Sir, – Theresa May gave one of the worst, most cringe-worthy speeches ever.
Completely wooden, devoid of substance.
Theresa May is a robotic Tory careerist.
She lacks empathy and the dance to “humanize” her was thought up by failed mobile phone salesmen.
Only the media thought May’s speech was anything other than horrendous.
Austerity is not over and it has caused misery for the vast majority.
The speech was an exercise in political degradation.
It had nothing to do with the social and political issues confronting tens of millions of working people.
Collapsing wages worse than Greece, return of Victorian-era diseases, massive legal tax-evasion, legalised fraud, children in poverty going to school hungry, disabled people being driven to suicide…
As far as I am concerned that is the reality of Tory misrule.
The problem for the Tories is there is nothing left to loot and no-one left to lie to.
This is not a system that can be reformed.
The multi-millionaire financiers, rather than being fêted as economic titans, deserve to be frog-marched to prison.
The global financial aristocracy can plunder with impunity, knowing it will be protected by a political system that it dominates.
The day-to-day functioning of the capitalist financial system has assumed the form of a criminal conspiracy against the people.
Alan Hinnrichs.
2 Gillespie Terrace,
Dundee.
Situation used to be far simpler
Sir, – When I was a primary school boy I learned about the birds and the bees.
Not because my teacher, or even my parents, told me.
In fact, one of my fellow pupils “ borrowed” a biology text book from his big brother who was reading the subject at university.
I think it was chapter 14 where the whole business was described in words and graphics.
All the boys in my class and a few of the girls read the chapter more than once.
We all understood that there are two sexes, male and female.
Since then things have become decidedly more complex and the sexual divide is now blurred.
For several years the blurred area was regarded as a source of illegal activity and people were sent to prison.
Now we have parades where people of indeterminate sexuality seek recognition and praise.
I am confused.
Why do people not just get on with their lives without all the fuss and bother of public demonstrations?
A A Bullions.
6 Glencairn Crescent,
Leven.
Insult was not justified
Sir, – James Boyden, writing apparently on behalf of the LGBTQ community, should be given the opportunity to publicly apologise for his unintended, or deliberate, insult when he accuses me of “sneering” at the community (Letters, October 3).
My letter proudly illustrated that his community was free to exist because we live in a free society.
In Saudi Arabia, and many more countries, they would be persecuted and, in some, executed.
I agreed with Mr Robertson and Mr Buchan that the words “gay” and “pride” had been hijacked.
Hijacking of symbols and icons is common among pressure groups and political parties.
In the context of this present discussion, were I to point out that Hitler hijacked the Swastika and the SNP has hijacked the Saltire, would Mr Boyden think I was calling him an SNP Nazi?
He should try to get rid of his paranoia.
Andrew Lawson.
9 MacLaren Gardens,
Dundee.
Position was misunderstood
Sir, – In reply to James Boyden (Letters, October 3), I am in no way trying to “stuff him back in the closet” or making a “sneering comment” but was merely pointing out that the community he associates with has re-identified the word gay to mean homosexual rather than its original meaning of happy cheerful and merry which I no longer care to call myself.
Willie Robertson.
Lynton, Stanley,
Perthshire.
Expenditure hard to explain
Sir, – I am a council tax payer who takes an interest in Perth and Kinross Council expenditure.
Recently I have noted roads being resurfaced which did not need such work to be done and road signs being replaced when the old ones were perfectly clear and undamaged.
Could someone in the council please explain why, when it is alleged the council is short of money, such unnecessary work is being carried out?
Garry Barnett.
The Garden House,
Campsie Hill,
Guildtown.
Files must have been backed-up
Sir, – Whilst holidaying in Pitlochry I had the pleasure of indulging in The Courier dated September 28.
In the letters page a Mr Couper brought to our attention details of the loss of school records for Lawside Academy.
My sister and I were both pupils there in the 60s.
Having been a teacher myself for 37 years I find it hard to believe that such a situation could have been allowed to happen.
There must be information out there as to who was responsible for this occurrence.
There is a feeling within me that there is more to this issue than may be assumed.
Files must have been backed up throughout the duration.
Rory Malone.
Clarendon Farm Cottage,
4 Back Station Road,
Linlithgow.
UK cannot call the shots
Sir, – Correspondent Iain G Richmond (Letters, October 2) mistakenly suggests that the EU is more dependent on the UK than we are on it.
Like his co-believers he also forgets that the vote to leave was achieved by the massive number of discontented people south of the border rather than a united vote tabled by all the so-called “equal partners” in the union.
To remind him, Scotland, Northern Ireland and London all returned majorities to remain.
Migrants taking UK jobs was quoted as a compelling reason for voting to go and yet there was a businessman from Corby who confirmed on TV that he has a substantial number of job vacancies which he has been unable to fill for a long time because UK workers refuse to apply.
He concludes his diatribe by harking back to the glorious days of empire when Britain rode roughshod over countries to obtain the goods and services it required by force of arms without recourse to fair trade deals.
Britain’s prosperity of the Victorian era was achieved by slapping tariffs on vassal nations for the privilege of trading with us.
The architects of Brexit are those who like being in charge and have long resented the UK just being a small voice around a table which seats 28 and are arrogantly overlooking the fact that leaving the EU to pursue world wide trade will find themselves trying to sweet talk countries which were badly treated by them in the past and could readily use the current situation as pay back time.
Allan A MacDougall.
37 Forth Park,
Bridge of Allan.
Shocking waste of public money
Sir, – A press release has revealed that Edinburgh council has outlined plans to install more than 200 charging points for electric cars with a price-tag of £3.3 million.
The photograph published alongside showed a sign stating “Free electric vehicle charging station”.
Why on earth are we pampering those who can afford to buy an electric vehicle with free electricity?
They already get free parking at these points for as long as they like and have had government grants of up to £4,500 to buy their vehicle.
Meanwhile, those who cannot afford a new car never mind a more expensive electric vehicle have to subsidise, via council tax and general taxation, those with money who want to flaunt their green credentials.
Electric vehicle owners should be charged a cost which reflects not only the electricity used but the shocking cost of installing the charging point – they can obviously afford it.
Clark Cross.
138 Springfield Road,
Linlithgow.