Sir, Contrary to the impression that readers might have gained from your article about the ongoing campaign for the restitution of a rail link to St Andrews, we would like to clarify that St Andrews Partnership has at no time expressed its support for this campaign.
The article published appears to have been based upon a press statement from the StARLink pressure group, issued entirely without our prior knowledge or involvement, and which we have not seen.
The StARLink statement seems to have quoted selectively from a submission we made to TAYplan and Fife Council this year, in which we said: “Many questions remain to be answered and we now believe that it is time for this rail link proposal to be further and formally investigated.
“StARLink has done a remarkable job, including the commissioning of the TATA Steel feasibility study (2012) but in our view it is unrealistic to expect that voluntary and amateur campaigners could, or should, do any more.
“It is long overdue that transport, planning and economic development professionals should take over and carry out a professional, thorough and impartial evaluation of the scheme providing answers once and for all to a debate which has rumbled on for decades.”
Much of the remaining content of the article was, in fact, taken, word for word, from StARLink’s own TAYplan submission, rather than from our own (rather more brief) contribution.
The StARLink proposition may well be viable both economically and environmentally; equally, it may not. The truth is that none of us know the facts and that is exactly why St Andrews Partnership has not as yet expressed an opinion on the matter but, rather, has called for a full independent evaluation to be carried out under the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance procedures.
Only when and if that evaluation is completed can a properly-informed debate take place about this strategically importantissue.
Patrick D. Laughlin. Manager, St AndrewsPartnership.
Why stick with Westminster?
Sir, I sympathise greatly with BJW Macfarlane’s belief, (Monday’s Letters) that Scots aren’t being fully informed on the independence debate.
We are told time and again by the “no” camp that there is a compelling case for the union, yet we never hear it.
We are either told by them we are incapable of running our own affairs because we are too small (not a problem our neighbours across the North Sea experience) or obstacles will be put in place to hinder our progress if we have the courage and foresight to embrace independence. Hardly the behaviour of a friendly neighbour. More the actions of a bully intent on keeping us in, what they obviously perceive as, our place.
Recent events in Westminster call into question the value of Westminster’s influence on our lives north of the border. From Scottish farmers being denied European subsidies specifically meant for them, to Labour MPs not bothering to turn up for a motion brought forward by them to abolish the bedroom tax, just what benefit does Westminster control bring to the life of the everyday Scottish inhabitant?
Reports this year have confirmed that Scotland suffers at the hand of Westminster control, quite the reverse of the “Better Together” mantra.
Our country’s capital was deemed too shabby to be the capital of an independent country by commentators this year. Why this should be, given the resources we have at our disposal, is confirmation of Westminster’s toxic legacy for generations of Scots.
I fully endorse Mr Macfarlane’s plea: check your facts. The importance of next year’s vote deserves a fully-informed response.
Ken Clark. 335 King Street, Dundee.
Now hard work will begin
Sir, Congratulations are due to Labour for their victories in both Dunfermline by-elections. We need a strong Scottish Labour Party that puts Scotland 1-2-3, not a collection of feeble shadows, flickering in the gloom cast by Westminster, whose sole policy is to savage anything proposed by the SNP, whether beneficial to the general public or not.
Although the Holyrood election resulted in a 6.9% swing to Labour, the council election brought a 4% swing against in one of their strongest wards so there is no room for complacency and the performance of their representatives will be closely scrutinised.
Will Cara Hilton follow the example set by Alex Salmond and donate one of her salaries to charity or will she resign her post as a councillor?
Can she influence the stagnation of that notorious “ex-politician” in Kirkcaldy or drag his colleague, Thomas Docherty, away from his weekly column long enough to do something about the nuclear hulks still rotting in Rosyth or settle the ongoing saga of Dalgety Bay’s beach?
Joseph G. Miller. 44 Gardeners Street, Dunfermline.
Archives offer another view
Sir, I enjoyed Chris Ferguson’s article (Friday’s Courier) about the Dundee riots of December 1816. It occurred to me that, as time marches on, dragging history with it, the archives of long-established newspapers of continued family ownership, such as The Courier, will provide an interesting comparison to events long past with the details provided by other sources: academia, political opinion, etc.
I believe there are still Riddochs in the Dundee area. What a family history. More, please. Fife was such a well-behaved, quiet place then.
A. T. Geddie. 68 Carleton Avenue, Glenrothes.
Turbines are unreliable
Sir, No matter by how much Philip Roberts (Monday’s Letters) considers that using wind as an electricity-generating technology has improved in recent years, it is still an unreliable, weather-dependent technology, which has zero output when the wind doesn’t blow hard enough or even too hard.
Additionally, his assertion that nuclear generation “has most definitely failed” is quite false and reeks of dogma rather than reality. I would suggest that he considers the massive contribution to our electricity supply made by nuclear power stations, relative to intermittent wind turbine power generation, over the years.
Dr GM Lindsay. Whinfield Gardens, Kinross.
An inspiration at the end
Sir, I am not a supporter of assisted suicide (Courier, November 15).
My mother suffered from, and ultimately succumbed to, a second bout of cancer after a rapid year of decline. As she became more and more visibly ill, she did so with great dignity and often with humour. In her suffering and at her death, she was truly inspirational, the embodiment of how best to deal with terminal illness.
Her bravery, dignity and humour while being extremely ill and in the face of death was an inspiration not just to other sufferers but to everyone, and my life is all the richer for having witnessed it.
Had it come to pass that she willingly chose to end it, all that inspiration would have been lost.
Chris Johnston. 15a Cowgate, Tayport.
Better park and ride and railway
Sir, I am sure the new “park and ride” at Halbeath Interchange, near Dunfermline, which is due to open on Monday, will be a great advantage to road users. But with the Fife circle line running alongside, would it not have been a reasonable idea to construct two platforms with waiting shelters and provide the option of a train service to Edinburgh?
In the event of weather/accident delays on the road bridge, at least travellers would have an alternative form of transport, thus creating a “park and choose”.
John McDonald. 14 Rosebery Court, Kirkcaldy.
Hobbling is not a policy
Sir, You really have to wonder a large retailer wants to increase trade and employ more people during a recession.
Now, most people would think this was great news, unless, that is, you are one of the great and good councillors representing the people’s wishes in Kirkcaldy.
They see it as another attack on their failing High Street, where you have to pay if you can find a parking space and dodge the cars displaying disabled badges driving through the pedestrian precinct.
It can’t be fair competition to hobble one area to try to drive shoppers to another; surely people will vote with theirfeet?
John Strachan. 23 Beechwood Avenue, Glenrothes.
Didn’t even get a spoiler alert
Sir, We live in strange times, do we not? It is the age of the incredible, shrinking snack bars that are still the same in substance but have different names or cornflakes that retain the same name but are totally different in texture and taste. Fish fingers are now fish pinkies.
Minor, inconsequential things, one might say, but are they? Is it not the little things that add up to enrich our lives? Strangest of all, though, was the film review of Gravity in your Saturday issue, where the ending to a tension-filled plot is revealed.
The chance for a sci-fi lover such as myself to sit on the edge of my seat with nail-biting attention throughout a great film is now totally gone. My then ignorance of history when watching Zulu allowed me the chance to have that experience. How glad, then, that your reviewer was not around then to give us the outcome. Do I sound annoyed? Perhaps it could be because I am.
Leslie Milligan. 18B Myrtlehall Gardens, Dundee.