In today’s letters: salmon stocks, Freemasonry, the Old Firm, and public-sector pay.
Protect Scotland’s salmon from predators
Sir,-Regarding the letter from Michael Smith (March 2) about avian predation of both salmon and trout stocks, for nearly two decades I have been trying to get Government and fishery boards to do something about the damage to our rivers and lochs by piscivorous birds.
While the Esk District board relentlessly tries to bring about the demise of a small salmon-netting business at Usan, it has never, in recent years, attempted to tackle the problems caused by cormorants, goosanders and mergansers on the North and South Esks.
A study on the North Esk between 2001 and 2004 indicated that smolt losses to birds in the lower reaches could amount to over 30% in low-water years and losses of immature sea trout (finnock) were substantial.
On occasions, more than 70% of finnock that were caught displayed damage.
One only has to stand on the new bridge at Montrose to see just how many birds are about to realise that smolt or finnock in the basin are being wiped out.
Now we hear that the netsmen at Usan are no longer going to be able to shoot common seals, even if they are damaging their nets and catch. If the fishery board did more to control these problems instead of persecuting the netsmen who are exercising their heritable rights, we might see an improvement in stock levels.
It is time that we ceased the protection of predators and sought an approach of ecological balance.
Eric R. McVicar.Strontian,Argyll.
Outdated view of Freemasonry
Sir,-The first half of Tom Minogue’s letter (March 1) was fair comment on a previous article but then he launched into an attack on Freemasonry, which is a subject he appears to know nothing about.
Freemasonry is not a secret society. It is a society with secrets, which is a very different thing.
The oath which masons take, which includes assisting a fellow mason, specifically excludes aiding any mason who has transgressed the law.
What Mr Minogue refers to as blood-curdling penalties have not been part of any oath for a considerable number of years.
Patrick Newnan.Rose Cottage,Cortachy.
Time for Old Firm to leave
Sir,-Here we go again with the after-match excuses: the Lennon-McCoist spat wasn’t really serious, the bookings and sendings off were because it is a passionate game in short, “it wisnae us” who produced a shambles of a fifth Celtic-Rangers meeting of the season.
The truth is it was the two clubs who presented to a stadium full of spectators and millions of people on television a picture of thuggery and viciousness which will stay in the memory longer than pictures of hills, mountains, bubbling streams and rivers, wonderful golf courses and all the rest that we pretend is all our country is about.
A top policeman was laughed at recently when he said there should be an end to those games because of the violence during and after them. Who is laughing now?
The nightmare scenario now is that there are three meetings to go between the pair before the season ends.
I reported on many Old Firm games in my time and always appreciated that the tension was higher than in normal fixtures. But this went beyond that, with two supposedly grown men in Lennon and McCoist unable to stop having an ugly incident in full view of everyone, player after player being yellow or red-carded because of loss of control and the usual spin-off violence after the game.
The situation is going to be investigated by politicians and the police have made it clear they are fed up with the whole thing. But will anything really be done? Not on previous experience.
Money rules and without our two alleged giants and their fanatical followers football would definitely become a low-level sport in Scotland. At least that is what the apologists claim.
Maybe it is time to test their theory, especially after the latest shambles representing the beautiful game.
Ian Wheeler.Springfield,Cupar.
Stop this waste of public cash
Sir,-Once again questions are being asked about MPs’ expenses, with product-of-Perth Eric Joyce, Labour MP for Falkirk, topping the list.
Why is all this complicated nonsense necessary? Is it so difficult to rationalise all public service pay from the Prime Minister down without the need for expenses or bonuses?
MPs should be paid a flat rate to cover everything from secretarial help to travel, with allowance made for the distance from Westminster of each MP’s constituency. It should not be necessary for them to apply for expenses. The system of public servants’ remuneration should be reorganised from the Prime Minister down.
No bonuses should be paid and no civil servant or council employee should be paid a salary higher than the top man in the country the Prime Minister.
The same applies to banks which have been bailed out by the taxpayer. There should be no bonuses for bankers until these banks have repaid their debt to the taxpayer and are again independent.
The only control on them should then be the old powers once wielded by the Bank of England, whose abandonment has had such disastrous consequences.
Finally, local councils should be allowed to employ staff only in accordance with strict rules related to the size of the population for which they are responsible.
Since many politicians and public servants can no longer be trusted to manage taxpayers’ money responsibly, then it is only sensible to keep them all under tight control at all times.
George K. McMillan.5 Mount Tabor Avenue,Perth.
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