On the agenda this morning — a plea to preserve a piece of Dundee’s history, the real fight some face, bleeding calf syndrome, praise for a Scottish poem, the voting system and a possible alternative to wind turbines and biomass.
Dundee’s guiding light is worthy of preservation Sir,-I trust the small light beacon that for so long guided ships into Dundee docks is being safeguarded during the realignment of the west exit ramp.
During the building of the road bridge, the construction site occupied the area of the infilled docks presently encompassed within the curve of the present west-bound exit ramp. In the centre of this site, this little light beacon was carefully preserved from damage.
One day I opened the little side door and found the yard electricians were using it for posing the lunch bags and tea flasks.
Every time I leave the bridge, I look for this friendly relic of Dundee’s maritime past now in retirement in its own garden. Can we be assured its future is safeguarded?
Kenneth Foster.57 Hatton Road,Luncarty.
No Taliban on streets of Fife
Sir,-When interviewed on television recently, Gordon Brown made great issue as to how he was “fighting for his life”.
Perhaps it would be opportune for his predecessor, who gifted him the constituency in exchange for a life peerage, to remind Gordon Brown that IEDs and Taliban snipers are unheard of on the streets of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath.
Lord Lewis Moonie should know about such things as he was an armed forces minister for a short time.
Michael C. Smith.Threapmuir Farm,Cleish,Kinross.
Explanation for calf syndrome
Sir,-My eye has been caught by Ewan Pate’s recent reports on bleeding calf syndrome, the symptoms of which are linked to the destruction of animals’ immune systems.
I understand the first case in Scotland was found in April 2009.
The use of Pfizer’s vaccine PregSure BVD has come under the spotlight although there is no clear evidence it is the cause.
Linking chemicals directly to a new disease is a difficult task for scientists whose parameters tend to be restricted.
Both beef and dairy cattle are affected so perhaps some attention should be paid to other possible environmental changes.
Fife and Tayside, where the growth in microwave and satellite communication links for civil as well as military use has been unrelenting in recent years, are apparently hot spots for this disease.
Perhaps it is time for real consideration to be given to the possibility that the cumulative effects will result in inevitable changes to the atmosphere in which we live.
The ever-changing electromagnetic fields that now surround us could be having unforeseen adverse effects.
All forms of life are naturally conductive. Cattle, with their specialised digestive systems requiring copious quantities of saliva, may be particularly conductive.
This would make calves vulnerable to electric magnetic induction (the battery effect) both within the womb and in their early weeks of life when their stomachs are still growing and their diet liquid.
Marion Lang.Westermost,Coaltown of Callange,Ceres.
Ideal place for Scott’s work
Sir,-I very much enjoyed a recent visit to the refurbished McManus Galleries in Dundee.
But I was disappointed the poem for Scotland, Ploughman by poet Scott Martin, was not on display.
The poem is a permanent feature of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh and is a great ambassador for Dundee and Scotland.
Are there any plans to relocate it to the McManus?
Scott is a Dundonian and I believe this work deserves to feature in his native city.
Ann Barclay.Scryne Cottages,Carnoustie.
What’s wrong with existing system?
Sir,-I fail to see why a General Election which delivers a balanced Parliament using the current first-past-the-post voting system should be used as a justification for changing to a proportional voting system.
If the voters want a balanced Parliament they can vote for it provided, of course, that the policies of the parties are judged by the electorate to be of equal merit.
Why is a decision to support a balanced Parliament in this election being interpreted that there must be a change to the voting system?
Our vote is the only control we have over our elected representatives and I think politicians believe they have to support the interests of their party ahead of the interests of the people they represent.
Proportional voting systems strengthen the power of the party at the expense of the individual voter and I think it is a mistake to present the rise of the Liberal vote as being a desire on the part of the voters to change the voting system.
Brian Cram.52 Glamis Road,Dundee.
Cruachan offers energy solution
Sir,-Regarding the controversy about wind turbines and biomass plants, I am surprised no-one has mentioned Cruachan power station, near Oban.
Buried deep within the mountain, the station is invisible from the road and relies on water from a reservoir which is also invisible unless one climbs several hundred feet.
At times of low power use the turbines run in reverse and pump water from Loch Awe back up to the reservoir, ready for the next heavy power surge.
Unlike coal-fired or nuclear stations, the power can be switched on and off within a few seconds.
This was a massive undertaking when it was built. With the modern boring equipment now available it would be relatively simple to pick one of the many similar sites in Scotland and repeat the success of Cruachan.
Alf White.7 Kinkell Avenue,Glenrothes.