Sir, – In his letter of February 18, Nick Mackay challenges Clark Cross’s earlier letter with highly biased and misleading statements.
Firstly, he states that the 50% reduction in animals on planet Earth is solely due to the use of fossil fuels which is simply untrue. Many factors are involved and it would behove WWF to explain the reality rather than hide behind this myth.
Secondly, he tries to conflate the planned maintenance schedules and very occasional shutdown of fossil and nuclear generation with the uncontrollable, weather-dependent intermittency of wind turbines, knowing that this is a highly spurious argument.
Finally, he claims that nuclear generation is more expensive than wind without explaining that the weather dependency of wind requires what is essentially a 100% duplicate generating back up plus the associated expensive infrastructure like multiple grid connections, involving miles of new cables and pylons plus multiple new sub stations.
As for his dismissal of the fact that Scotland’s miniscule carbon dioxide emissions on a world scale should not beconsidered in our actions, which will result in the country’sunilateral economic suicide, beggars belief.
GM Lindsay. Whinfield Gardens, Kinross.
Little Scotland attitude to BBC
Sir, – Is it the case that SNP politicians are just victims of envy and resentment?
As small fish in a large pond, they resort to make the pond smaller to enlarge themselves at the expense of others.
A Little Scotlandmentality prevails, as is evidenced by the campaign against the BBC.
Gerry Marshall. Thistle Cottage, Main Street, Kinnesswood.
Sinister plan to control TV
Sir, – The SNP proposals for more BBC Scottish television content and SNP oversight fill me with horror.
If I thought the additional resources would enable proper reporting and broadcasting of, for example, the racism allegations in North Lanarkshire, the real story of the Forth Road Bridge, the various allegations against MPs and the views of workers in health, police and education, all studiously recorded in the newspapers, I’d be all for it.
But I am sure it isnothing more than asinister plan to neuter the biggest, most trusted, media organisation in my country.
Apart from that, it is scandalous that the only way to watch Scottish Premiership football is in Gaelic on BBC Alba.
Imagine the reaction in Australia if the commentary on major cricket games was in Aboriginal?
Allan Sutherland. 1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Tory remnants just don’t get it
Sir, – Your letters page of February 17 had a remarkably unbalanced feel to it.
Mr Braid’s rant against Alex Salmond led the way; Mr Cookson quite wrongly alleged that the Scottish Government had claimed that 100% of the Scottish population want to stay in the EU; regular disgruntled of Royal Circus, Edinburgh, apparently seemed keen on seeing Scotland get the worst possible deal under the fiscal framework.
Of course, there was quite a delicious irony when the letters page was completed by Mr Anderson’s “I loveMaggie” submission inwhich, quite remarkably, he suggested that the millions thrown on the scrapheap of real poverty by the extremist policies of Mrs Thatcher should be grateful for the “hope” she brought them. Well really!
It seems the closer we get to another election in Scotland, and the closer we get to another wipe out of the Tories, so the real nature of those remaining Thatcherites in Scotland is revealed by the increasingly personal nature of the abuse from your correspondents.
Many voters will support the SNP not necessarily because they want full independence but because they believe that the welfare of Scotland and its people will be best served by a party committed to social justice and fairness and certainly not a party that is bankrolled by the very people who were mainly responsible for the financial crisis still ravaging the largest part of the UK that lies outside the square mile that is the City of London.
After decades of Tory election catastrophes, your Tory correspondents still don’t get it. They still yearn for the day when Scotland knew its place.
Karen Heath. Tigh na Craobh, Cortachy, Kirriemuir.
Inaccurate description
Sir, – Alex Orr’s letter (February 15) makes an interesting and thought-provoking contrast between the words expat and immigrant. However, it contains inaccuracies and Mr Orr’sanalysis is incomplete.
His suggestion that we call “those Brits living on the Costa del Sol…immigrants “ would beconfusing as, in ourcontext, they cannot be immigrants as they are emigrants.
Immigrants is not “a term set aside for inferior races”. It is applied to people of all races.
The millions of Europeans who went to America in the 19th and early 20th centuries created a nation of immigrants.
Unlike emigrant and immigrant, long-established words associated with world-wide processes centuries old, expat came into use only in the 1960s and has perhaps become particularly associated with western people engaged in activities which have recently become prominent, temporary work abroad and retiral abroad.
Gordon Dilworth. 20 Baledmund Road, Pitlochry.
Tolerance of secularism
Sir, – David Robertson (February 19) is correct that every school must have an ethos, so secular schools cannot be ethically neutral. They can, however, be neutral on whether God, heaven and other supernatural entities exist.
Neutrality on the supernatural does not prevent a school from extolling the values of equality, diversity and tolerance, for though Mr Robertson labels these as Christian, they are also rated highly by non-Christians and in a multicultural school are best promoted as common values. By not elevating one religion, or atheism, above the alternatives, secular schools exemplify equality in a way no religious school can match, and can more easily attract pupils from a diversity of backgrounds, who learn about tolerance by being together.
Unlike Mr Robertson, I do not believe we have moved away from these values.
The majority acceptance in Scotland of same-sex marriage, which he opposes, is actually avictory for these values.
Robert Canning. Secular Scotland, Cal-na-Sith, Stoneybrae , Bridge of Earn.
Disgracedby politicians
Sir, – There is to be a political party leaders ‘ debate in the run up to the Holyrood elections. It is to be on March 29 in the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh and will be televised by STV.
Sadly, it is to be in front of a live audience.
We can expect the usual grandstanding by the participants playing to their supporters,scoring cheap political points to no purpose other than to whip up the audience.
One just has to cast one’s mind back to the referendum debates to remember the disgraceful audience behaviour.
It just needs someone from the SNP when unable to face reality to complain about Mrs Thatcher, bankers and Westminster as well as “refusing to take any lectures from Tory toffs” to set off a baying mob.
The advent of televising Westminster and Holyrood has created the most unedifying state of affairs with nodding donkeys on all sides positioning themselves so that they get the greatest television exposure. This situation of members endeavouring to appeal to television audiences has reduced debates in both houses to the level of the worst daytime shows and must be counter-productive to the work of both parliaments as members concentrate more on how they are looking to the detriment of constructive debate.
Donald Lewis. Pine Cottage, Beech Hill, Gifford.
Did leaders house migrants?
Sir, – When shocking pictures of a dead migrant child were published last year, some politicians indicated they would be willing to house migrants in their homes.
How many have done so?
Charles Wilson. King’s Road. Rosyth.