Sir, As I thought, when the MOD said they were moving the army units from Germany to Leuchars, they would be armoured units.
What intrigues me is, where are they going to play with their tanks? Are they going to commandeer Tentsmuir Forest? Or are they going to have a fleet of transport aircraft flying daily trips between Leuchars and Salisbury Plain?
Malcolm Rifkind states that it has “never been more important to maximise military capability for every pound spent on defence”. So how can he justify the RAF move to Lossiemouth after having just spent millions upgrading Leuchars for Typhoons and having to spend even more millions now upgrading Lossiemouth for Typhoons and still more millions to get Leuchars ready for tanks that can’t be used?
Of course, we all remember Mr Rifkind’s fiscal capability when, during his tenure as defence secretary, he awarded Devenport the maintenance contract for nuclear submarine repair when they were more expensive than Rosyth; did not have the docking facilities to do the job and were farther away from their operational base.
Of course there are no Tory votes in Fife, which probably had more bearing on his decision.
Lindsay Johnston. 11 Crawford Avenue, Gauldry.
Jaundiced and unfair
Sir, Lucy Penman’s view of juries (The Courier, March 4, Quickest way to lose faith in justice system) was jaundiced and unfair, to say the least.
She divided potential jurors into: “two groups those determined to get out of jury duty through virtue of their high-powered jobs and those who have never before been up and out of the house before midday and are not too sure if they would ever like to try it again.”
She also said that she “watched anyone with any sense getting off the hook, leaving those who . . . might not have been anyone’s first choice.”
My experience as a juror in two trials and as a newspaper reporter at many was that juries seemed a reasonably balanced bunch, both in individual character and in their representation of a cross-section of society and that their decisions were generally fair and logical. None of the members of the juries on which I served seemed uninterested or uninformed as to what was going on. All seemed to listen attentively and we managed to arrive at, what I deemed, a true verdict based on the evidence.
The jury system is an extra safeguard against miscarriages of justice and, judging by some of the decisions made by our judges these days, particularly in their obstruction of Government attempts to deport illegal immigrants with criminal records, some of whom are a serious danger to the public, it is not the jury system we should be reviewing, but the increasingly biased stance of our judiciary.
George K McMillan. 5 Mount Tabor Avenue, Perth.
Being seen to be done?
Sir, I am astounded at Lothian and Borders Police’s swift move to transfer to other divisions Hawick-based G Division officers and civilian staff accused of sending racist and sexist e-mails.
If they are not fit to serve in the Borders, why should they be foisted upon the Lothians? Or is this just a cynical publicity stunt to show that “something” is being done?
John Hein. 78 Montgomery Street, Edinburgh.
Needed now at home
Sir, In the midst of these bleak years of austerity comes news that the departments handling foreign aid and global warming have been on a multi-million-pound recruitment spree.
The numbers gallivanting around Africa dishing out largesse are up by 150 while war on the largely mythical “warming” is being fought by an extra 265 bureaucrats.
Hopes that hardship among Britain’s vulnerable might bring a sense of reality to the aid industry or fuel poverty might limit the windmill obsession look entirely forlorn.
Surely the civil service needs to become more efficient and retain front-line staff at home rather than bringing in yet more time-servers for such absurd and risible schemes.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
What is the connection?
Sir, Will someone please explain to me why theV&A museum is being built in Dundee? Prince Albert was a German Prince and his wife Victoria an English queen. What is the Scottish connection?
Alister Rankin. 93 Whyterose Terrace, Methil, Leven.
Must grasp opportunity
Sir, Scottish Catholicism has undoubtedly been badly damaged by the behaviour of Cardinal Keith O’Brien.
However, those of us who are anti-God are well aware of the capacity of the Catholic Church historically to survive, learn from and adapt to setbacks. We must use this opportunity to push for the abolition of Scotland’s taxpayer-funded sectarian, segregated, education system which legally discriminates against non-Catholics.
The 2014 independence referendum is the ideal opportunity to decide if Scotland is to emerge as a progressive nation or continue as constitutionally sectarian in the manner of old Alabama.
Ian Stewart Convener Atheist-Scotland, 33 Park Avenue, Dundee.
Cannot continue to live beyond our means
Sir, It is strange that your correspondent, David Kelly (February 23), should find the UK Government ungenerous in its welfare benefits, especially when we hear of cases such as that of a single mother having a £400,000 property provided completely at taxpayers’ expense.
The lady is also, apparently, able to afford to keep a horse.
While this might be extreme, it is clear that many people live more comfortably on benefits than some others who work for a living and pay commercial rents or mortgages. This situation has to be corrected.
All countries have been affected by the massive global downturn and as UK citizens we must accept that we cannot continue to live considerably beyond our means.
Even if it were desirable for an independent Scotland to provide higher benefits it is ridiculous to assume it could. Independence would be a leap in the dark. The early years at least would be very difficult with the need to establish a postal service, inland revenue, Scottish passports, consular services, armed services and MI5/MI6 equivalents a huge expense for a small nation.
As yet we don’t know if an independent Scotland could be part of the EU, or be in the Eurozone, whether we would have the pound or a new currency would have to be adopted, or how many people Mr Kelly would expect to pay extra tax would leave and take their money with them.
E Lacaille. 32 Crail Place, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.
We should call their bluff
Sir It would seem that the Swiss people are about to show, via a recent referendum, that they disapprove of the present banking bonus system for executives and employees, in Switzerland.
A law is expected to be passed in Switzerland, therefore, banning such banking practices beyond what is seen as reasonable and not grossly excessive.
From what our banking magnates tell us about our banks and employee bonuses, we can expect a flood of disgruntled Swiss bankers and employees abandoning Swiss-based banks and hightailing it to all parts of the world, including over here, seeking mega-bonuses. Into whose jobs? What jobs? Where?
How many of our bankers and their employees will lose their jobs due to the arrival of those Swiss experts? Seeking mega-bonuses?
Or is it all a bit of a bluff – this “must pay to get the best”? Time will tell. I suspect it is. Let’s call it and have our own “banking” referendum.
A T Geddie. 68 Carleton Avenue, Glenrothes.
Dundee had tallest bobby
Sir, I was interested in the photograph taken outside the King Edward V11 Hospital, where the Queen had a brief stay recently, showing PC Anthony Wallyn who at seven foot two inches is the tallest PC in Britain.
Readers may be interested to know that Dundee once held that distinction in the form of PC Geordie Wilson, an ex-miner from Fife, who, I believe, was six foot, eleven and three-quarter inches in his stocking soles.
He was often seen directing traffic at the DRI during visiting hours. On retiral, along with another tall colleague, Sergeant Tosh, he was employed in a horticultural establishment in Tait’s Lane in Dundee where both of them travelled to and from work on Geordie’s BSA Bantam motorcycle.
The sight of these two huge men on such a small motorcycle was something to behold and a credit to BSA’s manufacturing ability.
James L Brooks. 35 Sutherland Crescent, Dundee.