The Courier’s week begins with discussion of gasification, the west coast’s reaction to the snow, the Lib Dems’ moves over tuition fees and a referendum on Scottish independence.
Incineration doesn’t provide sustainable future Sir,-With reference to your article, Sustainable crops base approved (December 9), there is nothing “sustainable” about plans to heat polytunnels at Binn Farm, Glenfarg, by burning rubbish in a gasification incinerator.
Incineration undermines recycling. Dumfries and Galloway Council has abolished recycling of paper, card, plastics and textiles in order to feed its new gasification incinerator.
Friends Of The Earth have calculated that recycling our rubbish saves four times more energy than can be generated by burning it.
Incineration recovers only a 10th of the energy used to make the products. How can this be described as sustainable? We need to reduce, reuse and recycle.
However, the Binn Farm proposals will be dwarfed by plans to burn 1.25 million tonnes of biomass and waste paper and card each year at Dundee’s docklands. Burning biomass produces one and a half times its weight in CO2, not to mention poisonous fumes.
Michael Gallagher.Green Alternatives to Incineration in Scotland,33 Precinct Street,Coupar Angus.
Send snow shovels west
Sir,-They used to say Glasgow’s Miles Better but I am sure Moaning Minnies would be a better descriptive after the ongoing reaction from its citizens to the few inches of snow that fell last week.
It is worth noting that, for nearly two weeks, the people of north and east Scotland had to struggle with feet of snow and the continual closure of main roads due to severe conditions.
While the rest of Scotland was doing its best to deal with those conditions, we were treated to the sight of people from the west demanding extra resources, official apologies and political heads for their inconvenience. That reaction was telling. Next time it snows in and around Glasgow the rest of Scotland should send shovels with instructions on how to use them.
Malcolm McCandless.40 Muirfield Crescent,Dundee.
Kirrie people rallied round
Sir,-I was shocked to read Hector MacLean’s letter telling the people of Kirrie and Forfar to get off their backsides and shovel snow.
What does he think we have been doing the past two weeks? I have been very grateful to friends (aged 59 to 70) who have helped me to make a path to get my disabled husband out.
I would praise all the carers who trekked through the snow every day to help the old and infirm.
Sheena Duthie.73 Slade Gardens,Kirriemuir.
Great powers of persuasion
Sir,-I recently congratulated Sir Menzies Campbell MP on his principled stand to stick to his pledge to vote against an increase in student tuition fees. I now find that, once again, he deserves praise. He has apparently persuaded many students at St Andrews University that voting for him was a good idea, despite the fact that the party he represents is selling them down the river.
What an amazing power of public persuasion.
Well, enough of such praise, I now turn my thoughts to turkeys and Christmas.
Mike Scott-Hayward.Sawmill House,Kemback Bridge.
Secret agenda on student fees?
Sir,-I will surely not be alone in wondering where the future of higher education funding lies in Scotland after the Liberal Democrats voted to support their coalition partners, the Conservatives, in voting to increase tuition fees in England.
The Liberals Democrats have gone into Scottish and Westminster elections campaigning for the removal of tuition fees.
It is clear that trust has been lost. I suspect that the Liberals will be secretly working with Conservative and Labour to introduce a tuition fees policy in Scotland after the 2011 elections, contrary to the national consensus that fees work against the interests of students and wider society.
Iain Anderson.41 West End,St Monans.
Independence vision unclear
Sir,-Former SNP convener Gordon Wilson is right to point out that the Scottish people would have voted against independence in a referendum (December 9).
Yet it is still important to highlight a key constitutional point.
The Scottish Government cannot organise a binding referendum on independence. It can simply ask the voters for a mandate to negotiate independence. That was the form of wording proposed in a Holyrood consultation document issued more than three years ago.
What the outcome of those negotiations would be is anyone’s guess. But I, for one, would like a vote on whether any deal was acceptable. That would mean another poll.
Gordon Wilson should have mentioned that Westminster is the final arbiter on whether independence should be granted. It is the body that can organise a final referendum on the matter.
They would only do so, of course, under parliamentary pressure from those of a nationalist persuasion.
The SNP is still a long way off getting that amount of influence in the House of Commons.
That is not to say they should not strive to keep the question of a referendum on the table.
But they need to be much clearer with the electorate, not just how long this path will be. They need to tell us a lot more about how they would handle a share of the national debt, the future of the armed forces, energy requirements and the promotion of Scotland abroad.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
Get involved: to have your say on these or any other topics, email your letter to letters@thecourier.co.uk or send to Letters Editor, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL.