Sir,- The Guardian survey in 2014 placed St Andrews University first among Scotland’s higher-education establishments and third in the UK for student satisfaction with teaching.
Last week, The Times Good University Guide 2016 judged it “the best in the UK for teaching quality”.
Apart from being welcome, such accolades reinforce the points made by many people in north-east Fife about the proven advantages of relocating Madras College to the university campus site offered to Fife Council.
The merging of university and Council from such co-location is increasingly recognised globally.
They benefit senior pupils approaching university transition and school staff in their continuing professional development, and can reduce attainment gaps and increase social mobility.
These are all of topical concern in Holyrood.
Many other local authorities and secondary schools must envy this opportunity.
The former university principal was a strong advocate.
Her successor’s mission is “to ensure St Andrews continues to perform nationally and internationally at the highest levels”.
Let us hope Fife Council seizes this once in a lifetime chance – for the sake of generations of schoolchildren, by using public funding wisely for the long-term and getting best value for it.
Bill Sangster.
24 Main Street,
Strathkinness,
Fife.
Prime Minister’s broken promise
Sir,- I was struck by Prime Minister May’s comment at the Conservative Party Conference that there will be no Scottish opt-out from Brexit.
This is very peculiar, as after Ms May visited First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in mid-July, she said she would not trigger the formal process for leaving the EU until she had an agreed UK approach, with the agreement of all the devolved administrations.
She also said at that point that she was “willing to listen to options” on Scotland’s future relationship with the EU.
Indeed, two days before Ms May’s visit Scottish Secretary David Mundell said: “We want to place Scotland, the Scottish government, right at the heart of those negotiations.”
Fast forward 100 days since the referendum, and despite these assurances and Scotland voting to remain in the EU, there is to be no Scottish opt-out from Brexit and the option of a soft Brexit has been taken off the table.
There is not even a hint of shame from the Conservative UK Government as it now pledges to decide the exit terms itself, despite recent assurances to the contrary.
Alex Orr.
77 Leamington Terrace,
Edinburgh.
Usual suspects blaming SNP
Sir,- On reading Monday’s letters page I was disappointed to see the same usual suspects were still blaming the SNP for everything.
Judging by the content it would appear some are on the right of the Conservative Party emboldened by their slight improvement at the Holyrood election, courtesy of a system of proportional representation that they were not keen on until now.
Unfortunately, they don’t appear to grasp that people in Scotland no longer dance to the Westminster tune, that things have changed politically and there is a sense of confidence and pride in Scotland that they constantly try to undermine.
Will the SNP make mistakes – yes. Will they have ups and downs – yes, of course, but the plain fact is that almost 50% of those who voted put their mark for them.
Now I have no more idea where Brexit will lead us or where the constitution will eventually go than they do, but I for one have embraced the new politics in Scotland and will promote its successes and talk up its culture and outward-looking attitude.
It’s time for Ruth Davidson and her admirers to stand under the Saltire, engage with the new reality and stop looking backwards to a time when Scotland was just an appendage that just accepted whatever was doled out.
Bryan Auchterlonie.
Bluebell Cottage,
Perth.
BT is letting its customers down
Sir,- BT say they offer up to 17Mb broadband in our area.
From time to time I have no broadband and I never have better than 1.44Mb download or 0.33Mb upload speeds.
The cost of purchases in shops of food is related to how much is bought.
Buying 10 bananas costs 10 times the price of one, although there are some discounts for multi-buys.
Could BT explain why they charge the same monthly amount for those receiving 17Mb as those provided with less than 10% of that?
For all other utilities you pay an amount related to usage.
Garry Barnett.
The Garden House,
Campsie Hill,
Guildtown,
Perth.
SNP undermining anything British
Sir,- As we have come to expect, the SNP leadership are on the lookout for any excuse to undermine anything British.
Their latest ploy is to suggest Brexit may break the 1707 Treaty of Union.
The UK Government does not require a legislative consent motion at Holyrood for EU matters any more than for matters affecting Nato, the UN, the Commonwealth, the G7 or any other international organisations or treaties.
Quite simply these are not devolved matters under the Scotland Acts.
Such legislative proposals affecting the whole of the UK will obviously be considered, and voted on, by all MPs at Westminster, including those representing Scottish constituencies – but essentially they are matters for the UK Government.
It should be remembered that it was the European Communities Act that took the UK into the European Union.
This same legislation will be repealed to remove it from the statute book if that is the will of parliament.
Robert IG Scott.
Northfield,
Ceres,
Fife.
Time to keep the fines in UK
Sir,- I have just had a smaller general waste bin delivered and the accompanying leaflet says this is to help cut landfill costs by recycling more, since 58% of materials in the general bin could have been recycled.
West Lothian Council was charged with landfill taxes of £1.65 million last year.
The cost for the 32 councils must therefore be more than £25 million a year. Fines are imposed on Britain by the European Court of Justice on countries for breaching agreed landfill targets.
The relevant portion is passed on to Scotland and is passed on to the local authorities exceeding targets.
These diktats originated from EU directives, but now that the electorate have voted for Brexit we are entitled to scrap them.
The UK could continue with the penalty system, but instead of sending fines to Brussels for their bloated administration the money can be kept in Britain and used for the under pressure NHS, housing, education and frontline services.
Clark Cross.
138 Springfield Road,
Linlithgow.
Fines for missed appointments
Sir,- As I am mature enough to remember when you had to pay to consult a doctor, I am grateful and appreciate the National Health Service and the contributions it has made to my long life.
I have never knowingly abused the service and it angers me to learn there are a minority of people that do just that by failing to turn up for appointments with doctors and nurses at their health centre or hospitals.
The reason they do not turn up suggests to me they are not really ill, and are falsely making an appointment for no good reason!
It is time if they do not have a very good reason for not honouring their appointment they should be fined according to their means and the money received added to the NHS coffers.
RHL Mulheron.
28 Cowgate,
Tayport.
