Friday kicks off with Scottish MPs’ expenses, America’s stance over the BP oil spill, the benefits of relatively inexperienced Scots in the Cabinet and the relevance of the Scotland Office.
Politicians line pockets as taxpayers suffer Sir,-Following the election, departing MPs (June 9) shared a pot worth £10.4 million.
Have they no shame? They seem to be impervious to the public opprobrium following the fiasco of the expenses scandal.
Our First Minister, as indicated in previous reports, submitted expenses for food when his diary suggests that he was not even in London at the time stated.
Now he is to receive the maximum resettlement grant of £64,766, while his cohorts receive various amounts according to their length of service.
Such resettlement grants may be legal and within the rules but, at this time of looming austerity, where is the rectitude? It would be much more seemly and fitting if they declined to accept such generous sums.
(Rev) J. Harrison Hudson.22 Hamilton Avenue,Tayport.
Short memories in United States
Sir,-President Obama is taking a deeply personal interest in the industrial disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and calls for the chief executive of BP to be fired.
The letters BP might equally stand for BhoPal where an American company caused one of the greatest industrial disasters of all time, killing 15,000 and maiming tens of thousands through respiratory and other diseases, including blindness.
There is also an appalling legacy of congenital abnormalities in offspring of Bhopal people.
However, in effect, the Americans walked away from that problem. How times change.
Has not the American President heard of ‘do unto others…’?
(Dr) Andrew Gunn.Kirkden House,Letham (Angus).
Young team can deliver for Scots
Sir,-It was interesting to note that the UK Government agreed that Scottish climate change minister Stewart Stevenson could attend the EU Environment Council meeting in Luxembourg (June 5).
This is in marked contrast to the stubborn resistance of the previous government to allow anyone from the minority SNP Government to attend high-level summits of this kind.
It may seem a small gesture but it augurs well for co-operation between London and Holyrood in the future.
In fact, the recent dramatic events at Westminster may operate to Scotland’s advantage.
The resignation of David Laws as chief secretary to the Treasury had an immediate effect.
It doubled the number of MPs with Scottish constituencies in the Cabinet.
I do not go along with those who say that Danny Alexander and Michael Moore are too inexperienced to be effective.
Sometimes it is not just professional expertise that is needed in politics.
More important is a clear vision, the ability to listen to the right advice and then use interpersonal skills to get things through.
Tackling climate change is one area where the Liberal Democrat ministers in the coalition can make a difference.
But Messrs Alexander and Moore can do a lot to clear up the confusion over the Calman proposals too.
The Scottish Government needs new, clear, fiscal powers.
The new, young Cabinet ministers will make history if they can help achieve it.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
Westminster out of touch
Sir,-The Scotland Office is often described as being an irrelevancy and representing the last remnants of the Raj but one would at least expect it to be up to date on political matters.
It was with interest that I contacted them regarding what communications the Scotland Office would be undertaking with the UK Government to ensure that should the European Council decide to allocate 18 additional MEPs, as allowed for under the Lisbon Treaty, Scotland would have its number of MEPs increased from six to seven.
The response was startling, stating that “should” the Lisbon Treaty “enter into force” and be ratified, then the UK Government would ask the Electoral Commission to make a recommendation on this matter in due course.
The Scotland Office seem to be six months behind the times, as the Lisbon Treaty has already been ratified and came into force on December 1, 2009.
Such a debacle surely raises serious questions over the purpose and relevancy of the Scotland Office, and to what extent it is representing Scotland’s interests within the UK Government?
Alex Orr.Flat 8,35 Bryson Road,Edinburgh.
Bogged down by dogma
Sir,-David Robertson (June 9) asks why atheism does not need a justification?
The answer is simple because it makes no fantastic claims. It simply says that there is no creator of the universe in the same way as there is no Easter Bunny.
Mr Robertson is himself an atheist when it comes to Baal, Thor, Zeus, Acholnahucatal or any of the other ancient gods who have since been dismissed as fable and fantasy.
Mr Robertson falsely tries to label atheism as a “religion”. This claim is palpably absurd.
He then tries to imply that somehow Stalin and Mao both justified the millions they massacred because of atheism. This, again, is ludicrous. Stalin (who had trained as a priest) and Mao both created the cult of personality based upon what religion had taught them.
The only difference was Communism not Christianity was the prevailing dogma.
Alan Hinnrichs.2 Gillespie Terrace,Dundee.