Sir, – While I applaud your decision to fight the Royal Bank of Scotland’s planned branch closures, may I also put forward an alternative plan of action?
Instead of just campaigning for the earmarked branches to remain open, why not encourage everyone whose branches are “safe” to close their accounts and move to banks that will remain in their locality, as it will probably only be a matter of time before those “safe” branches will be closed as well.
RBS recently revamped the Montrose branch, and now that closes next June and my accounts will be automatically transferred to Arbroath.
When I questioned this, I was told that I can still use “online or telephone” banking. Forget it.
Telephone banking resorts to India and this brings, potentially, attendant difficulties in understanding an Angus accent.
I am already in the process of moving accounts (after 20-odd years’ business and personal banking) and urge everyone else to do likewise.
RBS were happy enough to take “our” money to stay afloat and now they think that they can treat us as trash!
Well, the time has come to show them that we have had enough.
Iain Bateman.
29 Panter Crescent,
Montrose.
RBS closure is desertion
Sir, – I learn from your pages that the only city-centre Royal Bank of Scotland branch in South Street, Perth, is to close.
Their main branch is more or less out of town and virtually inaccessible. It is inconceivable that RBS should wish to close an obviously busy branch in the centre of an important Scottish city, population 50,000 plus, where HKSB, Bank of Scotland, Clydesdale, Santander, Barclays and more are present.
This cannot be a sound business decision by the RBS. It is desertion.
Ranald Noel-Paton.
Pitcuran House,
Abernethy.
Mobile banks sadly wanting
Sir, – Once again RBS mis-advertise themselves as the Royal Bank FOR Scotland, as they excel in their abandonment of their customers.
The latest round of closures is a complete affront to the people they’re supposed to be serving.
These areas will now be served by their mobile banking services which, they say, still provide a suitable banking service.
Having had the misfortune to recently use the one in Cowdenbeath I’m afraid I found the services sadly wanting in many aspects.
The extremely small van used in this area is overcrowded if there’s more than three people in it, which also leads to a great lack of privacy.
They can’t provide you with a statement, but they can show you it on screen(privacy issues again) and the money you deposit doesn’t reach your account until 48 hours later.
Also there’s a couple of steps into this cupboard-on-wheels which makes it inaccessible to disabled people, which is absolutely shocking in this day and age.
Eric Travers.
38 Gellatly Road,
Dunfermline.
A magnificent Monarch
Sir, – I went to see Landseer’s Monarch of the Glen painting at Perth Museum and Art Gallery.
What a fantastic idea, sending these iconic works of art on tour around the country.
Perhaps in the future the public may be given a choice of what they would like to see next.
The painting was a lot larger than I was expecting and had a real presence.
This is a painting familiar to many around the world and is synonymous with Highland Scotland.
I would recommend everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to view the painting locally.
Keith Dale.126 David Douglas Ave,Scone.
Free market is the answer
Sir, – Social mobility is at least as much of an issue here in the Lowlands of Scotland as it is down south, where former Labour government minister, Alan Milburn, and the three other commissioners felt obliged to resign from the government’s social mobility commission.
The underlying assumption of the commission, and of all progressive opinion, is that people are incapable of overcoming adversity or discrimination and achieving anything for themselves without massive state ‘help.’
We have spent well over half a century in Britain testing this proposition, and unsurprisingly it has completely failed.
Comprehensive education and the closure of selective schools took opportunity away from bright working class kids.
The tax and welfare systems are structured in such a way as promote welfare dependence and kill marriage.
Mass immigration since the Blair years has depressed wages for working class people, while benefiting the well off.
The culture of grievance and victimhood, which progressive politicians have assiduously cultivated, has demoralised, in both senses of the word, a great many people.
At the same time, it has brought great electoral benefits to the parties and politicians, who promoted this destructive mind set.
If we really want opportunity for all (and social mobility), we should promote optimism, self-help and free market policies. Whenever they have been tried, they have always worked.
Otto Inglis.
6 Inveralmond Grove,
Edinburgh.
Rather Prince George is happy
Sir, – I was exceptionally disturbed by the recent remarks by the Very Rev Kelvin Holdsworth, encouraging people to pray that Prince George will turn out to be gay, in the modern translation of the word, and marry someone of the same sex.
I think it is disgraceful to use a four-year-old child as propaganda for same sex marriage. His remarks are misguided and badly thought out at best. And he should resign.
Over the years the church as a whole has behaved unfairly in demonising those who are sexually broken, rejected them and not shown them the compassion or love of Christ, and many have been hurt.
However has the pendulum swung so far in the opposite direction that everything and anything has become acceptable to appease people, or to bow the knee to political correctness instead of to a holy and righteous God who does not struggle with political correctness?
As Christians we are to pray that God’s will be done, not ours, and I do not believe it is God’s will that anyone be a practicing homosexual.
Before I am accused of homophobia and all manner of other things, I wish to say that in my experience I lived as a gay man for 10 years before becoming a Christian, and by God’s grace I have lived celibate for 17 years.
That is my personal choice and I fully accept and respect that everyone has the right to make choices in life about their sexuality.
I found the gay lifestyle to be full of rejection and loneliness and I would not wish to pray that on anyone.
Instead I will pray that Prince George turns out to be gay in the original meaning of the word, which means joyful and happy.
Gordon Kennedy.
117 Simpson Square,
Perth.
