Sir, Iain G Richmond suggests, somewhat illogically, that because wind power has been around since Babylonian times it has been tried and tested and somehow failed. On the contrary, the fact that it is still going strong after 3,000 years suggests otherwise.
There is no need to sneer at this technology because it is very old; it moved with the times, a modern grid approved wind turbine is a high-tech machine which employs leading edge materials technology.
Nuclear power has only been tried for the last 60 years and in that time it has most definitely failed at Windscale, Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. In each of these cases an even more serious disaster was only avoided by a hair’s breath. One day we might not be so lucky.
All nuclear reactors are inherently unsafe, this is because they do not failsafe, and they cannot failsafe because they contain all the fuel they need for years of operation, a vast amount of potential energy.
When something adverse happens it is not possible, in the last resort, to turn off the fuel supply and walk away; instead, no matter what the cost, you have to stay and do all you can to stop the disaster multiplying exponentially in magnitude.
Furthermore, I believe it is misleading for advocates of nuclear power to use the strike price of electricity from Hinckley C as a guide to the true cost of nuclear power when no mention is made of the cost of dealing with all the historical waste and any new waste this further abomination will produce.
Philip Roberts. Ascurry Mill, by Letham, Angus.
How can we save planet?
Sir, Alan Hinnrichs warns that Typhoon Haiyan is yet another sign of climate change (Letters, November 14). Far from hurricanes and tornadoes becoming more frequent and intense, their incidence is lower than it has been for decades.
Mr Hinnrichs implies that there is a catastrophic future ahead if we ignore his warnings. Would these be the warnings that sea-levels would rise seven metres; that the incidence of hurricanes and tornadoes would increase; that there would be no Arctic ice caps by 2013 and that the Himalayan glaciers would melt?
There is nothing that mankind can do about earthquakes, volcanoes and bush fires. Global emissions have actually increased by 50% since 1990 but despite this the world has not warmed for 16 years. Explain please.
The developing world is not joining in with CO2 emission reductions nor does it have any intention of doing so.
China, America and India are responsible for 48.5%, and rising, of global emissions.
I have frequently asked how Scotland, with a meagre 0.15% of global emissions, can possibly save the planet?
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
The facts are not getting out
Sir, Garry Stewart (letters, November 8) rightly asks why we (the Scots) “can’t see it coming”. I believe one of the reasons for that is the UK Government and the “no” campaign have spent the best part of their time so far trying to prevent the information from getting out there.
As former chancellor Denis Healey admitted, Westminster governments suppressed the McCrone report for years to hoodwink Scots.
As Mr Stewart indicated, for years unionists have also encouraged us to believe we were subsidised by England when the reverse has been the case in each of the last 30 years.
I remember David Cameron sneeringly saying at PMQs that “an independent Scotland would fly by the seat of its pants”, then some months later being forced outside of Parliamentary privilege to admit: “Of course Scotland could be a very successful small country.”
Unionists know they have lost any argument of substance that they have entered into thus far.
We can’t be flung out of the EU because there’s no precedent for it. We can use the pound if we like, no matter whether Westminster agrees or not. In fact England would be damaged far more than Scotland if there’s no monetary agreement.
The RBS and Bank of Scotland collapsing in 2008 would not have bankrupted Scotland as unionists claim either because some 90% of their business was conducted south of the border, so that’s where the major responsibility lay and still lies.
Mr Stewart asked: “Why do we allow career politicians to decide our future?” They won’t. The power to do that will be where it belongs in the hands of the people of Scotland. As Burns said: “Facts are chiels that winna ding.” I urge everyone to find out those facts and to get this decision right.
B J W Macfarlane. 10 Beck Crescent, Dunfermline.
Not peaceful or lovable
Sir, I read the article by Jack Mckeown (November 13) on the offer of free Swastika tattoos. I have an old hardback copy of John Buchan’s “Prester John” with an inscription from Christmas 1923 on the inside flyleaf. There is a swastika on the spine of the book.
We were told at school that the symbol can be “mirror-imaged” and that the Nazis used that image. This is not supported by photographs from Nazi armbands and equipment such as aircraft rudders.
It certainly was not peaceful nor lovable in that respect.
A T Geddie. 68 Carleton Avenue, Glenrothes.