Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – The Scottish Executive in its wisdom wishes to give 16-year-olds the vote in a referendum on independence.
Tam Baillie, the Scotland Commissioner for Children and Young People, wrote (Promoting participation, February 12), that extending voting rights to 16 and 17-year-olds is ”about promoting young people’s participation and engagement in political processes and increasing the legitimacy of our democratic institutions”.
He says that ”the choices made by governments have a major impact on young people: they are some of the biggest recipients of public services and can benefit enormously from investment in areas such as education or health.”
The same could be said of newly-born babies. Should we give them the vote?
Sixteen and 17-year-olds cannot access alcoholic drinks in pubs and cannot buy booze in shops. They are not deemed by law to be responsible enough to buy alcohol, but Alex Salmond and his ministers think they can be trusted to decide on a major change in the constitution taking Scotland out of the UK.
It’s ludicrous!
Scottish education has long since gone down the tubes so that many of our teenagers have a very vague idea about their history, or about anything to do with school subjects, in fact.
There are far more unable to count or read than in past generations.
George K. McMillan.5 Mount Tabor Avenue,Perth.
Many species will benefit
Sir, – Mr McVicar who wrote recently saying we can’t turn the clock back could not be more wrong about people enthusiastic about reintroducing beavers.
Far from being single-species, or group-species fanatics, many beaver supporters are ecologists people who understand the interactions between species and the importance of resilience in the face of climate change.
While polar bears, snow buntings and ptarmigans are victims of climate change, as their snow disappears in a warming world, beavers are a species that mitigate the impact of climate change, reducing downstream flooding and soil erosion by creating wetlands that slow up meltwater and heavy rainfall in its descent to the mouth of the estuary.
Beavers exist from the Gardon in the south of France to the north of Norway so they will adapt well to a warmer or a cooler Scotland as climate change bites. Snow may disappear in a decade, or even an hour, but willows, alder, birch and hazel are still here after millions of years, and likely to remain for centuries if not millennia.
Many species benefit from wetlands but some are vulnerable due to lack of such areas. wetlands. Beavers will always make wetlands. We need beavers more than ever.
Louise Ramsay.Bamff,Alyth.
How can they claim this?
Sir, – Let’s be clear about this: ”biomass” means trees. And, yes, trees are renewable, but it’s a whole lot quicker to burn one than to grow another.
How can Forth Energy claim it would be a genuine member of a centre for renewable energy in Dundee, when its plan is to transport trees halfway round the world and then burn them?
If we have to have a biomass plant here it would certainly be better if it generated heat as well as power in fact this should be a condition of approval. But Forth Energy’s ‘demand’ that Dundee change its strategic plan to accommodate this would have been more credible if the original proposal had considered how such heat would be produced and used.
As for the gradually increasing numbers of jobs FE promises, these are purely imaginary and backed by no given evidence.
Please, let’s have genuine renewables instead.
Mary Henderson.36 Luke Place,Dundee.
Facts, not opinions
Sir, – Your correspondent (March 1) who writes about how we should at least admire Donald Trump needs to be made aware of a few facts. Climate change is a reality not an opinion, as climate changes can be measured in many parts of the world.
The other inconvenient truth your correspondent ignores is that as fossil fuels are limited then all Governments should be planning ahead for the future and looking for alternative energy sources.
Renewable energy sources are clearly the way forward because, as the meaning of the word makes clear, they are the only energy sources which have a long-term future.
Robert Potter.16R Brown Street,Dundee.
If it’s the basics you want…
Sir, – Interesting to read Jim Parker’s letter, Time to get back to basics (March 2), in respect of the Scottish Parliament.
Clearly for him, no ‘devo max’, no ‘devo min’, nor ‘even less’ only demolishment it seems.
So, no surprise I suppose that he supports the SNP leader, and First Minister, Mr Salmond in his call for a straight ‘Yes or No’ choice in the referendum. Even the most basic of people should manage that.
Alex Lawson.33 Greenwell Park,Glenrothes.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.