste.
They were not being asked to vote for him, only to wish a man well who has held an extremely difficult job over the last six years.
Unfortunately for him, he underestimated the view of the British public and Nicola Sturgeon would be well advised to pay heed to this as an EU referendum and a Scottish independence referendum are entirely different things.
A couple of years down the line she could find herself in the same position as David Cameron.
Her ambition for another referendum is absolute but with the turmoil going on in the UK, she would do well to pay heed to what can happen in a short space of time.
I have a feeling she is losing some of her support because of her inappropriate actions over the last few weeks.
I also feel that the SNP MPs let the Scottish people down in Parliament last week with their churlish behaviour.
M Robertson.
Burnside Road,
Barry.
Time to ban T in the Park
Sir, – After tragic deaths added to arrests, a rape investigation, a cash-machine theft and numerous other incidents, I suggest Perth and Kinross Council refuses to grant another licence to the organisers of T in the Park, with no chance of appeal.
Add to all that the dreadful weather and the enormous mess and you have to ask if it was all worth it.
The unfortunate fact is that these festivals seem to attract the criminal element who revel in the anonymity among such large numbers of revellers and, on the evidence of 2016, the on-site security has been ineffective.
So taking the phrase, prevention is better than cure, our council should ban this monstrosity.
Alister Y. Allan.
18 Castle View,
Letham,
Perth.
Take action against gulls
Sir, – This has been another successful year for a family of gulls that has used the same nest for the last five years on the roof of council flats in Castle Street, Montrose.
Three chicks have been reared this year in one nest.
What is the point of paying to remove nests from private property when Angus Council does not pay attention to its own buildings?
Judging by the moss damage on the roof caused by the gull detritus, the council will need to replace it within the next few years.
How much longer will we have to put up with this?
Bill Crowe.
80 Castle Street,
Montrose.
Fife pay-outs far too generous
Sir, – Fife councillor Dave Dempsey (July 14) is doing what he has been elected to do, serve the people of Fife and highlight, as the chair of the finance scrutiny committee, what he believes to be gross misuse of public funds.
He is perfectly correct to disapprove of extremely generous early retirement payments of more than £1.5 million over the last two years. The leader of the council has spoken of a severe shortage of funds.
Mr Dempsey was, of course, voted down on his motion for restraint in such payments.
Fife is not alone in such generosity with public funds.
I am sure the refuse collectors, grasscutters and office staff would like six-figure pay-offs.
A T Geddie.
68 Carleton Avenue,
Glenrothes.
Mr Corbyn has earned respect
Sir, – Jeremy Corbyn is a man of unshakeable principle who has fought off the vicious attacks of the Blairite mafia in order to do the job he was overwhelmingly elected to do. He deserves our respect.
Gordon Cook.
Gowanlea,
Friockheim.
EU should take more power
Sir, – I fear for the future of the European Union if it continues in its present format.
Europe has been dominated by old imperial states like Britain, France and Spain for many years.
Germany and Italy are not nations but states created from imperial struggles in the 19th century.
In the case of Germany, we have not a nation but a state created on the basis of race.
When Bismarck unified Germany in 1870 he had forged a union eerily by the same methods that the EU has pursued.
He developed an economic union by which the independent German nations were bound together.
Prussia then forged a political union sealed by the military conquest of France.
Why was Germany not disassembled by the victorious allied powers after 1918?
Why was it allowed to reassemble after the collapse of the Soviet Union?
One can only assume Germany was seen as a bulwark against Russia.
It is a rule of politics that those wielding power never give it up freely and so it is proving with national governments.
In light of Spain’s avowed blockage of Scotland’s aspiration to remain in the EU, is it not time that the EU was run directly by the elected European Parliament rather than self-interested states?
That way a European government would have a democratic mandate and transparency.
This would remove the obfuscation and self- serving interests of national governments.
Scot Mackenzie.
20 Abbotsford Street.
Dundee.
Europe may disintegrate
Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon is wrong if she thinks another referendum for Scotland to remain in or leave the UK is on the cards anytime soon.
Although the UK voted to leave the EU it has not yet done so and, that being the case, nothing has materially changed since the last Scottish referendum.
The UK is an EU member until the day we officially leave and that is over two years away.
Only then can any politician say anything has changed materially as far as Scotland is concerned and only then can any campaign for Scottish independence from the UK begin.
When the UK leaves the EU it is unlikely any application from Scotland to be a new member would succeed because Spain would likely veto it.
Also, a lot can happen in two years. The EU itself may start to disintegrate by that time and a main reason may be because the EU will lose the UK’s massive contribution to funds.
When the UK leaves and stops its huge cash contribution, the remaining member states will need to contribute much more money than they presently do and I doubt if their voters will stand for that so that will likely lead to other states having referendums.
Kenneth Brannan.
42 Greenlee Drive,
Lochee.
Call a second referendum
Sir, – I am personally happy at the vote to leave the EU.
Nicola Sturgeon, however, is threatening another referendum.
To be any trustworthy sort of leader she must surely go for another referendum now.
Mr Salmond made claims that were based on flawed oil and gas predictions.
Since the price of our natural resources has fallen, I would be interested to hear what argument the SNP would put forward to convince Scots their future is best in independence?
Willie Robertson.
Grianan,
Lynton,
Stanley.
Sad end of coal connection
Sir, – It is sad to witness Fife’s connection with mining weaken further.
The Scottish Coal Race in Kelty brought communities together and was a celebration of what brought the area prosperity.
Surely Fife Council, which has plenty cash for retirement packages, can find a few pounds to keep it going?
Bob Stark.
Mill Street,
Tillicoultry.