Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – I’ve enjoyed following the debate about Scotland’s future that has raged on The Courier’s letters page, as both sides of the argument have expressed their points succinctly. Until recently, I was sitting on the fence.
No more! If the unionist argument for keeping the UK together boils down to nothing more than George K McMillan’s view we ditch some civil servants to balance the books (Letters, May 30) or AT Geddie’s rant about William Gladstone and Ramsay MacDonald, then you can sign me up to the Alex Salmond fan club.
Never before have I seen such paucity of vision or a complete lack of faith in the ability of their countrymen and woman to roll their sleeves up and rebuild this nation from the many problems that beset it.
The SNP presents a vision of prosperity, growth and a confident nation taking its place on the world stage.
In contrast, the unionists threaten to take back the pandas and bombard us with a deluge of doom and gloom scenarios that would make Private Fraser blush.
If the SNP were looking for one million votes, they can revise that figure to 999,999.
RMF Brown.10 Hill Terrace,Markinch.
We need a document saying no
Sir, – Alex Salmond wants one million signatures in favour of independence for Scotland.
What about the majority of Scots who do not want to leave the UK?
I may have missed something here, but have the campaigners for a no vote not yet made it possible for those against independence for Scotland to put their signatures to a similar document?
It would take the wind out of Alex Salmond’s sails if the no signatures outnumbered the yes signatures by the same amount indicated by opinion polls.
George K McMillan.5 Mount Tabor Avenue,Perth.
Historical research recommended
Sir, – I have no concern about the naming of streets in Dundee. I must reply to Allan Petrie’s almost regulation abuse levelled at Clan Campbell.
It is he who should research Scotland’s history.
I recommend Stephen Boardman’s The Campbells and John Prebble’s Glencoe.
Both books are well researched and unbiased.
The terrible events in Glencoe on that cold February day involved a member of the Scottish Government, (Ogilvie), who wrote the order, one solitary officer (admittedly a dissolute drunkard), and Lowland levies who carried out the order, some with decided reluctance.
Those murdered were McIans, not McDonalds as such, but a subordinate clan, notorious for raiding neighbouring lands, particularly those of Campbell of Glenlyon the aforementioned officer, who certainly had an axe to grind.
The Duke of Argyll was unaware of the plan.
The comments about Cromwell are also wrong I believe it was General Monk who led the English Parliamentary army in Scotland.
Cromwell went to Ireland and committed various atrocities as military necessity, it was argued at the time.
The Irish haven’t forgotten either.
AT Geddie.68 Carleton Avenue,Glenrothes.
Renewables are unfair to the fuel-poor
Sir,- Although Dave Adam (Letters, May 31) reacts with ”fair enough” to the suggestion that ”because of global warming, we need renewable energy production”, the truth is very different.
Not only, as Mr Adam complains, do wind turbines destroy glorious views, but they also provide, at most, a negligible benefit to curtail carbon dioxide output.
Moreover, these ”renewables” yield, at most, about 5% of UK electricity generation, intermittently, and very often less than 1%, especially in cold, calm weather when the need for heating is greatest.
Apart from wind turbines offshore, land windmills are the most expensive means of electricity generation.
The only beneficiaries are very few landowners, developers and the foreign manufacturers of the hardware.
Other European nations, most recently Spain, are abandoning wind turbines as a failed experiment.
In the present system of subsidy payments, money is transferred from the fuel-poor to the already rich.
Thus, far from being ”fair enough”, the renewables fiasco is scandalously inefficient and unfair.
Charles Wardrop.111 Viewlands Road West,Perth.
Efficiency of shale gas
Sir, – The EU has finally accepted that the most effective way to lower CO2 emissions is to use shale and other natural gas-powered stations.
The problem with intermittent wind power is that it needs a spinning reserve of 90% and backup plants are not run at optimum levels.
It was clear that it is best to concentrate on gas which is reliable, cheap and has almost indefinite reserves.
The fallout of this decision for Scotland will be dire since Alex Salmond has bet the house and his hopes for independence on a Darien scheme dash for wind.
Dr John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
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. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.