Sir, – In respect of the current refugee crisis, it is tragic seeing the bodies of the young children being recovered from a beach.
No one could not be moved by such a tragic event, however, we must be realistic.
This country is suffering under the policies of austerity.
There is also a housing shortage for our own residents.
Where would these refugees be housed and would they be moved to the top of the housing list?
These refugees come from Afghanistan and Syria, areas that are more or less under the control of ISIS.
Is it not their policy to have Islamic control in as many countries as possible?
How many of these refugees are being transported by people traffickers who are charging many thousands of pounds and filtering the money back to IS?
Or are they under the control of this group? What better way to take control and cause disruption to any country than to flood it with thousands of people. So whatcontrols are being taken to ensure that any of these refugees are not IS supporters or sympathisers?
I have grave concerns about this country being flooded with these people.
This country cannot sustain nor support any additional refugees.
It costs us the taxpayer, who have been under the current austerity measures for more than four years.
How is it all of a sudden that there is funding of millions of pounds available to assist refugees?
This country needs to stop being dictated to by other EU countries and take a firm stance against being forced into an open-door policy. Plain and simple, we cannot support any more refugees now or in the foreseeable future.
The UK Government and Scottish Government should be looking at ways of assisting the current people of the UK.
I would suggest a reduction in VAT would be a good starting point.
Alastair McLean. Ar Tigh Ceither, 4 Fletcher Place. Crieff.
Migrants should be sent home
Sir, – Just what are Europe’s politicians playing at?
Why are they not returning migrants to the shores they left?
Is this another plan for cheap labour at the cost of jobs for the indigenous people?
Have the German politicians learnt no lessons from having a large non-German population in Germany.
History has a way of repeating itself.
It means a lot to Germans that they are pure German. We do not need any more Hitlers tolight the fuse of ultra right-wing nationalism again but the politicians are supplying the fuel for it.
As for these young Muslims demonstrating in Hungary, if they had any courage they would be in the army fighting to defend their land not running away.
We had the same type of people in the UK who fled the country in 1939 and they were not the poor.
John George Phimister. 63 St Clair Street, Kirkcaldy.
Europe plays risky game
Sir, – The European Union has threatened to cut funding to countries such as Britain unless they take in more refugees.
Officials want to enforce a quota system and have threatened that they will concentrate EU grant spending on countries that accept the most immigrants.
This gun-to-the-head politics is unacceptable and the EU are playing a dangerous game since the UK reluctantly pays far more into the EU coffers than it gets out.
Other countries are equally incensed with the EU diktats.
Stopping payments would have a significant effect on EU finances.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Stay vigilant to preserve liberty
Sir, – Imagine a country where control of the police is centralised and with no local accountability. Where the ruling party can do as it likes because it has the overall control of the law making. Where it directs how the education curriculum, even in universities, will be delivered.
Where taxation which was meant to be under local control is in fact decided on by the central authority.
Where children will have, not their parents, but a named person to look after their interests.
Where the media is under state control.
Where criticism of the ruling party can have serious repercussions.
Am I referring to China or North Korea or even Russia? No. I am talking about what we in Scotland are sleepwalking into if we are not vigilant and start to think for ourselves.
John Dorward. 89 Brechin Road, Arbroath.
Still hunting for a scapegoat
Sir, – Chairing a discussion at a final session at the Edinburgh Book Festival, Alex Salmond returned again to what led to the referendum result, explaining he had a ‘blind spot’ on the BBC’s indyref coverage.
Clearly the former First Minister finds it very difficult to understand how people could disagree with him and needs to look for someone to blame.
He and others in the SNP have pointed the finger variously at BBC bias, a lack of impartiality in the media generally, the ‘fear’ factor, the Treasury, older people, women, the English, business people, the list goes on and on.
Yet there is another possible explanation of the outcome.
Given the campaign lasted for so long, and was so intense, it is possible that the 3.6 million people who voted really knew what they were doing.
They realised all the information being thrown at them reflected different viewpoints.
While some of this, taken in isolation, even from the most balanced of sources, could be judged to have reflected a partial stance, that was soon enough countered by others with the alternate view.
Ultimately, the electorate heard it all and then made up their own minds.
When two million people said no, it was no doubt for a range of factors, but they all thought they were doing the right thing.
Alex Salmond seems unable to accept that. Perhaps that is his real blind spot.
Keith Howell. White Moss, West Linton.
SNP wants state broadcaster
Sir, -The comments of Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon concerning their criticism and future vision of the BBC convinces me that what they are looking for is a government-controlled state broadcaster.
I wonder who they got that idea from; Kim Jong-un?
Colin Topping. Crathes Close, Glenrothes.
Undemocratic interference
Sir, – I attended the meeting on redefining ward boundaries in Dundee East, especially West Ferry.
The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland (LGBC) has put forward, for consultation, proposals to include a part of West Ferry in a Dundee ward.
Dundee Council has put forward a proposal to include all of West Ferry up to Claypotts Road/Victoria Road.
Both of these proposals were unacceptable to the 300-plus voters at this meeting.
This is part of the fifth review of electoral arrangements which affects 32 areas of Scotland, a much more comprehensive review than the fourth (2009-2011) which looked at four areas.
In each of the four areas, the original proposals put forward by the LGBC were accepted and any serious counter proposal rejected.
Holyrood ministers accepted the proposals of the LGBC and these became law.
West Ferry has one of the largest group of voters in this review and, if history is to repeat itself, Dundee Council’s plan should be rejected, as any acceptance of this proposal by ministers would be seen by many voters as political interference and undemocratic.
However, history also shows that the original proposal of the LGBC will become law.
There is a lot of work to be done to change this result.
Philip J Kearns. 47 Grove Road, West Ferry.
Government finds its focus
Sir, – Congratulations to Nicola Sturgeon for admitting that Police Scotland needs to be reset.
Opponents of the SNP have made plenty of capital at the woeful state of policing, crashing educational standards and fears for our health service.
Let us hope this is the start of a focus by Ms Sturgeon on what really matters to the people of Scotland.
Bob Stark. Mill Street, Tillicoultry.