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Europe should remember British sacrifices

Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks at a press conference following talks with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks at a press conference following talks with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Sir, – I am getting tired of the constant threats and actions from European Union leaders over Brexit.

European leaders were treated with respect by Prime Minister Theresa May at the Brussels summit last week.

By contrast, some European Union leaders ignored the Prime Minister and showed a lack of respect for her office.

They acted like small-minded people with very short memories.

Where would some of these nations have been without the sacrifice of the British armed forces who saved them from the grinding heels of Germany and the Soviet Union?

We are a country of some 65 million people yet we have leaders of countries with minuscule populations attempting to dictate terms to us.

These countries and their leaders should be very careful in what they wish for. If they continue to anger and insult the British people, these same people may demand that our elected representatives ignore the European Union’s plight when Vladimir Putin of Russia makes his move against the Baltic states.

Britain should not act like a limp lettuce in these up-and-coming negotiations. We have real, honest and difficult political battles to fight.

It is vital we get the best deal for Britain in exiting the European Union.

Stephen Blackwood.
1 Wallace Place,
Longforgan.

 

Letham hall fit for the future

Sir, – Over the past two years, Letham Village Hall in Fife has undergone major refurbishment.

This has included the introduction of double glazing, rewiring of the complete building to bring it to the latest standards, including LED lighting throughout, and the introduction of a fire alarm and emergency lighting.

In this time, the boilers have been replaced and the gentlemen’s toilet had a facelift.

We are grateful to Fife Environment Trust, Awards for All, Morrison’s Foundation, Fife Council, Persimmon Homes and Letham Nights for the funding to enable this work to be undertaken.

I also wish to thank the local Pay Back Scheme for its efforts in redecorating the complete inside after all the changes were complete and to the local tradesmen who were involved.

As a consequence, the village has a hall to be proud of and it is now available for use and protected for future generations.

John Vaughan.
Letham Village Hall Treasurer,
Sunnybank,
The Square,
Letham.

 

Take control of currency supply

Sir, – We have learnt that social care of the elderly in Britain is in financial crisis.

So what happened to last year’s £375 billion of quantitative easing – money printing to us ordinary folk – that was supposed to improve life for us all? That’s £6,000 a head for every man woman and child in the United Kingdom.

Another £70bn of QE is currently on its way, presumably to do what the previous lot did, which was to make the rich richer and further drive the market for collectables such as paintings and fast cars.

Until the state takes the creation and control of the money supply away from the bankers, all efforts to improve the life of the average citizen will fail, and the population of a rich nation will continue to live their last days in hardship.

Malcolm Parkin.
15 Gamekeepers Road,
Kinnesswood,
Kinross.

 

SNP perks for middle class

Sir, – It is interesting to see the Tories and SNP working hand in glove to cut Air Passenger Duty (APD). Analysis from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has suggested the SNP’s plan to halve APD would save the top 20% of earners £73 per year, while the poorest would save just £4 on average.

In short, cutting APD will increase inequality.

Furthermore, the Scottish Government’s own analysis shows its plan to cut APD by 50% could result in up to an extra 60,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases reaching the atmosphere each year.

Both the Tories and the SNP claim that in the longer-term, the move will boost the Scottish economy, but neither say how it will be funded in the short term.

Will the £300 million needed be taken from education in a move that will further worsen inequality?

Personally, I’m having trouble understanding how cutting the cost of a holiday in Florida or Australia boosts the Scottish economy.

Would it not be better to maintain APD at its current level and invest the money generated in projects which really do boost the economy?

Would it not be better to focus on cutting inequality rather than making it worse?

Perhaps that and the environment should come before perks for Scotland’s middle class.

Dr Scott Arthur.
27 Buckstone Gardens,
Edinburgh.

 

Failure of windfarms

Sir, – The UK appears to be emerging from the longest winter period I can remember that was dominated by anti-cyclonic weather, with little wind for weeks.

A couple of Sundays back I drove towards Ullapool, passing three windfarms which were unmoving.

Websites claim that these three can together power 82,000 homes. Really?

Official data reveals that in recent weeks, metered UK wind output is down 34% compared to the same period last year.

As windfarms spread and more people see them in such calm conditions, perhaps they will question the wisdom of the much-vaunted push for renewables.

Geoff Moore.
Braeface Park,
Alness.

 

Labour has let down Scotland

Sir, – Kezia Dugdale’s call for a new Act of Union is the latest attempt by its Scottish branch manager to rearrange the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Labour has been the main saboteur of Scottish home rule.

A memo written by a senior civil servant in the 1970s argued the discovery of oil meant an independent Scotland would be the Kuwait of the north. It stated an independent Scotland could have the strongest currency in Europe behind Switzerland.

The new nation would have been massively in surplus and living standards would have shot up. The report was buried by the then Labour Government. When it emerged in 2005, Alistair Darling dismissed it as old news.

Denis Healey admitted in 2013 that Labour in the 1970s had a deliberate policy to underestimate the value of North Sea oil to undermine support for independence. In 1978, George Cunningham, with the support of many Scottish Labour MPs, tabled an amendment to the referendum bill.

The so-called 40% (meaning that 40% of the registered electorate had to vote for an assembly in order for it to pass) effectively killed off devolution.

The Labour Says No campaign took Tory money to campaign against devolution.

Many unionists grandees were wheeled out to promise “something better” if Scots rejected devolution. What Scotland got was Mrs Thatcher’s ruthless privatisation and de-industrialisation

Alan Hinnrichs.
2 Gillespie Terrace,
Dundee.