On the agenda today: the defence cuts, education standards, council beaurocracy, and the death of Dr David Kelly.
Scrapping of Nimrod puts UK security at risk Sir,-Last week we had a £3 billion-plus submarine in difficulties and a tug standing by that will not be available in a year’s time.
The next emergency could be far out to sea and we will, in the future, have no long-range, long-loiter, aircraft like the Nimrod available to partake and oversee the rescue.
All this is because the government wants to save money and let private enterprise replace/take over from the state where possible. How can a maritime nation leave so much to chance?
Can somebody tell me what takes over from the surveillance that the Nimrod has provided over many years?
Like anybody else, I do not want to see money wasted but sometimes cost just has to be accepted and, in the case of the tugs, £34 million seems good value.
A bunch of London bankers could pay for them out of their bonuses.
David Reoch.39 Gourlay Street,Kirkcaldy.
Scotland pays heavy cuts price
Sir,-I was astounded to learn that the Prime Minister has scrapped the £3.6 billion Nimrod surveillance aircraft programme, thus necessitating the closure of the RAF base at Kinloss.
In 2006, on receiving the contract, the chief executive of BAE Systems said, “The new Nimrod MRA4 is a world leader in terms of maritime patrol platforms and it will give the UK at least 30 years of adaptable capability in maritime reconnaissance and attack operations.”
Is this statement no longer valid just four years later? It is ludicrous to scrap the programme just as the first MRA4s are entering service and, indeed, is exposing the vulnerability of the UK, which is already under terrorist threat.
The closure of the Kinloss base will shatter the hopes and dreams of the young men and women who had hoped to operate and maintain these aircraft, as well as destroy the livelihoods of many families in the Moray area. Now we hear rumours that Lossiemouth is also under threat and, although this has not been confirmed, we can see the writing on the wall.
Scotland is no stranger to devastation by the ruling classes the last time it was called the Highland Clearances.
Moyra Foley.231 Strathmartine Road,Dundee.
Education must improve
Sir,-British children are so busy learning about community cohesion, climate change, healthy eating and sex education that they do not have time to learn how to read and write.
Despite the billions poured in by New Labour, pupils spend less time on core subjects now than they did when Tony Blair warbled about “education, education, education”.
Almost a quarter of our children leave school functionally illiterate and innumerate and it is no wonder employers prefer the better-educated migrants from Eastern Europe. Most firms believe our national examinations are a farce and the larger ones are joining the universities in setting up their own tests to measure applicants’ ability.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development rightly puts British schooling near the bottom of the industrialised nations and it needs to change.
(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Target council bureaucrats
Sir,-Your correspondent Robin Valentine is correct to suggest that changes within Perth and Kinross council are needed, not least in the matter of “democratic transparency” and the answer does indeed lie with the voters at the next round of elections, as he suggests.
All councillors, of course, cannot be tarred with the same brush of incompetence. However, if the public do wish to vote out those they see as such, we are then left with a far greater problem how to fill the vacuum and where to find those of independent mind with both the ability and the will to take on the job of waging war on highly-paid bureaucrats and waste and, if necessary, even involve themselves in trimming back the sails of unelected chief executives and the large number of staff they employ, most of whom are little more than a very costly burden upon the public purse. Until that is achieved, I suspect, within council headquarters the climate of despotism will continue and it will be business as usual.
Neil McKinnon.Tulchan Garden,Glenalmond.
Spare Dr Kelly’s family more pain
Sir,-It is difficult to understand the motives of those who, seven years after the event, have questioned the verdict of the Hutton inquiry that weapons inspector Dr David Kelly committed suicide. The family of Dr Kelly were content with this conclusion and to have the matter raised again must be causing them great distress.
Questions have been raised concerning the amount of blood observed by some of those at the scene. However, the forensic pathologist who carried out the autopsy concluded the principal cause of death was haemorrhage.
Now that the autopsy findings have been made public (October 23), which also concluded that there was no evidence of foul play, a line should be drawn under the affair.
To proceed with an inquest given the forensic evidence would be quite wrong and only cause more distress to the Kelly family.
J. B. MacGillivray.23 Farington Street,Dundee.
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