Sir, – A recent Courier editorial warned that ‘(Westminster’s) spending review could signal a return to Tory austerity policies of the past’.
Indeed: But not it would seem for the government’s friends, school chums, relatives, donors, and assorted other dodgy characters, who seem to have been, serendipitously, waiting, with open arms, under what was described as the ‘infamous money tree (beneath which) a rich bounty does seem to have fallen’.
A bounty the like of which most outside the charmed chumocracy can only dream.
A bounty which amounts to many £billions, lavished on the charmed few, without competitive tender, or analysis of competence and probity.
Billions have disappeared – and are disappearing – into the pockets of Tory chums, for non existent, faulty, or totally unsuitable Covid paraphernalia, with no apparent scrutiny.
With a feeble opposition, the Lords routinely ignored, and optional legal constraints, who or what is able to hold this most nefarious government to account.
Les Mackay.
Carmichael Gardens,
Dundee.
Pragmatic approach required to indy
Sir, – I cannot help but feel that Bryan Auchterlonie (Unionists are willing Scotland to fail, Courier, December 8), is confusing the issues of negativism and pragmatism.
I could say that pro-independence supporters are not taking in the full picture, but rather looking at things with a blinkered view, based on not fully proven and supported evidence and other material coming out of Holyrood.
No, what many current Unionist supporters are saying, is that before the ballot papers are printed a pragmatic approach must be taken.
Hard evidence of proven figures, warts and all, has to be provided from the centre front benches of Holyrood, which will stand up to scrutiny and ensure the future prosperity of Scotland and the wellbeing of all who live here; either by birth or otherwise.
There is a possibility of the latter going south to Scotland’s detriment otherwise.
Geoff Bray.
Heather Croft,
Letham.
Independence is chance to reset
Sir, – Alex Bell’s article (Courier, December 10) raises some interesting questions.
The system we are currently part of is largely to blame for child poverty and the many other ills in society.
We are part of a society dictated to by the objectives from Westminster and as such we have very little scope to change things.
The only viable way of changing these directives is to gain independence.
What many commentators fail to appreciate is that now more than ever we would be able to reconstruct our society in a way that suits us and towards our own objectives and ideals.
Nick Cole.
Balmacron Farmhouse,
Meigle.
It is snow going anywhere soon
Sir, – Britain is set for the coldest December for a decade due to an Arctic blast that is set to make the month colder than average.
Recently in parts of Austria 70cm of snow fell, that’s nearly 28 inches. That’s Mother Nature telling the climate change scaremongers that they are wrong to state that snow will soon be a thing of the past.
Clark Cross.
Springfield Road,
Linlithgow.
Spring and hope will shortly be on its way
Sir, – Readers following the discussion about when winter starts should be encouraged to know that our dark, dreary winter evenings will start to draw out as soon as the middle of next week, a week before the shortest day on the 21st.
This is the welcome result of the ‘Equation of Time’ which describes the way the Sun is sometimes ahead and sometimes behind Greenwich Mean Time.
By the turn of the year, we will already have gained a full 10 minutes before sunset, and the days lengthen rapidly thereafter.
The coldest days may be yet to come but Spring, and hope, is on its way!
Roderick Stewart.
Dronley House,
Dronley.
