Sir, With David Cameron set to chair a meeting of the world’s eight greediest countries this year, it is to be hoped that he will give serious consideration to the gross unfairness brought out in this statistic.
During 2012 when we were told that the whole world was facing a serious economic crisis, the world’s 100 richest people, poor souls, only managed to gain a modest wealth increase between them of 240 billion dollars, enough it is estimated to end extreme poverty in the world four times over.Governments can do something about this grossly unfair distribution of wealth if they really wanted to and George Osborne could make a start by not only sorting out the UK banks, but by also introducing a transaction tax as the first step of many to help the drive to eliminate poverty.Apparently his stated intentions look set to incur the wrath of the “city” with its supporters introducing the usual scare story about the banks opting to leave the UK. Where would they go? Hardly across the pond to the centre of greed and self-interest where the party heavily supported by people jokingly known as the Christian right, seems unwilling to deviate much from its self-interested stance to help the president in his efforts to sort out their current economic problems.Much of the aforesaid wealth comes not from the profits of the job-creating companies which provide tangible goods and services in what is the real economy, but from speculative paper transactions which accumulate wealth by the manipulation of stocks and shares based on short-term ventures.There needs to be a return to seeing a company’s long- term prospects in a positive light instead of knee-jerk reactions to one month’s or one quarter’s results which for good and proper reasons may be below expectation at that point in time.However, as there is more money to be made by paper transactions than by the production of goods, the speculators look set to continue their avaricious ways.Allan MacDougall.37 Forth Park,Bridge of Allan.Murdo should come cleanSir, Murdo Fraser should really know the facts about wind subsidies and retract his ridiculous statement that they are plunging Scots into fuel poverty.His scaremongering does not match that of the Committee on Climate Change which concluded household energy bills will be about £600 higher per year by the end of the decade if the UK relies on gas whilst they would only be around £100 higher if the country concentrated on renewable power generation.The IPPR report also showed between 2004 to 2010 renewables added £30 to household bills while wholesale gas added £290.Murdo Fraser’s Scottish Tory energy policy is to rely on nuclear and fossil fuel but that is in meltdown with Centrica withdrawing from the UK’s nuclear rebuilding programme because of increasing costs and the huge cost of cleaning up Sellafield, which has now reached £67.5 billion.With the removal of funding for carbon capture at Longannet power station by Westminster, how long can it continue operating? Murdo Fraser should tell the public where their energy will come from if they pursue their policies and how much it will really cost households across Scotland and how it will push them into fuel poverty.David Torrance.MSP for KirkcaldyConstituency,The Scottish Parliament,Edinburgh.Extract the fumesSir, “Is it any wonder that air pollution within the Seagate area of Dundee is at unacceptable levels?”Non-stop belching of exhaust fumes from heavy-duty vehicles is fouling the air and causing serious health problems.While the Government continues to spend (invest!) millions on “wind power”, vagaries of climate notwithstanding, it may be prudent to consider diverting some of this money towards the installation of sub-street exhaust extraction systems.Sub-street ducting, through which exhaust fumes may be drawn off by extraction fans and expelled over the Tay, could prove effective.In addition to reducing air pollution from high-density traffic areas, such installations would create much needed employment in Scotland.Kenneth Miln.22 Fothringham Drive,Monifieth.St Valentine’s Day massacreSir, On Thursday, Dundee City Council will vote on the cuts they plan for various services in the city.Cuts of 5% here or there might seem small but, applied to services already cut to the bone, they will have real impacts on those who can bear them least pensioners, the jobless, women who need refuge, people with learning difficulties and many others.Step forward all those councillors who were elected on the promise of making cuts to services!Those who were not must be honourable and either go or implement a budget based on the needs of the people of Dundee the people who trusted them with their vote.Dundee folk can make their views known to their councillors and at the council meeting at 5.30pm tonight as well as showing some love to their city on Valentine’s Day at the policy and resources committee at 12.30 on Thursday.Stop the St Valentine’s Day massacre of services!David G Rennie.423 King Street,Broughty Ferry,Dundee.