The letters week ends by discussing Scotland’s emergency workers, the fuel duty cut, the cost of the new Forth bridge, Budget help for homebuyers, and election night.
Scots emergency workers world class
Sir,-I was preparing a sermon on faith in a crisis when John J. Marshall’s article ‘Japan’s Courage Demands Respect’ (March 23) caught my eye.
Mr Marshall contrasted Japan’s response to a crisis with what would happen here in Scotland, in particular the unions demanding extra money before even agreeing to discuss the emergency.
This is quite untrue. We have world-class emergency workers and recent inquiries have highlighted the lack of clear command at the top leading to confusion and inaction.
The determination, courage and leadership of the ordinary emergency worker is not in question.
These same workers do not stand by demanding additional money before doing their duty and generally working above the call of duty.
And their reward for all this commitment? Well, if you are a coastguard worker in the Highlands and Islands, where work is already limited, redundancy looms.
So, Mr Marshall, please do not attack the dedicated emergency worker. Rather your target should be those in positions of command.
(Rev) Charles McMillan.11 Troon Terrace,The Orchard,Ardler,Dundee.
Fuel duty cut an insult
Sir,-What an insult to award a one penny reduction in fuel duty after adding three pence VAT in January.
I also noticed that some filling stations put up their prices on the eve of the Budget by one penny so, in actual fact, the motorist is gaining nothing.
Ernie Smith.71 Grangehill DriveMonifieth.
Mystery of high bridge cost
Sir,-Tom Minogue’s letter (March 23) compared the cost of a Forth dual carriageway tunnel at £6.6 billion as being half as much as the rebuilding of the entire Panama Canal.
Readers may also be interested to compare it with the Norwegian proposal to cut a slightly shorter tunnel under a mountainous peninsula expected to cost £210 million.
This is the Stad Skipstunnel, which is Norwegian for ship tunnel, since it is designed to transport liners.
An example closer to home is that the previous Forth Bridge cost £19.5 million, equal to £320 million today.
Nobody in Holyrood seems willing to say why this new crossing has to cost £2300 million.
Neil Craig.200 Woodlands Road,Glasgow.
Budget help will aid builders
Sir,-The Chancellor announced that additional cash will be prioritised for the creation of 50,000 new apprenticeships in England and Wales.
In Scotland, even more ambitious proposals are being bandied about. However, such announcements mean very little if more isn’t done to bolster the workloads of those industries providing the greatest number of employment opportunities for apprentices.
From a construction industry point of view, the more important aspect of the Budget is the commitment of £250 million to help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder although I note that only £40 million of this money will be shared between Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The recession has dealt a severe blow to private-sector house building, with rates in Scotland remaining 29% below where they were in 2008.
Poor availability of mortgages for first-time buyers is one key reason behind this collapse and this new initiative is helpful.
Michael Levack.Chief Executive,Scottish Building Federation,4 Crichton’s Close,Edinburgh.
Consider count workers
Sir,-The angst in Fife at the decision of the returning officer not to conduct the count for the Scottish Parliament election and AV referendum until the morning of May 6 is misplaced.
These people seem to forget that the staff doing the work and this is a manual count remember have not been off duty during the day. Thus, by the small hours of the next morning, they are very tired.
Having knowledge of a situation where this almost led to a wrong result being declared, I would prefer that every manual count was done the day following the poll by people who are rested and able to concentrate 100% on the job in hand.
Essentially, it’s a case of asking whether you want a result quickly or the correct result.
All this stuff about “excitement”, “buzz” and so on is nonsense.
The future of democracy depends on accurate counts following elections and that cannot always be expected from the overnight process.
(Cllr) Alan Grant.Perth and Kinross Council,2 High Street,Perth.
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