This morning’s correspondence looks at Britain’s debt, Dundee FC’s managerial changes, proportional representation, a response to an appeal for clarity on the Dundee biomass plan and foreign aid.
Tax super-rich to solve Britain’s debt crisis Sir,-Our leaders are readying themselves to tackle the national deficit through an assault on our public services, despite such blood-letting being neither required nor acceptable.
We all accept that the debt has to be dealt with but why should the public carry the can when they neither desired, nor engineered, the financial debacle?
There are alternative solutions. According to the Office for National Statistics, our annual output is measured at £1.4 trillion, which almost equates to the £1.3 trillion of public cash which the last Government made available to the banking sector, and total wealth in the UK amounts to £9.1 trillion.
The ONS also states that the richest 10% of the population owns and controls 44% of this bonanza, which equates to £4 trillion.
If this super-rich strata of society had their wealth taxed at a very reasonable rate of 5% instead of the 0.5% which they actually pay, the Exchequer would raise £200 billion, which is more than enough to draw down the deficit and fund improvements to public services.
But then, why stop at 5%? Is this what the billionaires tremble at and does this explain the deafening silence from the establishment?
Such a solution would satisfy the public and should also calm fevered, mystical markets, which are driven by greedy, panicky individuals who can and should be controlled.
The recommendations of credit-rating agencies should also be challenged as these are the agencies which gave AAA ratings to collateralised debt obligations, the toxic assets which brought the whole house of cards crashing down.
These agencies are not some independent inspectorate but are executing their clients’ instructions and picking off countries to force them to sell off public services to grasping privateers.
Raymond Mennie.55 Milnbank Road,Dundee.
Dundee right to replace manager
Sir,-I disagree with Mr Crumley (May 4) and Mr Mulheron (May 7). The Dundee FC board were right in sacking Jocky Scott. It is unfortunate that the gamble did not pay off.
It was reported in your newspaper that prior to the Raith Rovers cup game, Mr Scott had said his team talks were getting shorter and shorter as the players were probably getting fed up with them.
Well it certainly showed in the results.
Dundee were in freefall after Christmas and Mr Scott did not not know how to fix things during games.
Mr Scott never learned lessons from the previous season when St Johnstone went on a long unbeaten run, as did Inverness Caledonian this season.
I wish all the best to Gordon Chisholm and Billy Dodds.
J. S. Athwal.9 Gilston Place,Broughty Ferry.
Banality of PR government
Sir,-Proportional representation comes in many forms, some so arcane that it is a challenge to select a version that does not require voters to have a degree in maths.
Still, it does mean party size reflects votes received which is fine if the Liberal Democrats with 23% receive 150 seats but not perhaps quite so fine when the British National Party with 2% get 13 seats.
Moreover, proportional representation makes it rare for a single party to win an overall majority so we tend to get palmed off with broken promises and shabby deals, not the policies for which we voted.
And it virtually rules out the great “sea-change” elections of the kind that swept Clement Attlee to power in 1945 and Margaret Thatcher in 1979.
Thus, we finish up with the same set of politicians, the same set of policies, government increasingly unresponsive to voters and indistinguishable from the civil service.
(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Personal views on port bids
Sir,-Stuart Winton asks in his letter (May 4) to whom I am referring to as “we” in expressing an opinion on the proposed turbines and biomass plant.
I would have thought it obvious from my letter but, for the avoidance of doubt, let me be clear that the letter contained the views of Stewart Hosie MP and myself.
This, of course, was in response to the John J. Marshall column when he explicitly asked for our views on this matter.
I can confirm that our views are not expressed on behalf of anyone else, whether that be Dundee SNP councillors, or that of the Scottish Government.
Our views are given as the local elected members for Dundee East with a constituency interest in this matter.
I hope that is clear enough for Mr Winton.
Shona Robison MSP.Dundee East.
Aid fails to reach target
Sir,-Bill Duthie (May 8) is not alone in querying the wisdom or morality of our overseas aid to Malawi (May 7) when its president is happy to splurge millions on his wedding and fleets of Mercedes.
It is also a nonsense to finance India, and even China, with strongly-developing economies and an ability to spend billions on their own space programmes. Much of our “aid” effectively goes into presidential palaces, motorways to nowhere, or straight into Swiss bank accounts.
It is some decades since one expert described aid as being a transfer of wealth from the poor in rich countries to the rich in poor countries; and regrettably, there have been plenty kleptocracies since then giving credence to that view.
It is easy for Gordon Brown, Bob Geldof and others to try to earn brownie points by their sweeping declarations to cancel developing countries’ debt, which effectively gives carte-blanche to those countries that have squandered or purloined theirs, while insulting those which have managed their finances and economies fairly for their populations’ benefit.
John Birkett.12 Horseleys Park,St Andrews.