Sir, – I was disappointed to read (March 11) that Elmwood College in Cupar may be closing.
As someone who began his career in horticulture at Elmwood in 1977 as Jim McColl was starting on the Beechgrove Garden, I have fond memories of the college, while Carole Baxter trained there as well.
Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) was the first of the Scottish colleges to merge and shut down specialist centres and now they are threatening to shut one of the jewels in the crown so far as land-based training goes.
Students are being affected and will have to travel further, while staff could be made redundant.
Elmwood is not alone in this respect as thousands of college staff have lost their jobs during recent years, as the Scottish Government has been hell-bent on reducing the number of colleges and student places to save money.
I enjoyed a 30-year career in further education, but unless colleges invest adequately, practical subjects will cease to be delivered properly.
Little wonder staff are up in arms given the uncertainty of their jobs and worsening conditions, but let’s hope that the suits see sense and ensure that practical subjects are retained and that future Jim McColls and Carole Baxters can be trained at Elmwood and other Scottish colleges offering land-based training.
I am also well aware that Elmwood delivers non land-based subjects, but I think these are now part of Fife College. The decision on Elmwood’s future rests with SRUC.
Gordon Croll. Ardblair Road, Blairgowrie.
Eric strikes chord with refuseniks
Sir, – Regarding the letter about Facebook from Eric Travers on Saturday, if there was an award for letter of the week, month or year, then this would get my vote.
I thought it hilarious, as did my wife. We read it out several times and each time it got funnier.
If you substitute “my children” for the friends that Eric mentions then this letter could have been submitted by myself, although I have managed (so far) not to succumb to opening a Facebook page.
Reading this letter I feel vindicated. I will definitely be sharing it with my children, probably with absolutely no effect.
Brian M Russell. 8 Boniface Road, Invergowrie.
Focus on issue and not style
Sir, – I am delighted that Mr Dilworth has taken time to read my letters but saddened that he chose to criticise the style rather than the issues raised (March 19).
Ad hominem attacks are no substitute for well-presented criticism and coherent, articulate counter arguments to honestly-held opinions.
Reasoned debate is interesting, informative and often entertaining but snide comments are not.
I think Mr Dilworth should take note of what Socrates said: “When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser.”
Iain G Richmond. Guildy House, Monikie.
Ditch St Andrews school proposal
Sir, – I have a solution to the new MadrasCollege problem being experienced by Fife Council. Build the new school somewhere else.
We taxpayers have contributed enough to the sorry, childish behaviour of the good citizens of St Andrews, or at least a handful of them.
Consider Newport, Tayport, Dairsie, or even Cupar to accommodate a projected population rise after the building of the northern Cupar expansion and ring road.
Or how about some nice field at the southern end of the Tay Road Bridge, as, I believe was previously suggested by Councillor Tim Brett?
Or do we spend more by going to the Supreme Court? Enough is enough. The contractors cannot wait forever.
Let us get suggestions before the planners and get on with the job.
A T Geddie. 68 Carleton Avenue, Glenrothes.
Health crisis facing nation
Sir, – All political parties say we are all living longer so we need more immigrants to work to pay for a rising number of OAPs, their pensions and care.
It is also a reason for raising the retirement age.
Or does the rise in obesity, alcohol consumption and drug abuse mean that, irrespective of better treatments, people will actually die earlier?
This was once used by Nicola Sturgeon to justify not raising the retirement age in Scotland.
The SNP recently announced a £100 million fund to improve cancer care.
I found an NHS Scotland report on cancer incidence and projections to 2020, published in 2010.
The incidence of all cancers will increase by 34% from 130,557 in 1998 to 174,898 in 2020. Some cancers will remain fairly static, for example lung and stomach, others will increase more, for example, colorectal by 35%, kidney 58%, and skin cancer, a classic example of a lifestyle-induced illness, by 117%.
We should take a lead from the sugar tax, announce a national emergency and by legislation, education and financial inducement, actively prevent these cancers and other conditions that limit lifespan, creating burdens for the NHS and hammering our payslips.
Or should just we accept that “wur a’ doomed” and lobby for a lowering of the retirement age?
Allan Sutherland. 1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Find cash to fix pot holes
Sir, – The condition of many of Scotland’s roads is a national disgrace, with rough and potted surfaces common.
Had this been a harsh winter in terms of severe frost, goodness knows what further deterioration we might have faced.
Little seems to be happening to address this and rather there seems to be vast sums of money pouring into pavement reconstruction.
Indeed, perfectly serviceable pavements in Glenrothes are being replaced and also in Kinglassie.
But we witness the continuing preservation and proliferation of dubiously-effective speed bumps, high on the list of local authority favouritism. You never see a neglected speed bump.
Surely in these times of austerity, priority planning should be given to immediately necessary projects such as our roads maintenance.
Think of the many pot holes that could be filled by better use of materials, currently used in less-than-necessary pavement renovation.
It cannot be beyond the vision of planners to see the logic in this and redirect scarce resources appropriately.
The recent experience of a failed Forth Road Bridge component comes to mind.
David L Thomson. 24 Laurence Park, Kinglassie.
Scotland’s energy reliance
Sir, – From time immemorial, at least it feels like that, the SNP dominated government has been telling us that wind turbines were the way ahead and that Scotland would export wind electricity to England which uses dirty coal and gas and also nasty nuclear which will soon be eliminated from Scotland.
Well it has not worked out and Scotland is having to import this “nasty” electricity on a regular basis to keep Scotland’s lights on.
The media should publish the amount of electricity imported the previous day from England so that the green zealots, after they have spluttered into their muesli, will be able to salvage their ideals by switching off all their electrical appliances until the wind blows.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Freedom to freeze to death
Sir, – Politics are dominated by gender balance as though it in itself will bring benefit to the country.
This extends to policy as well as individuals, and is, of course, responsible for the abandonment of nuclear and fossil electricity, in favour of windmills and the like, in order to provide a politically correct country in which to freeze and starve to death.
Malcolm Parkin. 15 Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.