The debate on the Grand National horse deaths continues in today’s letters, while the situation in Palestine, radioactivity on Fife beaches and Glenrothes supermarket proposals all come under scrutiny.
Horse racing deaths reflect poorly on society Sir I write in reaction to John J. Marshall’s insightful and thought provoking article regarding the Grand National (April 13).
What a sad day it is when we, as a nation, condone the senseless loss of two magnificent lives at the Grand National.
Please do not let the racing fraternity say that these horses “loved” racing. They didn’t. They ran in blind panic spurred on by rider and whip.
Ghandi, or so it has been attributed, stated, “A nation can be judged by how they treat their animals.”
What a sad indictment for us that we let this cruelty continue. How will we be judged?
Isabel Jack.3 Chuckethall Road,Livingston.
Money comes before welfare
Sir I fully agree with the comment by John J. Marshall about the Grand National.
The problem with all kinds of sport nowadays is simply that they are all governed by big money which causes people to look the other way or close their eyes to what is really a form of cruelty.
John McDonald.14 Rosebery Court,Kirkcaldy.
Little risk from luminous dials
Sir I write as an ex-RAF instrument repairer in the 1940s to protest about this ongoing hysteria generated by SEPA in relation to specks of luminous paint that may be found in the sands of Dalgety Bay.
Yes, the RN repair yard at Donibristle did service and scrap aircraft instruments, the dials of which had key numerals picked out in luminous paint.
It is possible a few flecks of paint escaped the scrapping process to enter the general detritus of an industrial site then, over the years, entered the drains and into the Forth, there to reside in the sand.
The throughput of aircraft instruments at Donibristle was tiny compared with other naval yards in the UK yet there are no ongoing programmes to monitor particles of luminous paint elsewhere. During the 1930s to the 1960s, most wrist and pocket watches worn by the population and most bedside alarm clocks had luminous dials and despite being in such close proximity to these timekeepers 24 hours a day, we did not fall about with radiation sickness.
Some instrument repairers like me had a little bottle of luminous paint to touch up dials. We treated it with care because it was expensive.
I cannot comment upon the welfare of the workers at the Timex and Smiths factories who manufactured millions of luminous dials but I am not aware of any radiation sickness affecting that workforce then or in later years.
Kenneth Foster.57 Hatton Road,Luncarty.
Palestinians face terror at home
Sir Jan Benvie (April 16) displays an arrogance and double standards far surpassing that of which she accuses the UN.
Ms Benvie is currently vice-chairwoman of the fringe group Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign whose current chairman, Mick Napier, boasts of his attending a memorial service in Gaza for the late terrorist leader George Habash.
She asks,” Why do Palestinians not have the same right to fight?”
Perhaps Ms Benvie does not consider it important that they seem to be too busy kidnapping and murdering their own supporters in Gaza and the West Bank in vile and irrational gestures of violence, indifferent to the value of human life.
Stanley Grossman.Newton Mearns,Glasgow.
Vote hope for birth of nation
Sir I can assure Jan Benvie, (April 16), that she is not alone in recognising the inconsistency of the UN’s attitude to the protection of civilians in the Middle East and North Africa.
Fortunately, the Arab League has also realised that it represents all Arabs and its secretary general, Amr Moussa, has announced that it plans to present the UN Security Council with a proposal to impose a no-fly zone over the Gaza Strip. Of course, this will be vetoed by the US, exposing their double standards and illustrating once again that Israel is a US colonial outpost.
Fortunately, a vote about recognising Palestine as a state based on the 1967 borders is to be put to the UN General Assembly in September and over 100 countries already officially recognise Palestine in this form. There is no veto applicable in UN General Assembly motions, so this motion will be carried.
Steve Dron.Muirfield Crescent,Dundee.
Delays in store for Glenrothes
Sir What will be the reaction of the Glenrothes public towards the proposed deal (April 16) to bring Tesco to the town?
I would think it will be somewhere between cynicism and exasperation. After years of negotiations with Sainsbury’s over complex land issues, we seem to be now told that these can be overcome in one fell swoop with another developer. Serious questions do need to be asked about the attitude of AXA-CIS, owners of the town centre.
For the local economy, the lengthy bargaining with Sainsbury’s has been a disaster. It has helped turn Glenrothes into a bit of a shopping backwater.
People have jumped into their cars and gone off to Dundee, Edinburgh, Perth and Livingston to spend their income. The leakage has been considerable.
The Kingdom Centre has a lot going for it, earning a number of awards over the years. It could have been a model shopping and community centre had its owners shown a greater sense of urgency over supermarket development.
I would like to believe that negotiations between Tesco and AXA-CIS can be concluded quickly. But after the experience of the last 10 years, I’m bound to say I’ll believe Glenrothes has got another store when I see it.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
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