Sir, – With the arrival of vaccines comes hope for the whole country to beat this deadly virus but the Scottish Government continues to fall behind the progress we witness in England
Vaccinations are being rolled out at half the rate of those in the south when the Army could have been deployed in Scotland weeks ago.
My mother is fortunate to be one of 100 over-80s to have had a vaccine in her Blairgowrie surgery. The other 500 are still waiting for their jabs to be delivered.
Health professionals are subjected to absurdly long training modules of 15 hours before they can join the teams of vaccinators . This has been overcome in the south by applied common sense.
A total of £55 million has been delivered to struggling Scottish businesses out of a promised £715m.
It is reported that in the vortex of this unspeakable mess, the SNP is about to appoint a taskforce to push their campaign to break away from the union.
It is shameful of the Scottish Government to pursue its own agenda in the face of this pandemic while people suffer, jobs are lost or at risk and businesses are failing.
Jayne James Duff.
Montrose.
Bordering on very difficult ground
Sir, – In reply to RIG Scott’s letter (Imaginary borders a bar to independence, Courier, January 19) , I would point out that British nationalists like him are the ones imposing borders.
The very fact the British national government in Westminster imposed a border in the middle of the Irish sea on six counties that are British tells us who imposes borders.
The same British nationalists removed us from a union of 27 independent countries where borders were crossed with ease and have now imposed barriers.
I would suggest that when Mr Scott, as a British nationalist, comments on borders, he is on very unstable ground.
Bryan Auchterlonie.
Bluebell Cottage,
Perth.
Vaccine is only hope we have right now
Sir, – The prime minister has been crowing about the success of the UK vaccine rollout, which does indeed appear to be going well, although it is early days.
But I would imagine this might be because all services involved, all across the country, are pulling out all the stops, because they are well aware that all other Westminster efforts to control the virus have been thoroughly botched, and the vaccine is, literally, the only hope.
Les Mackay.
Carmichael Gardens,
Dundee.
No pleasure from new leisure hub
Sir, – How encouraging to read of Morris Leslie’s ‘Plans for £34m Perth leisure hub’ (Courier, January 18) at West Kinfauns.
While guests relax and take in the view across the Tay into which the run-off from their effluent is destined (no connection to mains sewage here), they can take a deep breath of fresh air polluted by odours from the Sleepless Inch sewage treatment.
And as they sip Champagne and converse, guests will have to shout above the continuous and ever-more deafening traffic noise from Friarton Bridge and the nearby A85 Perth-Dundee dual carriageway.
How kind to allow “neighbours” to quiz the aspiring developers at a “digital community consultation on March 16”.
Would it be cynical to suggest this ambitious plan has more to do with the 15, three-storey, three garage ‘villas’ which Mr Leslie has applied for permission to cram into the old car park site, and which are out of keeping with the existing one-storey dwellings in a ribbon development beside the old A85?
This is an area that does not even boast a pavement to keep residents safe whenever there are roadworks on Friarton.
Also, does it have more to do with the long-vaunted Park and Ride service; planned (I was told) to be nothing more than an all-day car park with morning and afternoon shuttle buses for Perth workers.
Dr Phyllis Windsor.
Kinfauns Holdings,
Perth.
