Sir, Reference your points of view piece, Nanny state interference (May 29). As a Liberal Democrat I value deeply an individual’s right to private space. I also believe that the moral and socially just onus is upon us all to protect vulnerable groups from harm.
Indeed, it was in John Stuart Mill’s seminal work, On Liberty, that he argued the only circumstance under which power can be rightfully exercised over another individual, against their will, is to prevent harm to others.
It is with this principle in mind that I have put forward my proposals which would ban smoking in cars when children are passengers.
A joint study by the universities of Stirling and Birmingham of 11 – 16-year-olds in the UK found that 47% of those surveyed had been exposed to second-hand smoke in a vehicle within the past week, with 17% of those indicating this had happened more than once a week.
I hope that your readers will also reflect upon the comments of Dr Neneh Rowa-Dewar of the UK Centre for Tobacco Control Studies, who put forward a very lucid point during our consultation launch.
She inferred that society had not yet afforded children the status of rights as we do adults. As children have no freedom or choice to opt out of the drive to school, dance class or football practice, surely we have a duty to preserve their freedom from such obvious harm whilst in that vehicle.
It is a concerning path to travel that we avoid offering children more freedoms on the basis that adult freedoms hold top trumps. This is not about opening doors to the nanny state, but about caring for children who have no power in that specific situation to protect their health.
Jim Hume. Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for South Scotland.
Not qualified to decide
Sir, The piece on page eight of The Courier (May 30) about the proposed book on William Lamb raises a number of points worth commenting on. As a matter of accuracy the author is not “John” Stansfeld, but “Jonathon” Stansfeld.
Various statements about the request for a grant of £5000 to aid publication are then reported. Mr Gaul, council leader, then embarks on a series of gratuitous insults and cliches directed at the author and his advisers.
To accuse Mr Stansfeld of egotism is both ignorant and inaccurate as all who know Mr Stansfeld would agree. However, perhaps the most hilarious elements in Mr Gaul’s barrage of cliches are the following “ the business case does not stack up”, then “this book is a bit of white elephant” (which bit, I wonder) then “ it’s an argument which doesn’t fly”. The case would appear to be a grounded elephant.
Not to be outdone, Councillor King said the book “falls down”, perhaps this means it has to “wash it’s face”. Mr King does not seem to understand the difference between a noun and a verb. The word “research” is a noun, to use it as a verb is ungrammatical.
What is so depressing is that those councillors suffering “from serious delusions of adequacy” are making decisions on matters of which they are profoundly ignorant.
James Morrison. Craigview House, Usan, Montrose.
Wrong in his assertion
Sir, The Rev Ivor Gibson (The Courier, May 23) is completely wrong in his assertion that, “the case for Scottish independence rests on the high revenues from the oil industry”
While an independent Scotland would indeed accrue high revenues from its oil industry, the SNP has always maintained that Scotland could sustain a high standard of living for its people without the oil wealth.
This can be evidenced by the success of our northern European neighbours which all boast a higher quality of life than us and which, with the exception of Norway, have no natural resources to speak of. An independent Scotland’s oil wealth could be, like that of Norway’s, set aside for future use.
I had thought that, by this time, we could have left the lame excuses and infantile scaremongering behind and concentrated on the real debate.
It should now be obvious to all that an independent Scotland would be a viable state with a functioning currency system, either Sterling or one specific to Scotland, we would have an adequate and effective defence system on a par with our NATO allies and that we would continue our membership of the European Union.
The only question to be considered is: “Would I, as a resident of Scotland, have a higher quality of life in an independent Scotland or should I vote to keep the status quo?”
Alex Rollo. 3 Kirk Walk, Carnoustie.
That Everest anniversary . . .
Sir, During the past few days much media coverage has been give to the “first” conquest of Mt Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay in 1953; a well documented and truly splendid achievement.
However, it may yet be proved that George Mallory and Sandy Irvine made the summit before falling to their deaths during the ill-fated expedition 29 years earlier.
Notwithstanding the recent media focus on the Everest Massive itself, it should not be forgotten that the early Himalayan mountaineers used to set out from Darjeeling and Kalimpong on a three to four-week trek through some of the world’s most exotic and thrilling regions.
So much so, that a degree of credence may be given to the existence of “Shangri La” as described in James Hilton’s Lost Horizon.
Kenneth Miln. 22 Fothringham Drive, Monifieth.