Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – I was horrified to come across articles highlighting the huge risk now being posed to the Arctic by the oil company Shell, who have moved into the area and are preparing to drill deep under the pristine ice to extract oil, despite having no apparent action plan for dealing with the almost inevitable oil spills with which we are all only too familiar.
The logistics for dealing with a spill in such isolated, inhospitable waters would defy the most experienced troubleshooters, as Shell will be very much aware, despite their bland assurances to the contrary.
Shell are risking the devastation of an area which is already in trouble through the effects of global warming and we could all be facing an environmental disaster which could have serious consequences.
No matter how remote we feel the Arctic to be from our own locality in the North Sea, we must face the fact that a major spill could speed up the melt of the Arctic pack ice to such an extent that it could have a major impact on our climate.
The Arctic doesn’t belong to rich oil companies who want to exploit it for their own ends, it is an irreplaceable part of our planet and once ruined will no longer feature in breathtakingly beautiful documentaries like Frozen Planet, (except, perhaps, to highlight the devastating impact on polar bears, seals, walruses, whales, and millions of birds, all potential victims of the oil spills).
I would urge all who care about preserving this unique region to make your voice heard. Tell Shell to leave the Arctic now.
Carolyn Taylor.16 Gagiebank,Wellbank.
So far, so good, but…
Sir, – Recent proposals for a reformed House of Lords are welcome and long overdue. The aim is to have a mainly elected chamber to oversee and amend laws when submitted by the Westminster Parliament. So far, an excellent format to continue the constitutional role in a modern democracy but two flaws are being overlooked by the public.
Firstly, new members of the Lords will sit for a term of 15 years. No other democratically elected body in Britain has been given this privilege of power. It can only produce an individual and collective stupor among elected members who will initially be proposed by the main political parties.
Secondly in the current House of Lords there sits a rump of Anglican bishops who wield much privilege and power. They are not elected and are staunchly non-representative of any religious belief other than the Church of England. They certainly do not represent the vast numbers of non-believers in the UK.
If true democracy is to be established for the UK, then bishops, like any other citizen, should stand for election.
Angus Brown.Station Road,Longforgan.
Affecting the weather?
Sir, – I suggest that our governments Scottish and British through the introduction of large-scale development of windfarms are introducing a factor into the British weather system the effect of which is totally beyond our comprehension.
Windfarms extract energy from the wind. Individually this does not amount to much, however, large numbers of turbines equate to a lot of energy.
Energy in the wind is a combination of wind speed and density. Now, when the wind drives turbines the density remains constant but when the wind speed falls, this produces an imbalance of wind speed before and after the turbine, multiply this imbalance a thousand-fold and you then introduce an unknown quantity that may influence local weather systems.
Of course the coincidence of bad weather and the introduction of wind turbines could be just that, a coincidence, and, of course, one could argue why bad weather, and not good weather? Well, we did have an unusually good spell earlier in the year.
There is a price to pay for everything.
John Macmillan.40 Ferry Road,Monifieth.
Primarily a politician
Sir, – Churchill’s decision to refuse a campaign medal to Bomber Command or to even mention their sacrifice in his VE day speech is a reminder he was primarily a politician. With the Nuremberg trials looming he was naturally at pains to distance himself from his air marshals and the possible war crime of targeting civilians.
But Bomber Command’s casualty rate was higher than any other service except for the equally controversial German U-boats and they have their memorial on the Baltic.
Britain invested a wholly disproportionate amount in strategic bombing and for much of the war it was the only way we could make a serious contribution to the allied effort. Yet what remains deeply troubling is the decision to continue phosphor bombing refugee-packed, non-industrial cities like Wrzburg and Dresden with the war clearly won.
Dr John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
What a shame!
Sir, – Prisoners at Peterhead prison are to have blinds fitted to their cell windows because the sun is wakening them up in the morning. How unfortunate.
The politicians certainly get their priorities right … the rest of us are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the summer sun.
John McDonald.14 Rosebery Court,Kirkcaldy.
Silly suggestion
Sir, – It was with disbelief that I read about the Montrose pensioner who has been ordered to remove bird feeding tables etc from her garden.
I hope she takes no notice of this ridiculous suggestion. It is a very rewarding pastime.
Jane Stewart.Greenbank,Barry, Carnoustie.
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.