Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – I think it’s reasonable to suggest most right-thinking people yearn for a second question in the independence referendum. I have many reasons for holding this opinion but, for me, the last straw came in a recent auditor’s report.
It seems that £88 million of our money has already been spent on redundancy payments to civil servants in the Scottish parliament and there’s more to come.
We were also told that the First Minister will trouser an annual pension of around £40,000 when he leaves office. No surprise in that. We are already subsidising, to the same tune, two of his predecessors who were equally unproductive and self-indulgent, as well as three erstwhile Presiding Officers. This entire fiasco has been going for 13 years!
So, it must be reasonable to demand a second question, which allows us to decide on whether or not we wish to continue with the profligate, inept and wholly irrelevant shambles at Holyrood.
On a personal basis, it is a long time since I even met someone who said he/she voted ”yes” for devolution and the ongoing antics of our immature, inexperienced and untrained MSPs has done nothing to make Scotland safer or more prosperous.
So, let’s have that second question. Simply: ”Do you wish to abolish devolution: yes or no.”
Jim Parker.9 Banchory Green,Collydean,Glenrothes.
Who made the appointment?
Sir, – I am sure everyone wishes Stephen House, the new chief constable of Scotland, every success. Our security and well-being are in his hands. One small thought occurs. I have been looking to see exactly who has appointed him, given that the Scottish Police Authority is still being set up and the chair himself only just recently appointed.
I haven’t been able to find out from the news media or Government websites.
I would guess it is an appointment by the Justice Minister but I could be wrong. Shouldn’t that information be in the public domain? The Police and Fire Reform Act Scotland specifically authorises Scottish ministers to appoint the first Chief Fire Officer.
George Hayton.6 Montgomery Way,Kinross.
These are the only ones in need
Sir, – I disagree with ex-Dundee Lord Provost John Letford regarding his dismay at the teaching of German being stopped in some Dundee schools.
In my opinion, the languages that should be taught are Urdu and Mandarin. The reason being that these are the mother tongues of the majority of people they will come into contact with on a daily basis within our city.
George Aimer.82 Kinghorne Road,Dundee.
Experiment was the only excitement
Sir, – As a sports writer, Ian Roache (Courier, October 1) must realise the mini-league set-up has been used before and resulted in many meaningless matches where the section had already been won. The only excitement was the short-lived experiment where a player could only be offside between the goal-line and an extension of the penalty box.
By contrast, I have in my time seen many exciting League Cup games where the match was played to a finish on the night, notably one Dundee-Hearts encounter. The present arrangement also allows the smaller clubs to spring surprise results, as has already been demonstrated.
I would agree, however, that the whole tournament could be compressed into a much shorter period of time. The real problem, as with all Scottish football, is poor attendances at the games.
John Crichton.Northampton Place,Forfar.