Sir, I think it’s a laudable aim for society to help children achieve the most from their educational potential, whatever background they come from.
The £100 million pledged over four years by the Scottish Government after observing the success of improved educational schemes in England, should surely go some way in helping this endeavour in areas where improvement is badly needed.
We can, and should, provide our children with the best educational facilities affordable, but it would be disingenuous to think that every family would take advantage of the opportunity afforded them, or even recognise what benefits a good education can bring.
Labour’s education spokesman Iain Gray said: “In a modern, 21st century democracy we simply cannot sit back and accept the idea that your chances in school depend on how well off your family is, rather than anything else.”
I take issue with his inference that children whose parents may be well off do better solely because of a pecuniary advantage.
Children whose parents provide them with a loving and emotionally stable environment, lead by example, expect self discipline with good behaviour, who are good at motivating and nurturing educational or vocational achievement, will always be ahead of children who don’t have the same positive parental input, regardless of income.
The “well off” are well off for a reason and it’s not by sitting back and expectingeveryone else to make the effort on their behalf. It was always thus and always will be.
Best not to decry those who succeed in life but rather try to find out what makes them successful and learn lessons that will impact positively on our own children’s prospects in life.
Every child has potential. Regrettably, it’s very often their parents who limit it.
Iain G Richmond. Guildy House, Monikie.
Why so many litter louts?
Sir, Why are Dundonians so dirty? As a 71-year-old pensioner I have just spent half an hour of my time removing litter much of it recyclable from the unclassified road between Baldovie Toll and Westhall Terrace.
It was all the expected stuff. Red Bull, Pepsi Cola, Coca Cola, Irn-Bru, Tennent’s Lager, KFC, Big Mac’s etc. Much of it half-consumed so that I had to empty numerous containers.
If you must eat this rubbish can you not at least dispose of the containers properly?
Why should I do it? It isn’t my rubbish. I object to this container abuse of our environment.
Broughty Ferry had a white Christmas this year, as it does every year. Polystyrene containers chucked in the road by mobile vandals.
Jack Greenway. 9B The Esplanade, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.
A question we have to ask
Sir, With planning applications for more windfarms on our hills and off our coasts, surely the time has come for us to face the facts: we can have a diverse bird population flying over land and sea or we can have windfarms; but not both.
Windfarms on moorland will destroy ground nesting bird habitat, windfarms at sea will destroy the feeding grounds of gannets, razorbills, puffins and guillemots as well as presenting a deadly obstacle to migratory birds that hitch a ride on the east winds.
The question that has to be asked is: do we want to live in a land where we are surrounded by mechanical monsters or do we want to live in a land where the aerial displays of starlings and fieldfares, the diving of gannets and the spectacle of skeins of geese flying overhead continue to give us pleasure during our own brief existence?
George Donaldson. 48 St Ninian’s Road, Padanaram.
Funding won’t halt decline
Sir, So, medical consultant Andrew Storey is so disgusted at Fife’s attitude to the promotion of Gaelic he is considering moving his wife and family to the Highlands (Courier, February 7).
How sad but I wouldn’t be convinced he will go until the resignation letter reaches his employers. It’s the kind of thing Gaelic pressure group members will say for publicity purposes, because they are a fervent quasi-religious group with whom it is difficult to conduct rational argument.
Should Dr Storey reach Inverness, he will find there are plenty of people there, incomers and native, who object strongly to compulsory Gaelic in local state schools, for the same reason as in Fife it’s an English-speaking area, and Gaelic is not worth spending public money on.
Language is the most democratic thing in the world, and people will speak the language most useful to them. No pressure group or committee is needed to promote or regulate our language.
As for Professor Anthony Lodge (letters, February 4), he further confuses the issue by reminding us of Gaelic speaking in Fife during the 15th century and the Gaelic place names we have, as if this were relevant.
We also have Norse and Norman French place and family names.
The Romans occupied Britain for several centuries, but that’s no reason for us to speak Latin or any other tongue that used to be here.
Languages come and go. Gaelic is slowly going, and no amount of public funding is going to halt the decline.
Crawford Mackie. 78 Loughborough Road, Kirkcaldy.
A prejudice against culture
Sir, I write to thank Professor Anthony Lodge for his letter published in Saturday’s Courier regarding the Gaelic language and where and when it would have been spoken. I like many others were led to believe that it would not have been spoken in lowland counties such as Fife.
According to the professor it was spoken in Fife up until the 15th century and the more I think about it the more I can see the connection in many of the names so it is logical to assume that for these names to be used Gaelic must have had a powerful influence.
What has this to do with modern Scotland, you might ask. Probably not much other than a cultural influence, but culture is as important as many other aspects of modern society. I am not a Gaelic speaker but I have always regretted that I was never given the opportunity at school to at least have a basic understanding of the language. I like to travel my native country and always wonder what the names of mountains, hills, towns, and rivers that are in Gaelic mean.
Gaelic is part of my Scottish culture and it would be dreadful if it were lost and if printing road signs in both languages helps to keep it alive and maybe encourage people to, if not speak it fluently but at least get an understanding of it, so much the better.
Some in the English speaking part of Scotland would appear to have a real prejudice against the culture and language and that saddens me.
Bryan Auchterlonie. Bluebell Cottage, Ardargie.
It will never be wiped out
Sir, Has consultant acute physician Andrew Storey not overreacted to the current controversy over the use of Gaelic in Fife (Courier, February 7)?
I do earnestly hope he and his family will remain in Fife and with the National Health Service. He is peeved, understandably, at some of the anti-Gaelic sentiments from some councillors at a recent committee. Some of them have a background in education and really ought to have known better.
More surprising, however, were the offensive comments from the Labour and Liberal Democrat representatives. It was Lab/Lib coalition in Holyrood in 2005 that introduced the legislation obliging the local authorities to draw up a plan for Gaelic.
In a pre-election atmosphere, some fairly nasty things can be said on a number of sides of the political divide. That does not excuse the ignorance displayed about a language that has had some impact in Fife over the centuries.
It has been taught, albeit on a small scale, in colleges and universities. It has helped create many of the place names that we see on our street signs and entrances to towns and villages.
Dr Storey should be aware that many of us know of that heritage. It will never be wiped out by the narrowness of a few councillors. He should stay here in the Kingdom.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.
Those falling standards
Sir, I couldn’t agree more with Mr J Ridley’s letter in Monday’s Courier about the standard of our so-called political leaders and their inability to impress.
Never a week goes by without some revelation of inappropriate behaviour of someone in government or a councillor.
The problem, which is widespread, is that Joe Bloggs, a plumber’s mate, gets elected onto his local council and, lo and behold, 18 months down the line he is suddenly an architectural genius. The fellow who was the janitor of the local school does a couple of modules at night school and before you know it, he is head of a council department and a connoisseur of art.
The most frightening thing about this whole scenario is that they believe it to be true.
I think I will vote for my local vet, a true professional in every aspect, as both my cats can confirm.
Bill Duthie. 25 St Fillans Road, Dundee.
Subsidies are a means to an end
Sir, Vivian Linacre complains about the “vast subsidies” paid to windfarm developers by the government (There are no windfalls from windfarms, February 9), but fails to mention these subsidies are a fraction of the total subsidies paid to coal, oil and gas suppliers.
Ed Davey, Energy and Climate Change Minister, did increase renewable energy sector subsidies from £100m to £300m last year, but this compares to estimates of £2.6bn per year paid in subsidies to our coal, oil and gas sector.
The subsidies which Vivian Linacre criticises aim to help the UK’s energy sector to allow local communities to take control of their energy bills and help transform the energy system.
Ed Davey’s vision is a future where the generation of electricity by community controlled assets could put pressure on energy suppliers to drive down prices, creating warmer homes, cutting carbon emissions and diversifying the UK’s energy mix.
Subsidies are simply a means to this end.
Ian Macaulay. Dunshalt, Cupar.
A great tourist attraction
Sir, I was interested in the item about the re-launching of the hovercraft service between Kirkcaldy and Newhaven.
It was based on the previous venture by Stagecoach in 2007, which was very successful, but bear in mind the trial operated during a really warm and pleasant midsummer, during the school holidays, while the rail bridge was closed for engineering work and the Fife concession passes were accepted.
The good point about the current proposal is that the Lothian terminus would be Newhaven, as opposed to Portobello. It would certainly be a great tourist attraction!
John McDonald. 14 Rosebery Court, Kirkcaldy.
Description is appropriate
Sir, In his letter, published on February 6, Bryan Poole objected to SNP candidate Stephen Gethins being described as “local”. One has to wonder why “independent” Councillor Poole feels the need to make such a point. Is he aggrieved that Winston Churchill and Herbert Asquith represented constituencies in Courier Country without being ordinarily resident here?
Mr Gethins hails from Perth. He attended Dundee University. On the basis that The Courier covers Perth, Dundee and North East Fife, “local” seems an appropriate adjective to employ in relation to him.
Playing the man rather than the ball does Mr Poole no credit.
Stephen Gamba. 35 Lamberton Place, St Andrews.
Failed to match his prejudices
Sir, As the Conservative candidate for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath in May, I checked myself against Les Mackay’s list (letters, February 6).
Public School no. Oxbridge no. Public Relations no. Parliamentary Researcher no. Financial Services no. Further austerity committed to bringing government expenditure closer to income so as to maintain the economic recovery. Renewing Trident yes, as an insurance policy. Establishment stranglehold no, as I’m clearly not a member.
I’ve clearly failed to match up to Mr Mackay’s prejudices. Sorry about that.
Dave Dempsey. 7 Carlingnose Park, North Queensferry.