Today: Scotland’s referees, the right to die, the journalists who revealed the parliamentary expenses scandal, road safety, and the nature of Scotland’s economy.
Time to tackle the abuse of match officials
Sir, – The protest by referees has made Scottish football, and arguably the whole nation, a laughing stock.
It seems to have most affected the clubs least involved in the controversy. The SFA found officials from Europe for lucrative SPL games and Scottish Cup ties but struggling clubs elsewhere were left in the lurch.
They got a rough deal but hopefully some lessons can be learned from this. Any new code of conduct has to have real teeth.
Players and club officials who abuse referees should be made to pay, not just with much heftier fines and much more prolonged touchline bans.
Clubs who persistently allow chanting from fans questioning the integrity of match officials should face fines, too.
Racist abuse has been eliminated from terracings and stands by effective action. Similar measures can help solve the problem of abuse of referees.
Having said all that, there is a need for everyone to keep a sense of humour too.
Most officials should be able to cope with good-natured, if sometimes heated, banter from sections of a crowd.
But all that should be forgotten, as it is by most folk, at the end of the game. Fans need to let off steam too.
Any player or official who cannot take a bit of criticism about their height, weight, intelligence, dexterity or vision really should never run on to a football park in the first place.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
People want to choose
Sir, – Mary Smith’s letter (November 26) reinforces my belief that while most patients will never exercise the option of physician-assisted death, most desperately want to have the choice.
Across my 35-year career I watched parishioners of great dignity suffer the mental anguish of losing all mental and bodily control in a prolonged slide toward death.
As I sat by yet another bed in yet another busy ward I’d ask what good was served by staff using every trick of modern medicine to prevent nature taking its course.
The prayers we would make together were full of thankfulness for a wonderful life but too often they would close with that old request from Star Trek, “Beam me up, Scotty”.
And I would think of that line from John Keats’ beautiful poem, “Now more than ever seems it rich to die, to cease upon the midnight with no pain.”
(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Journalists who deserve credit
Sir,-It is possible that in the passage of time it has escaped my notice but has any recognition been given to the journalists who lifted the lid on the scandal of parliamentary expenses?
I seem to remember that the newspapermen who were responsible for exposing the Watergate affair were suitably recognised.
It would seem appropriate that some gratitude be shown to the journalists who investigated parliamentary expenses.
It could be argued that they were only following the best principles of the Fourth Estate.
Nevertheless, the public and governmental procedures have benefited by their labours and it would seem an award is appropriate.
I. W. M. Jeffrey.23 Mackenzie Street,Carnoustie.
Overtaking ban isn’t the answer
Sir,-Fife Councillor Andrew Roger’s desire to stop overtaking on the A915 Standing Stane road has to be a non-starter.
Trucks are restricted to 40mph on this road, and it has daily tailbacks due to tractors.
This type of traffic causes frustration and dangerous manoeuvres are frequent. But there are places to safely overtake.
A better solution would be to install calming measures like a roundabout at the Checkbar Road junction, which is very dangerous, and partially dual the carriageway. The recent event on this road may have been caused by the flood of water.
There was never a flooding problem on this road till recently so find out what caused this and we might have some accident prevention in progress. More calmer solutions than rash reactions, please.
John Brook.3 Fernlea Drive,Windygates.
Scots economy a low-carbon one
Sir,- George McMillan (November 26) should not underestimate the huge financial bounty that still remains available from Scotland’s gas and oil.
He is correct, of course, in saying they will not last forever, so it behoves us to harness them wisely and use the proceeds to pump prime the economy, develop new energy sources and just as importantly revitalise old sources.
Scotland, as Mr McMillan concedes, is a net exporter of energy and we have done this whilst generating only 0.2% of the world’s carbon emission “problem”. So to that extent we already have a “low-carbon” economy.
We have large reserves of low-sulphur coal that could provide energy for several centuries.
The key question is how we access and process that coal. Yes, I would agree that the SNP’s plans for a decarbonised energy economy would be better placed in a Disneyland theme park.
The vast sums of consumer and taxpayer money currently providing millions in subsidies to landowners and developers for useless wind turbines would be better invested in how we deal with clean-|coal burning/gasification technology.
Ron Greer.Armoury House,Blair Atholl.
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