Sir – Being a parent is one of life’s great joys. Being a mother is even more rewarding and demanding and worthy of celebration.
It is sad to report that yet again, Scotland’s birth rate is falling.
Births are more than a third less than needed to maintain our working age population.
All the while, the number of deaths registered exceeds births as our population shrinks.
There’s been negligible overall growth since the 1961 census. Our 2011 survey gave Scotland just 100,000 more people. All of those were pensioners.
A large part of our problem is that we have persuaded women that having a career is somehow more rewarding than being a mum and a homemaker.
Why aren’t we helping young women to have both a paid career as well as investing in all our futures by becoming a mum?
While Scotland’s population declines, the birth rate down south keeps growing.
Why isn’t there more support for young families, and for opportunities for mothers to resume their careers once their children are growing up?
In the first five months of this year, Registers of Scotland has recorded only 21,742 births.
Last year, births were 664 higher during those same months. Ten years ago there were 3,275 more births than we’ve gained so far this year.
For all of the free university places we make available in providing education to foreign students, only a tiny minority remain here once they have their degrees.
Perhaps some policy adjustments are needed?
Among our five party leaders in Holyrood, they only have two children, which might indicate their personal priorities for Scotland’s future.
Andrew Dundas.
34 Ross Avenue,
Perth.
Ninewells talks must succeed
Sir, – In reply to Councillor Macpherson (June 21) I was asking where the initial Ninewells car parking buy-out money was to come from and how the maintenance costs and running costs were to be funded bearing in mind the current financial situation.
While he has suggested that the buy-out funding is a problem for the Scottish Government he has not addressed these and other questions from Mr Provan and myself.
He thinks the other two Scottish hospital car parks would continue to have charges imposed with no call for them to be treated the same as Ninewells. We must be looking at a total of about £90 million for the entire package.
The capacity issue could be helped by erecting a multi-storey car park on car park nine.
Again there is the question of funding. Centralisation of services over the years has not helped. Hopefully there will be a positive result from the proposed talks but in all honesty I would not hold my breath.
Alfred Small.
8 Claypotts Terrace,
Broughty Ferry.
Wishful thinking on referendum?
Sir, – The general election result shows that of approximately 4.3 million registered voters in Scotland, roughly 22% voted for SNP candidates.
Does our First Minister really believe that gives her second independence referendum much chance of being successful?
AA Bullions.
6 Glencairn Crescent,
Leven.
Britain facing isolation
Sir, – The awful truth is most Europeans think the European Union will be stronger without the UK, an obstacle to unification and to the functioning of its complex supranational machinery.
And a Brexit brain-drain is well under way with 1,500 academics from the EU having left British academia to join all the other highly skilled EU citizens who have already left.
They want to avoid a United States of America ESTA-type visa waiver for business travellers and tourists or time- limited visas for students and workers who are banned from bringing dependants.
Already a xenophobic little Britain is starting to take shape – Europe’s unwelcoming, impoverished, isolated offshore archipelago in the wastes of the North Atlantic.
Dr John Cameron.
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
Westminster calling shots
Sir, – So Nicola Sturgeon will inform us of her latest position on a second referendum by the end of the month. Fair enough but what does her opinion matter?
David Mundell has confirmed there won’t be another separation referendum before the start of the next Holyrood parliament in 2021.
In practice this means 2023 if – and it’s a big if – a nationalist majority is returned to Holyrood. And anyway, let’s remember a vote once in a generation takes us to 2030/32.
With the SNP’s star shining ever less brightly, whichever party governs at Westminster, Downing Street calls the shots.
Martin Redfern.
Merchiston Gardens,
Edinburgh.
Life can be good after Brexit
Sir, – In reply to Vanessa Glynn, Don’t rule out staying in EU (June 22), more than 80% of the electorate in the general election voted for the two main parties supporting Brexit which will return to our own Parliament control over our laws, borders and money.
Much has already been ceded in the misguided cause of creating a united states of Europe without that objective having been put to any vote.
The EU referendum decision was backed by more than 17 million UK citizens.
Scotland, a constituent nation of the UK, must abide by that choice.
Ms Glynn suggests these democratic decisions should be overturned, a view typical of the EU Commission’s reaction when confronted with No responses in previous national referenda.
Ms Glynn presents a one-sided, mainly financial justification for over-ruling the public vote, disregarding the desirability and potential UK national benefits of controlling our own democratic destiny, while, of course, remaining on the best of business-like terms with our continental friends.
(Dr) Charles Wardrop.
111 Viewlands Road West,
Perth.