Sir,- The rhetoric fails to impress when we hear statements like that from Alex Neil when he tells us pensioners that the winter fuel and cold weather payments will not be cut or means tested.
So there we have it, a guarantee that what we are already guaranteed by Westminster is guaranteed by the SNP.
However, it would appear that when his party has a full grip on the levers of power, the winter fuel payment may be looked at with the view to fixing something that is not broken.
There have been suggestions that the money may be stopped and used to provide loft insulation, so it could be a case of those with plenty of loft insulation will get nothing.
The unfortunate thing about Alex Neil is we pay him a salary to be minister for pensioners.
After the referendum, Alex Salmond was of the opinion that the older generation had contributed to him getting second prize and he is probably right age and longevity gives many of us the ability to read between the lines.
Colin Cookson. Hatton Green, Stenton, Glenrothes.
It’s time to end negative politics
Sir,- Harry Wills (October 15) says it only takes the Liberal Democrat Focus team one week to deliver leaflets around his constituency.
I am surprised it takes so long.
Let’s face it, you don’t waste money delivering leaflets to known supporters of other parties.
And that comment about the SNP “whinging about their failure in the referendum last year”: the only people I hear mentioning that again, and again and again are those who feel threatened by the possibility of another referendum.
Maybe it is time for the other parties and their supporters to wise up to the fact that we are all heartily sick of listening to negative, bash-the-other -party politics.
I am looking forward to the Holyrood election in May next year because after we win another comfortable SNP majority, perhaps we’ll all get some peace for a year or two and the Scottish Government can get on with the job of running Scotland.
Carol Burgess. 19 Strathview Place, Methven.
Now a Yes, but despite the SNP
Sir,- The SNP’s declared policy of only holding another referendum when they know they can win it is hardly democratic: it is like waiting to ask your family whether they want to move to the seaside until mid-summer.
The Greeks distinguished between rule by the orderly people (democracy) and rule by the mob (ochlocracy).
The SNP’s blatant populism (to use the modern word) on this issue as on others (free university tuition at the expense of colleges, for example) suggests they are untrustworthy.
A referendum should be held at a fixed time (once in a generation suggests 30 years) unless circumstances change radically (Brexit, for instance).
I voted no, but given the UK Government’s betrayal of commitments to avert climate change, I would vote for independence now.
But this would be despite, not because of, the SNP.
Antony Black. 79 Blackness Avenue, Dundee.
A pledge that is undemocratic
Sir,- Why is Nicola Sturgeon breaking UK democratic precedent by refusing to include or exclude a referendum in her manifesto and instead is willing to fudge and rely on opinion polls?
Since 1973 there have been 12 referenda in the UK: all of them were pledged in the manifesto of the party that won the election, apart from the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
People clearly knew that if they voted for a party proposing it, there would be a referendum.
The pending EU referendum was promised in the Conservative manifesto.
Last year’s independence referendum was promised by the SNP in their 2011 manifesto.
The exception seems to be Indyref2, the only one in UK history that the electorate won’t get a chance to vote for in an election.
Allan Sutherland. 1 Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Forget GM food, choose organic
Sir,- To borrow Dr Trudgill’s words (October 15) it is breathtaking and deeply worrying that some scientists are becoming very emotional on the subject of the banning of genetically modified crops.
Comparing genetically modified crops to witches is emotional and not at all scientific.
If Dr Trudgill wants to see a plentiful supply of food he should visit an organic garden where the hardest work is picking up all the healthy produce.
It is truly back-breaking.
Iris Jarrett. 45 Naughton Road, Wormit.
A sorry record of incompetence
Sir,- It would appear now that the Scottish nationalists are beginning to accept the fact they lost the independence referendum last September pretty comprehensibly, the fog of that campaign is lifting to uncover a pretty shambolic sea of incompetence surrounding the SNP’s record in government to date.
Instead of the tediously repetitive Tory bashing and the woeful whinging about Westminster, perhaps we can hope to see some serious effort in explaining their abysmal failings in education, employment, the Scottish NHS, the chaotic situation facing the police in Scotland and their anti-science stance on the banning of GM crops for example.
Perhaps we might be given some clue as to how they’re going to sort the mess out.
Quite apart from that is the fact that the sanctimonious bubble they inhabit on just about everything has well and truly burst over the last few weeks with the unsavoury antics of some highly-placed members and reports of their alleged misdemeanours.
It is a bit worrying to think that with the extra powers the Scottish Government has acquired, there’s just the possibility, on the basis of past experience with the powers they already have, that an almighty foul-up awaits us in the wings.
I doubt that the Sturgeonites will be much concerned as the drumbeat of nationalism seems to numb the political sensibilities of a goodly number of the Scottish electorate who seem immune to the reality of Scotland’s descent into fiscal and structural instability.
Iain G Richmond. Guildy House, Monikie.
Ditch the Climate Change Act
Sir,- It is believed Tata will announce closures at its Dalzell plate rolling works at Motherwell and its plant at Cambuslang.
The Scunthorpe steel plant will also suffer job losses.
Earlier this month the Redcar steel plant closed.
Thousands of jobs lost and never to return.
The UK’s large energy users, such as steel works, pay twice as much for electricity as the EU average.
Green zealots with their strident save-the-planet cries are responsible for closures to the UK’s manufacturing industries since renewable energy creates expensive electricity.
British steel cannot compete when manufacturing is forced to pay for mega-expensive renewables electricity while its competitors burn cheap coal.
The green zealots have sacrificed jobs in Britain but created jobs in China, India and elsewhere.
The Government must abolish the Climate Change Act 2008, scrap green taxes and let industry compete.
The Government must also give state aid to our manufacturing industries and so protect thousands of workers’ jobs.
The EU will not like it though.
Our contributions to the EU are £12.6 billion every year, so let’s spend it in Britain not on the EU gravy train.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Attractive side of Glenrothes
Sir,- What are the main physical attractions people see as they approach and enter the Glenrothes area?
It certainly is not the state of the former Pico Electronics site near Bankhead, or the former Haigs building at Markinch, or the former Tullis Russell complex off the A92, or the ruins at Leslie House or the disused buildings at part of Whitehill Industrial Estate.
The main attractions are the generally green ambience of the town (developed over a period of nearly 70 years) and the award-winning flower beds that brighten up most journeys through the area.
It seems a pity that this is being put at risk not just as a result of financial cutbacks but a lack of foresight and political will.
These floral displays are winners.
Fife Council should be looking at its winners, the physical delights that make living in an area so much better for all its council taxpayers.
I do not think the public are particularly worried about where the financial backing for this comes from.
If the private sector has a key role to play, then so be it.
If partnership working, with any reputable organisation, is the way forward, then so be it.
The authority should be pulling out all the stops to make sure that the displays continue. This and the civilised protection of green areas and woodland should be seen as a major investment in the town.
It is an investment the council should have the vision and the courage to make.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.