Tuesday’s enlightened advisors give their opinions on subjects such as the SNP’s election win, turbines and the country’s landscape, and the rights of those in public life to privacy.
Salmond would have taken Scotland to brinkSir, Let’s be grateful for small mercies. If you are disappointed at the SNP’s remarkable Scottish Parliament success, just think what the consequences would be now if that result had been achieved in the 2007 election.
We would undoubtedly have joined the euro, Alex Salmond’s long declared intention, then, with the economic crisis and the collapse of the Scottish banks, we would be in the same position as Ireland, Greece and Portugal, having our economy run by the European Central Bank and the IMF.
With savage austerity measures forced upon our public services we really would know the consequences. So cheer up, things may not improve but it could have been a lot worse.
George Cormack.2 McLauchlan Rise,Aberdour.Forging our own destinySir, In reply to A. T. Geddie, it is not my opinion that an independent Scotland would have armed forces comparable to Norway and Denmark. The Norwegian navy is indeed small but it does have five modern frigates, six submarines and six missile patrol boats.
Obviously the Nordic countries have high taxes. Though in return they get first-class infrastructure and better public services.
In the United Nations list of countries using the Human Development Index in 2010, Norway ranked at one, Denmark was at 19 and the UK at 26. Danes also ranked number one in a survey of happiness.
Scotland gaining its independence would immediately raise our international profile. Sovereign countries would have to engage with Scotland at the highest levels, with, for example, consulates expanding into embassies and there would be many more of them.
It would mean Scotland being represented at international political level, rather than having to going thorough a UK Government whose priorities might not coincide with Scotland’s. At present we get economic policies suitable for the south-east of England but we could make policies to suit Scotland.
The people of Scotland would always be able to choose their own governance in all matters now reserved to Westminster.
Thomas Murray.27 Cairns Crescent,Perth.A country taken for a rideSir, May I thank Graham Lang of Cupar (May 21) for his interest and valued reply to my previous letter regarding Alex Salmond’s headlong, public-supported desecration of superb Scottish landscapes with his wind turbines.
Mr Lang is indeed correct in saying that we also have a worrying wind turbine problem in Wales but it seems to be even more serious in Scotland, especially since the Scottish electorate has now given an overwhelming pro-wind energy mandate to Alex Salmond, who seems blind to the natural
beauty around him and to the importance of Scottish tourism
It is also true that the poor people of Scotland are being mugged and their pockets picked by rich wind energy rogues. However, it is being done surreptitiously while most of them are fast asleep.
Money is being taken from them via “green” electricity tariffs on their bills, which many do not even seem to notice.
Even those who are wide awake think they are benefiting, since highly subsidised wind energy companies drop a few shillings in their sporrans via community bribes, such as support for village halls, gifts to schools and improved play-grounds.
Beware the sweeteners from multinationals. The desecration of your superb landscapes, horrendous noise and flicker problems and devaluation of your homes will cost you far more than a few shillings.
L. J. Jenkins.Clyn-yr-ynys,Gwbert,Cardigan.No place to hide for starsSir, I do not see how people can make the decision to enter public life whether in politics, entertainment or sport and expect that their private life will remain private. I am now an elderly man living in obscurity and no-one is remotely interested in what I get up to but, when I was a parish minister, any falls from grace rightly made the press.
Tiger Woods was not destroyed because he was caught with cocktail waitresses – lots of sports stars do that – but because he allowed himself to be portrayed as a secular saint.
We are in the midst of a debate on privacy and press freedom but the internet has already created a messy, tasteless and sometimes cruel free-for-all of information.
State-sponsored censorship is unacceptable in a free country so the only criterion should be truth and those in public life will have to behave or take the consequences.
(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.Community views ignoredSir, An unelected state official has decreed that the views of democratically elected public servants are to hold no sway in Kingsbarns. A planning recommendation against housing has been overturned. Indeed, this is often the case across Scotland.
A vote for UKIP would have taken us all a step closer to stopping this sort of abuse of democracy.
Under our proposals, official would follow set policy prescriptions and ordained rules.
Councillors represent the people and, in my book, democracy trumps bureaucracy.
Under proposals in my party’s manifesto, all planning appeals would be kept “in county” and be decided by a local referendum. Yet again, a local community is overridden by bureaucracy and an entire village bears the consequences.
Mike Scott-Hayward.Sawmill House,Kemback Bridge.
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