Sir,- The all-action, combative omnicompetent female lead in the new Star Wars film ticks all of the boxes for feminist campaigners.
This agenda is perhaps most apparent when young newcomer Rey advises the vastly more experienced (male) owner of the Millennium Falcon on its technical operation, and, surprise surprise, turns out to be right.
Anyone familiar with Bob the Builder will recall the overt perpetual technical superiority of Wendy, Bob’s partner.
I expect this sort of feminist influence in children’s programmes on the BBC, but not in a Star Wars film.
The solution to the “problem” of fewer women opting to pursue studies and careers in engineering is not to engineer fictional characters portraying the female wondertechnicians the hoards of feminist academics, bloggers and campaigners decided not to become.
We should just accept that men and women tend to have different inclinations and interests, and not try to steer people away from what they want to do.
Even in “enlightened” Scandinavian countries, gender divisions in career sectors are still clear.
I urge everyone to choose a career path that fits their personal aptitudes, values and ambitions.
Others want to steer people into certain careers in order to fulfil the feminist dream of an androgynous statistical utopia.
Richard Lucas. 11 Broomyknowe, Colinton, Edinburgh.
Changed daysin education
Sir,- In my 1940s mining village primary school, classes of well over 40 sat in rows, wrote on slates and learned by rote but by the age of 12 we were all literate and numerate.
Today the little emperors of the 1990s daft educational theories, mollycoddled by teachers, parents and society, enter university with at best a tenuous grip on the Three Rs.
After a lifetime of people saying “yes” to them, of never being told off, they remain frozen in a permanent state of super-sensitivity which requires an imbecilic “trigger warning”.
Lecturers are required to warn them that western European literature, of which they have but passing knowledge, is full of
sex and violence which they may find “threatening”.
They emerge from their “safe spaces” to enforce the pernicious idea of “no-platforming” which prevents the likes of Germaine Greer or Ayaan Hirsi Ali from giving a public lecture.
A hotbed of this nonsense is Oxford and I trust its new principal Louise Richardson will tell these silly kids that lecturers are there to tell them what to do; and not the other way round.
Rev Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
Second attempt not a wise move
Sir,- What will the SNP manifesto for the forthcoming Holyrood elections say about another referendum on independence?
I noted that there was no direct reference to it in First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s list of New Year resolutions placed in advertisements in this and other national newspapers (Courier, January 5).
There is simply a commitment to ‘stand up for Scotland’ and to ‘never stop campaigning… for all the powers our Parliament needs to build an even better Scotland’.
She is wise to avoid a promise to seek another poll on autonomy for the duration of the next Scottish Parliament for a number of reasons.
First, there is no reason to believe that public opinion has changed markedly on independence since September 2014.
Even if it had there is still the reality that the constitution is a matter reserved to Westminster, and little sign that the House of Commons is willing to transfer the power to allow another poll so soon after the last one.
Secondly, there is the question of business confidence and the need to eliminate uncertainty.
Is another two or three years wrangling over the country’s future likely to inspire investors and create jobs?
Thirdly, the relatively new First Minister needs to concentrate on a domestic agenda that will help deliver on the fine words about standards, equality, competitiveness and compassion.
When she has delivered that she may rightly turn to the voters and ask for the next step independence.
That is not likely to happen until well into the next decade. Until then her main focus has to be on reinforcing her party’s reputation for competent government rather than constitutional wrangling.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.
Strange stance on teachers’ pay
Sir,- I refer to The Courier (January 5) concerning the lack of supply teachers’, both locally and nationally.
Determination of teacher’s pay and conditions falls under the aegis of the SNCT, a body composed of both national and local government, and teachers’ representatives.
Some years ago, this body determined that supply teachers’ pay scales be reduced, from stages commensurate to their length of service, to pay scale one for short term supply.
A considerable reduction for many.
Given that most supply staff were at the apogee of their experience and talents, this reduction was seen by most as a devaluation of their worth, notwithstanding a reduction in pay.
Supply staff demonstrate their loyalty to pupils and employers by keeping abreast of current developments, attending training days without pay, and responding often at very short notice.
I find it disingenuous therefore that this tripartite now bemoans the current situation
in particular the EIS, who acquiesced, and were prepared to sacrifice the pay of their supply staff members in return for a national pay deal.
James Millar, 221 Stenhouse Street. Cowdenbeath.
Points missed on climate fears
Sir,- Mr Cross and Mr Parkin have followed the usual script from the global warming deniers.
They always bombard letters columns with flagrant untruths, straw men and mistakes.
These letters contain so much tripe in such a small bursts that a debunking of them all is extremely difficult.
When they are shown their errors the deniers simply write back, repeating the exact same points.
When the deniers trot out their scientific credentials I’m reminded of Dr Andrew Snelling.
He has a PhD in geology, yet has written copiously about his belief that the earth is 6,000 years old.
Or Dr Gerardus Bouw, who believes the Earth is stationary at the centre of the universe with sun, stars and planets orbiting it. His PhD is in astronomy.
That deniers claim that there has been no significant rise in global temperature since 1998 shows they are pseudoscientists and cranks.
There is far more heat in the oceans than in the atmosphere.
The “no rise in temperature” claim is for surface atmospheric temperature. The oceans have been warming throughout that period.
The fact is the ferocity of Storm Frank is exactly what climate scientists predicted would happen.
If the burning of fossil fuels continues, the Gulf in the Middle East will suffer heatwaves beyond the limit of human survival.
Alan Hinnrichs, 2 Gillespie Terrace, Dundee.
Reconsider on insulation plea
Sir,- Thank you for publishing my letter (January 4).
The picture used by you to accompany the article, however, is not one of the tenements that are being externally clad, it being from a much earlier period.
Our press release which was the basis for your article of December 24 made it clear the programme of cladding that concerns Dundee Civic Trust relates to the stone tenements built by Dundee Corporation between 1924 and 1951.
A good example of these are the fine tenements in Hospital Street (see picture attached).
Again I would make a plea for the council to reconsider and insulate those properties of this period not yet clad by using internal insulation.
Your article of December 24 confirms this is indeed what the council are considering for the relatively small number of these properties that are in conservation areas.
Nick Day. Chairman, Dundee Civic Trust, 13 Whinny Brae, Broughty Ferry.