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August 16: Discrepancies in the RAF Leuchars narrative

August 16: Discrepancies in the RAF Leuchars narrative

Today’s letters to The Courier.

Sir,-I could not agree more with Bob Taylor (August 10). Labour and the SNP have attempted to muddy the waters over RAF Leuchars.

A number of issues have come to light.

Sir Menzies Campbell was right when he asserted that Leuchars was never part of the original defence review and only became so last October when a newspaper leaked the story.

The original review was well under way long before the Leuchars story emerged. This was never satisfactorily explained.

During the Scottish parliamentary elections, there were rumours that First Minister Alex Salmond had saved Lossiemouth and that Treasury Minister Danny Alexander was “on board”.

Mr Salmond put himself about in North-East Fife proclaiming his support for the multi-base solution.

The multi-base solution was never part of the original defence review. If it were ever proved that Mr Alexander had exceeded his authority as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, his position would be untenable. The defence review was based on operational and security efficiency and not budgetary matters.

At a recent Liberal Democrat meeting I urged Sir Menzies to seek a judicial review. Sir Menzies, however, did not wish to take on those elements within the MoD who may yet consider that the Leuchars decision was the wrong decision for the wrong reason.

He said that if the Leuchars RAF base did not survive, his next priority was to ensure a rapid deployment of the army.

I would have thought these were the actions of a good MP.

Harry Wills.Chairman, North East and Central Lib Dems,Feus House,By Cupar.

Too many bags for charity

Sir,-Charity does not begin at home. Apparently it begins at the factory that makes all these charity bags that come through my letterbox.

We must get two per week at the moment. With the best will in the world it is impossible to give to all the charities at this rate, and even if you leave the unused bag at the door it is never picked up on the collection day.

What a waste of money and resources.

I wonder what it costs to produce all the charity bags that are currently being issued, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this was a large amount.

Please give us some respite and put your charity bags on hold for a while.

A. Buntin.7 Provost’s Walk,Monifieth.

Trump damaging ecosystem

Sir,-Donald Trump’s concern for Scottish natural environment (August 11) with regard to the proposed offshore wind farm development close to Aberdeen makes my heart bleed.

As someone who has stood on those stunning Aberdeenshire dunes on a crisp winter’s day while they were being rent asunder by massive diggers and earthmoving equipment, with a terrifying loss of natural habitat for the sake of his gigantic golf mecca, I am appalled that he has the brass neck to comment.

Not only has his total disregard for the wildlife and ecosystem of the area been deeply shocking to any of us with even a vague interest in conservation, but his attitude towards the small rural community there has been cause of great misery and turmoil and still is.

I am unable to comment on the impact of 11 wind turbines in the sea off Aberdeen. However, having paid a visit to Mrs Molly Forbes, of Menie, and heard her account of the ruination of the area, I feel strongly that Mr Trump is a hypocrite and is totally responsible for ruining our natural heritage.

How baffling that he also has the audacity to comment on the Scottish Government policies for renewable energy.

Polly Pullar.Camserney,Aberfeldy.

Point the way for asbestos

Sir,-Your article on fly tipping on private land highlights the lack of information available about the disposal of asbestos waste.

I recently had a new central heating system installed, and this involved the removal of the old asbestos cement flue.

It took me quite a bit of digging on the internet, plus emails to the council and various private companies, to discover how I could dispose of this waste.

Angus Council did not seem to have any facilities at all for asbestos disposal, and pointed me to private waste companies.

It was also quite worrying that disposing of asbestos might be prohibitively expensive. In the end it was relatively simple and cheap but getting the information took time and effort.

Actually finding the asbestos reception station once I had the information was not simple either, as the signposting at its entrance was virtually non-existent.

There are always a minority who will fly tip regardless of how much information is available on responsible disposal, but I think the vast majority would prefer to do things properly, but may be thwarted by the difficulty of finding out how and where to do it, and the possible costs.

Council advertising would be a big help.

(Captain) Ian McRae.Aboard MV Grampian Surveyor.

Poor examples do not help

Sir,-So David Cameron deems the rioters “sick” when they pretend to help others but rob them instead.

MPs, eurocrats and corporate chiefs have been mugging us for years.

The reward for failure culture prevalent in the public sector frustrates the honest efforts of the majority to earn a living wage.

A skewed compensation culture bestows mind-boggling riches for hurt feelings whilst disabled servicemen fight for basic support.

Should any rioting miscreant actually be brought to book, they may then be taken to visit a theme park.

Ron Connelly.Dalgety Bay,Fife.

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.