Today’s correspondents discuss the continuing fall-out from the general election, plans for an Elmwood College reunion, wind turbines and the Forth Energy plans for Dundee.
Parties’ old guard will obstruct move to PR Sir,-I refer to your editorial of May 10. You comment that, as a result of the political bargaining, “voters cease to play a meaningful role”.
Nothing could be further from the truth as the cumulative electorate unknowingly voted exactly for this result — a hung parliament where political parties are required to negotiate and bargain as the result of the electorate having no faith in the policies or leadership of any one political party.
It is of no use for any party to cling desperately to their ideals.
The majority of the electorate have voted against the policies that these ideals represent. Hence the need for some form of proportional representation in order to reflect the will of the British people.
The Conservatives won 47% of seats with over 10 million votes, yet their Liberal Democrat partners retain only 9% of seats despite having received nearly seven million votes.
Indeed, the votes of almost 1.8 million voters are not represented at all at Westminster as no-one from the parties they supported gained a seat.
The major parties require to sit up and listen to the electorate on PR.
The first-past-the-post system is archaic and outdated. Its demise is feared only by those who stand to lose most by its reform.
No surprise then that the old guard within Tory and Labour parties will oppose it any price.
A classic example of political parties putting themselves first before the good of the country.
David Cheape.2 Guthrie Street,Carnoustie.
Rejection of independence
Sir,-The Scottish National Party only won six seats, not the 20 its leader Alex Salmond had forecast. This is one less than the last election.
Labour took 41 seats.
Surely this shows that the Scottish electorate does not want independence.
Hopefully, this will now stop the repeated SNP claims that the majority of Scots want independence.
Clark Cross.138 Springfield Road,Linlithgow.
Voters held to ransom
Sir,-We can now see how proportional representation will work — the tail wags the dog and a party is given influence far above that warranted by its share of the vote.
Full proportional representation would mean three, four, five or even more tails all demanding attention.
William W. Scott.23 St Baldred’s Road,North Berwick.
College celebration
Sir,-The business studies department at Elmwood College, Cupar, will be closing its doors for the final time this June.
To help celebrate the department’s contribution to the college and to the community we will be holding a reunion specifically for former and current staff and students.
It will take place as part of our open day on Sunday, May 30, from noon to 4pm in the main college building at Carslogie Road in Cupar.
All Elmwood College business studies students are invited, whether it was the agricultural secretarial course or the more recent administration and information technology course they undertook.
Caroline Manzie.Alumni co-ordinator,Elmwood College,Cupar.
Wind needs coal backup
Sir,-Wind turbines in general probably have a place in overall renewable energy production — but they have no place in the middle of cities, for three reasons.
They are an eyesore at best and cultural vandalism at worst.
They have been associated with health problems in people living close to them.
Each wind turbine produces quite a trivial amount of electricity per year.
Given what is called the load factor, it would require something in the order of 5000 wind turbines of the size proposed for Dundee’s waterfront area to produce the same amount of electrical energy that a standard coal-fired power station produces each year.
Ian Kirkland.69 Dawson Road,Broughty Ferry.
Breach of protocol?
Sir,-I was appalled to read that the developers who want to install wind turbines at the port of Dundee will be able to brief, in advance, the committee of the city council that will decide on the planning application.
This must fly in the face of any fair and democratic process.
Surely our city councillors cannot be so naive as to imagine that they will receive wholly objective and unbiased information on the proposed harbour scheme from Forth Energy.
It is, incidentally, most gratifying to read that at least one councillor has chosen to stand out against the briefing.
(Prof) Andy Grieve.20 Albany Road,Broughty Ferry.
Outline support for development
Sir,-Further to your reports on development in the Pleasance, Falkland, I would make clear that the community council is not against house building in principle and supports the proposal in the draft local plan that the existing factory site should be used for a mix of housing and light industry.
I understand that the latest stage of the local plan will be going before the August meeting of the Fife Council East Area Committee and is likely to be the subject of a public inquiry which is likely to take well in to 2011 to come to a conclusion.
Anthony Garrett.Chair,Falkland and Newton of Falkland Community Council.