Today’s letters to The Courier.
How to break cursed cycle of deprivationSir, We welcome the Christie Commission report into public service reform, and its recognition that up to 40% of public spending in Scotland is spent on work that could have been avoided by effective early intervention.
As three of Scotland’s largest children’s charities, we see every day the results of society’s failure to support children when problems first appear.
We recognise the current financial squeeze will be a massive challenge for everyone, but we must turn it into an opportunity to recast public services to tackle underlying causes rather than treat symptoms.
As Angela Constance, the new Children’s Minister, said, every pound invested in a child’s early years can generate an eventual saving of £9 for taxpayers.
There are proposals that would start to achieve this, such as the SNP commitment to a new generation of children and family centres. These could be the cornerstone of a new approach to preventative work.
Such initiatives will be most successful if they learn from the voluntary and community organisations already delivering this work, are built around robust assessment of outcomes, and prioritise the communities where services will make the most difference. Only then will we be able to break the cycle of deprivation being passed from one generation to the next as identified in the commission’s report.
Martin Crewe,Barnardo’s Scotland.Louise Warde-Hunter, Action For Children.Anne Houston,Children 1st.Enlightened school padreSir, Speaking from personal experience I dispute Alan Hinnrichs’ assertion (June 29) that faith schools are sectarian. Both the RC and Protestant schools I attended-St Margaret’s, Dunfermline, and King’s Road, Rosyth-were not.
My experiences as a boy transferring from an RC school (for employment reasons) to a Protestant school were positive, with the school padre welcoming me and making clear he was totally opposed to any form of bigotry.
True to his word he later wrote as follows: “I was up in Dunfermline on Saturday morning when a string of buses containing Orange men and women went by, most of them singing the sort of songs that are a deliberate taunt to Roman Catholics, just asking for a fight…being an anti- Roman Catholic is very different from being a Protestant.”
A man ahead of his time, the Rev J. L. Cowie’s letter was published on July 14, 1962, 44 years before the European football authorities intervened and banned the “Billy Boys”, and almost half a century before Alex Salmond discovered sectarianism was a problem.
I think that most would agree that the Rev Cowie rather than Mr Hinnrichs identified the cause of what is euphemistically known as sectarianism.
Tom Minogue.94 Victoria Terrace,Dunfermline.Absurd waste of moneySir, As an MEP who is obviously so worried about wasting money (June 27), Mr Stevenson might want to start shouting about the fact that the European Parliament moves to Strasbourg every month at the cost of £150 million a year to the taxpayer.
J. Taylor.3 Melville Road,Ladybank.Incinerator no good for PerthSir, I am compelled to respond to Stephen Windsor’s letter (June 29) regarding the campaign to stop the Shore Road incinerator.
I’d like to thank him for already submitting his objection to the council.
I would urge all your readers who care about our city’s future to do the same, and if they want a copy of my petition they should contact me on 01738 571527 or by email Peter.barrett @blueyonder.co.uk.
The incinerator will have a devastating impact upon Perth, which thousands of people recognised last time and showed this by signing my “Revoke the Smoke” petition and by submitting formal objections.
The report that went before the development control committee referred to each of these means of objection. And committee members are perfectly capable of assessing the weight of public opinion which a petition carries.
Mr Windsor’s narrow technical analysis sadly misses this point.
Everyone has a right to make their views known about the incinerator and to put their objections to the council by letter, online or by petition, and the more that do the better.
(Cllr) Peter Barrett.Perth City Centre.Wheelie bins confusionSir, Having read about A board signs and the reasons given by the local authority as to why these are not permitted (disability legislation), it made me wonder if the council believes it is above the law.
All citizens must present wheelie bins at the roadside on the morning of collection. This instruction by the council must therefore breach the same articles contained within the Disability Act as the A boards fall foul of.
The wheelie bins cause as much obstruction, if not more so, than the A boards.
Allan Petrie. 109 Blacklock Crescent,Dundee.Maximum wage good for societySir, On Thursday evening I attended the prize giving at Webster’s High School. Staff have met and surpassed targets, but they get no bonus.
Why should Scottish Water’s bosses get bonuses for doing their jobs? Surely, like all our public servants, they should work for a standard salary and if they have a good year, then their “bonus” is job satisfaction.
Much has been said about minimum wages. Maybe what a fair and just society needs is a maximum wage.
Maybe a fair and just society is one where everything over a certain wage is diverted to the common good.
Malcolm Rooney.20 Strathmore Avenue,Kirriemuir.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.