Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, Since I was a young man back in the mid-1900s I have been hearing arguments for and against independence for Scotland, so why is Alex Salmond and his party wanting us to wait until 2014 before we vote on the issue? Talk of allowing time for debate, time for all the arguments to be put forward smacks of fear that things aren’t going too well for those wishing to break away from the United Kingdom.
Unless you have been on a desert island for the past 50 years or so, you know exactly how you would vote and have done for a long time. So let’s set up that vote and get the decision made around the end of this year. If that seems too soon then there must be something far wrong with those charged with organising the event.
The SNP has been rabbiting on about independence since they first became a significant party and the opposition have been pointing out what they believe to be the pitfalls for as long, if not longer, so neither side can claim we haven’t heard their views and arguments for and against a breakaway again and again.
So preserve us against the sheer boredom of unnecessary political posturing and get on with that vote.
Ian Wheeler.Springfield,Fife.
Time this was in public domain
Sir, I am more than somewhat bemused at the troubled machinations concerning the provision of an adequate school for the pupils of Madras College.
In the last three decades one of the problems of the British economy has been the massive increase in the number of managers and administrators in all walks of public life, often at the expense of people on the shop floor or at the chalk face.
It is on the recommendations of these mangers that politicians have to make their often difficult decisions. There are various factors which control the salaries and pensions of such persons. In the case of state education the number of pupils in the schools affects the payment of senior teachers and education officers.
The case for building a new school in the Newport area is overwhelming, but it will never happen. Instead the indecently large rolls of Madras and Bell Baxter will be maintained. This is why finding somewhere for Madras is proving to be so difficult in such a tightly built and historic town as St Andrews.
It is high time these factors were brought into the public domain for reasoned debate.
Robert Lightband.Clepington Court,Dundee.
At least it is now under way
Sir, I share the concern of Lisa Williams (Letters, January 10) and note with interest that the Independent Councillor Poole can apparently state the forthcoming Conservative line with confidence (January 8). As to the other Fife parties, it is possible that after the election the SNP, if faced with a barrage of objections to the Madras proposal, might decide that their resources should be switched to schools in other parts of Fife.
As for Labour, Councillor Andrew Arbuckle (January 7) has rightly pointed out that the physical shortcomings of Madras College were well known 15-20 years ago, but during that time the Labour administrations, of Fife Region and then the first 11 years of Fife Council, did nothing and indeed were downright hostile to any improvements. One of their education spokespeople said that only ‘over his dead body’ would there be a new school in North East Fife.
Only the uncompromising report from the inspectorate which bluntly said that the accommodation at Madras was unsatisfactory forced Councillor Poole’s then-Labour colleagues to address the issue, whereupon they decided that Madras would be consolidated on the Kilrymont site, period, with no other options on offer.
While it is possible that Labour has since had a Damascene conversion, their previous record suggests that they will offer Kilrymont or nothing.
Despite the difficulties, and particularly the disappointing end to the project with the university, it is the case that the Liberal Democrat part of the Fife Council coalition ensured that a replacement for Madras finally got under way. This is more than Labour ever did in nearly 20 years.
Jane Ann Liston.Member, North East Fife Liberal Democrats.5 Whitehill Terrace,St Andrews.
A precedent for ‘quackers’ idea
Sir, Robert T. Smith’s comment (January 10) was not far off the mark. Remembering the lean days of the late 1920s, and their soup-kitchens, the popular slogan was ”Laugh and Grow Fat!”
Moreover, whilst sad songs like ”Buddy Can You Spare a Dime?” were being sung in America, over here saw the emergence of ‘nonsense songs’ like ”The Flies Crawl up the Window, That’s All They Have To Do” and ”When It’s Nighttime in Italy It’s Wednesday Over Here”, which I still sing on occasions.
So my advice to Robert is not to be ‘chicken’. He should go ahead and wear his Donald Duck underpants, with panache!
David Oswald.8 Redfield Road,Montrose.
Stop these handouts now
Sir, I was shocked when I read of the level of child poverty in Scotland. It is a sad fact that the UK is a nation of haves and have-nots; with the gap between them becoming wider under the coalition administration.
A few years back the UK was among the top six wealthiest nations in the world. Perhaps if less money was blown on handouts to corrupt countries, illegal foreign wars and bank bail-outs, child poverty could become a relic of days gone by.
Robert Taylor.27 Toch-Hill Road,Fordoun,Laurencekirk.
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