Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – The taxpayer-funded press regulation circus moves to phase two. A 2000-page report, which no-one will ever read, takes its place in the nation’s archives; the 56-page summary unleashes another bitter coalition row.
Is this the end of press freedom?
On Tuesday, 86 Lords and MPs pointed out that “no form of statutory regulation of the press would be possible without the imposition of state licensing”.
Where I grew up, in Italy, we have a word for this: large organisations hacking, bribing and blackmailing their way to ever greater profits. A five-letter word, starting with ‘M’.
It is high time the press came off its pedestal and accepted that independence is not the same as lawlessness.
The only compliance the country expects from its press is that journalists be made to obey the law of the land, as do we all.
For that we do not need a new taxpayer-funded watchdog, adding regulatory burden to thousands of good honest journalists across the country, while leaving plenty of loopholes for the dishonest to get away.
We have the police and we have the courts and they should do their job.
Put the criminals behind bars. Whether they happen to be journalists, or not.
Haro de Grauw.26 Station Road,St Monans.
They have their views, but…
Sir, – We are all doomed! If we do not cover our country with windmills, close down all coal, oil and nuclear power plants and walk and cycle everywhere, our planet is going to go into self-destruct (‘Ice melt hazard’, November 30).
On the one hand, the man-made global warmers such as Dr Richard Bates in this article tell us that “science is pretty firm these days and I don’t know a scientist who would dispute that human activity is partly to blame for an increase in temperatures.”
Meanwhile, we read reports from other scientists Dr Bates seems to ignore who say that mankind’s influence on the climate is infinitesimal and that Scotland’s contribution to any pollution is even more miniscule compared with the vast outpourings of industrial muck from the vast and growing industries of China and other Asian countries.
We poor laymen are caught in the middle, but common sense and my own reading and observation tell me that any recent climate changes are nothing compared to the huge climatic events of the past, long before the human race existed.
Dr Bates and his fellow believers are entitled to their views, but they are not necessarily true.
George K McMillan.5 Mount Tabor Avenue,Perth.
An asset not a hindrance
Sir, – Thomas Pairman (November 26) is yet another who questions Scotland’s viability as an independent country purely because of its size.
Perhaps he is unaware that David Cameron’s summer visit to Norway generated a deal of discussion amongst our southern cousins. Many were confused that Norway, with similar gas and oil assets, is so much wealthier than the UK, with a standard of living we in Britain can only dream of. Why is this?
The consensus, eventually, was that Norway only has a population of five million, while Britain has in excess of 60 million. This explains why Norwegians are so much better off, as their assets are used to benefit a much smaller number. Simple arithmetic.
The tiny leap of logic it would take to transfer this conclusion to Scotland’s population was beyond the many contributors to the various chat sites, many of which are regular forums for the “Scotland too small, too poor” arguments as put forward by Mr Pairman.
He and others who regularly state this opinion are wrong. In today’s Europe our size is an asset, not a hindrance.
Moira Brown.24 Teviotdale Avenue,Dundee.
How big to be viable?
Sir, – Derek Farmer (November 9) gave a brilliant expose of unionist arrogance and patronisation in their attitude to Scotland.
The latent anglo-centricity is palpable. One wonders what size of country Mr Farmer would consider viable as an entity?
Obviously “minnows” like Norway, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland and indeed other countries with populations similar in size to Scotland can’t possibly be viable and one wonders how their high standard of living and strong economies have come about without being incorporated in a union with bigger “normal” countries.
I wonder if Mr Farmer considers the UK big enough to be viable?
Ron Greer.Armoury House,Blair Atholl.
Not free
Sir, – I can only assume that Mandy McLernon (November 30) is fortunate enough not to pay any tax, as she states in her letter that the treatment we receive from the NHS is free.
Last year the NHS in Scotland cost more than £10bn of taxpayers’ money. As someone who has always paid tax, I am pleased that the service in Dundee is good, but it certainly did not come free!
Mary Wilson.27 Laurel Way,Bridge of Weir.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.