Sir, I read your recent article saying that 4G is on the way to 90% of the UK’s population. So 10% that is six million people will not get it. Guess where they will live?
Why are we allowing these big companies to cherry-pick our country? It is not that they can’t afford to extend the coverage.
Vodafone, for example, with the worst network coverage, has UK earnings before their now infamous accounting, of more than £1billion in a year.
It spent £4 billion buying back its own shares in a year. Is it really asking too much for them to spend some of that money in Scotland’s rural areas?
How can they say that it is not commercially viable?
I was in Skye recently where mobile reception is a rare and fleeting thing. Nine thousand people live there and they get thousands of visitors every year. You can drive right through Europe with rarely less that full bar coverage until you reach Carlisle.
With similar attitudes to the likes of the supply of gas and broadband we are creating a second or under class designation to rural areas which none of our leaders seems prepared to do anything about.
I hope your article will spur some of them into action but I won’t hold my breath.
Robert Buchan. Sunflowers, Donavourd, Pitlochry.
We’ve earned the right
Sir, I find the letter from Grahame Miller somewhat pompous and insulting. Those who use their titles in correspondence are acting perfectly correctly. I and many others worked hard to earn the right, and I am proud to be able use mine. It has nothing to do with “self-perceived importance” as he so crudely puts it.
Captain T R Willis. 61 Craigmill Gardens, Carnoustie.
Exactly the same thing
Sir, I read with mild and ordinary interest the letter written by Grahame Miller (Thursday’s Courier) in which he gave his views about people who preface their signature with Prof, or Dr, or army rank etc.
Having no strong opinion myself either way I was about to read on to the next letter when I noticed, to my astonishment, that he put after his name (qualifications withheld). Surely by doing this he is just making it equally obvious that he, just like the people he was referring to, wants us all to know he also has qualifications?
Betty Bowman. Newport-on-Tay.
Straight swap would fix it
Sir, Parents are naturally concerned at the delay over Madras College’s relocation (Letters, September 16). But if the Pipeland scheme follows correct planning procedures and is not “Trumped” like a certain golf/housing development it is far more likely to incur delays than is the North Haugh, as it conflicts with other planning issues and is on green belt (designated only last October, such is our joined-up policy-making).
The council refuses to provide a like-for-like cost comparison of the two sites, and its so-called educational consultation is discredited as virtually all of its points would apply to any site. If any proposal is flawed, partial, incomplete, one-sided, unprofessional and misleading, it is the council’s.
The problem of the North Haugh land being owned by the university could be overcome if it were to announce, as part of its 600th anniversary celebrations, that it would donate the land now to the council in a straight exchange for the South Street site.
Maybe Sir Menzies Campbell CBE QC, in his capacity as both our MP and the university chancellor (which should not involve any major conflict of interest) could initiate such a solution?
John Birkett. 12 Horseleys Park, St Andrews.
Not confident of success?
Sir, I was somewhat surprised to read the recent article in which Keith Brown MSP called on the UK Government to accelerate work to bring high-speed rail to Scotland. He is a member of the SNP and the Scottish Minister for Transport.
Doesn’t he realise that if Scotland votes “yes” next September it will be his and his party’s responsibility to act on this matter?
It would appear that by calling on the UK Government at this time he is of the opinion that the Scottish people will vote “no”. Obviously a sign of no confidence of SNP success, or not thinking things through!
Harry Ritchie. Beechwood, Barry.
Won’t build in “foreign” land
Sir, According to The Courier, Keith Brown (Scottish Transport Minister) has called on the UK Government to bring high speed rail to Scotland. Surely Mr Brown is of the same belief as the First Minister and the rest of his Cabinet that the result of the referendum next year is a foregone conclusion and will be a “yes”? How, then, can he expect a foreign country to build any sort of railway in Scotland.
Alan Provan. 19 Park Place, Elie.