Sir, – I read with dismay the coverage of the decommissioning fringe event at the Dundee Labour Conference.
Organised by Jenny Marra, the speakers, including ex-energy minister Brian Wilson, bemoaned the missed job opportunities onshore dismantling and recycling could deliver.
The workers’ union GMB was an event host. In September 2016 the GMB commissioned a report – Status and Capability of North Sea Decommissioning Facilities.
One of its findings: “Speculation in the press is misguided; some caution is required in estimating the number of jobs that will be created in this market, and certainly not the “thousands” that some commentators are quoting.
“In terms of actual numbers, an example is the 500t offshore module which was decommissioned by John Lawrie at Port of Dundee; the module was first ‘downsized’, then the metals further processed and shipped to a smelter. The operation took only six men just seven days to complete.”
How can the GMB rationalise their published numbers with their public statements? And, where do Jenny Marra and Brian Wilson obtain their information?
Furthermore, if Dundee gets the lion’s share of the work, what about workers at Aberdeen, Arnish, Cromarty, Dales Voe, Fife, Hunterston, Kishorn, Lerwick, Lyness, Montrose, Nigg, Peterhead, Rosyth and Wick?
Some 5,000 potential jobs for Dundee were mooted but I could find no source for this hugely exaggerated figure, which gives false expectations.
When will the decommissioning industry set the record straight – there is no lost onshore dismantling and recycling jobs bonanza.
What the event got right was the need for jobs in Scotland and the lost opportunity with renewables.
I would urge the GMB, Jenny Marra and Brian Wilson to reflect on the role of the taxpayer in decommissioning.
The taxpayer is the largest stakeholder and what are they getting from offshore asset removal, dismantling and recycling?
There is no environmental benefit, there is no economic benefit, there are no long term jobs and there is no societal benefit. Why is the taxpayer investing so much in something that delivers so little?
Use the money to fund a renewables capability instead.
Tom Baxter.
9 Deemount Avenue,
Aberdeen.
Have some compassion
Sir, – I write regarding the letter from Derek Farmer (“‘Freebies’ are anything but”, The Courier March 14) regarding free women’s sanitary products.
He shows a particularly uncaring attitude to the plight of these poor women who have to make a choice between putting food on the table for their children or buying sanitary products for themselves.
He is possibly from such a wealthy farming family he has never considered that some in our society have to go to food banks, due to the attitude of him and his ilk. Clearly he sees all those unfortunate to not be able to work as wasters, no matter the circumstances that put them in that position.
So far I have been fortunate enough to not have to resort to using foodbanks, but hope I show more compassion to those who are forced to than Mr Farmer does.
Graham Smith.
135 Charles Avenue,
Arbroath.
Indignity to women
Sir, – We all know there is no such thing as a free lunch but Derek Farmer’s attitude (Letters, March 14) does him no credit. It must be the ultimate indignity to struggle to pay for intimate sanitary products and I cannot think of many women who would choose alcohol or burgers over Tampax.
Personally. I feel that comfortably off members of the older generation such as you and I, Derek, can afford to pay a little more in tax to help less fortunate younger people, many of whom, despite being in work, struggle to pay their bills.
If you don’t want to pay more tax, there is a food bank which operates from the Anstruther Church; they would be happy to receive contributions.
Christine Keay.
31 High Street West,
Anstruther.
Makes no sense that Russia did it
Sir, – Assuming, as I do, that intelligence agents are of above-average intelligence, I cannot get to grips with the idea that Russian secret services would try to bump off the former spy Sergei Skripal with a poisoning agent knowing it would be like leaving a calling card, implicating them directly, when they could have done it in numerously more efficient ways.
It simply does not wash.
I hope, therefore, that the Scottish Government does not fall into the trap and embrace the London Government’s Russophobic hysteria, blaming Russia without evidence when just about any country could have made the poison agent –especially Britain, where nerve gases originated.
Without establishing who committed the crime or where the agent came from, Theresa May and her accomplices laid down ultimatums, which Russia quite rightly refused to accept. Sending a sample of the agent to Russia for inspection could do no harm. Why was the request refused?
Could this be another distraction to build up support in the propaganda battle against Russia for supporting President Assad and the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party in Syria?
It seems more likely that British agents were behind the attack in an attempted publicity murder of Putin.
William Burns.
41/8 Pennywell Road,
Edinburgh.
Truly a law unto themselves
Sir, – There are around 1,200 active community councils in Scotland and although local authorities have statutory oversight, I was surprised to learn they have no powers to act or investigate any complaints regarding CC’s.
If you wish to complain or ask questions, your only recourse is to tackle the offending council itself or go to the police. The first option is usually doomed, the second is nuclear and, without evidence of criminal activity, futile.
It seems community councils and their members currently answer to no one.
Transparency, democracy and empowerment in action?
Angus Council states: “If a Councillor breaches the Councillors Code of Conduct then… the Commission for Ethical Standards in Scotland…the Standards Commission…will consider any complaints, carry out an investigation and if appropriate impose sanctions on any Councillor found to be in breach of the code.
“The difference with the Community Councillors Code of Conduct… is that there is no enforcing body similar to the Standards Commission and therefore by default, there are no sanctions for breaching the code.”
Community councils are literally a law unto themselves, it seems.
They set their own rules and investigate complaints against themselves by themselves.
So it was heartening to hear Angus Council have assured Graeme Dey, MSP, that “there is a commitment to review the Scheme of Establishment this year and a complaints procedure will be incorporated.”
William Perry.
9 Westgate,
Friockheim.
Where to place Hawking
Sir, – When asked by a journalist if he was the “greatest physicist since Einstein”, Stephen Hawking dismissed the idea as “rubbish”. He’s clearly not in the same league as Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein but where should he be placed in the pantheon of physics gods?
It could be argued he’s on a par with his old friend Kip Thorne and belongs to the group which includes Julian Schwinger, Hans Bethe, Shin’ichirō Tomonaga Hideki Yukawa and John Bardeen.
Rev Dr John Cameron.
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
