On this morning’s agenda: vuvuzelas, road maintenance, the Gaza flotilla and the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
Hope echoes over vuvuzelas in South Africa
Sir,-Does the incessant hum of vuvuzelas really spoil things for World Cup viewers (Political Diary June 19)?
Compared to some of the foul-mouthed ranting we often hear in football grounds, the noise made by these African instruments is almost lyrical.
This football festival, so far a disappointment in soccer terms, is being held in South Africa after all.
Surely that country is entitled to show off to the rest of us aspects of its culture?
Only 25 years ago it was held back and brutalised by the divisions of apartheid.
Hosting the World Cup is a chance for it to show the international community that it is changing and developing.
Now I don’t doubt that underneath the fanfare and glitter there are still deep-rooted problems stretching all the way from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
The building of large soccer stadiums might seem obscene in the light of high levels of unemployment, deplorable levels of crime and large sections of the population still living in shanty towns. The fact that they are being built at all must be some cause for optimism.
So too is the involvement in nearly all the teams of nearly all the different races on the planet.
If you look at it that way, the din from the vuvuzelas seems a very small problem.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
Hazard on Fife roads
Sir,-In reply to Councillor Maggie Taylor (June 19) with regard to overgrown verges and roundabouts in Fife, she is quite correct in stating that health and safety regulations do not permit machinery to work on certain gradients of verges but they do allow manual intervention.
So while the mentioned areas remain overgrown and she is happily sitting watching her butterflies, bees and rabbits enjoying themselves, maybe she will have time to witness a crash caused by drivers being unable to see and navigate around these areas.
To make a statement that there are more important things than cutting the areas back beggars belief.
What is more important than this?
Repairing the potholes or a junket on council business?Iain Ross.2 Oak Grove,Pitcorthie.
Vegetation accident risk
Sir,-I refer to Councillor Maggie Taylor (June 19) regarding overgrown vegetation at the side of Fife roads.
Most of us know who is responsible for the roadside maintenance, it is simply a matter of getting it done.
The verges and embankments provide a home for litter and vermin and should be maintained. Overhanging branches obscure traffic direction signs and could be a contributory factor in road accidents.
I agree there may be more important issues but a tidy approach impresses tourists and visitors, who bring cash into the area.
I understand the health and safety issues which, in many instances, have replaced common sense.John McDonald.14 Rosebery Court,Kirkcaldy.
Aid flotilla’s war on Israel
Sir,-The “humanitarian aid activists” referred to by Alister Rutherford (June 18) were part of IHH, an Islamist organisation allied to Hamas as well as Iran and Syria.
They claim to do only charity work but they have been deeply involved in gun running in the past and their rhetoric against Israel has been increasingly inflammatory.
As clearly seen on the video, the first Israelis who rappelled from helicopters to the deck of the Mavi Marmara were lightly armed riot police.
But this attempt to use non-lethal force failed when they were overwhelmed by a crowd wielding steel rods, clubs and knives and personnel were thrown off the top deck to a lower deck.
Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan later strained our credulity by claiming he had no authority to stop his citizens pursuing their private blockade-running jihad against Israel.(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Profit and loss in Gulf oil spill
Sir,-With the importance of the oil industry to Scotland, we must earnestly hope lessons are being learned in the Gulf of Mexico that will prevent a similar disaster occurring in UK waters.
As always, the response to such a crisis brings out the best and worst in human nature.
For an example of the worst, we need look no further than the usual suspects in the banking and financial sector where many traders have recently been short selling (profiting from a fall in stock price) BP shares with the sole aim of profiting financially should the already bad news for BP in the Gulf region become worse still.
To portray the best in human nature, we can admire the volunteers who comb the Gulf coastline searching for oil-stricken birds putting those beyond help out of their misery and aiding those they can by painstakingly cleaning their oily plumage.
Their only reward is knowing they gave a helpless, distressed bird a second chance.
Of the individuals mentioned above, one may ride boiler-suit clad on their bike, the other sharp-suited in their limousine but which of the two would society be the poorer without?Iain M. Macdonald.Miavaig,Isle of Lewis.