Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, Having lived most of my life in Glenrothes, I appreciate the Kingdom Centre’s role not just as shopping facility but as the heart of the town.
Lacking the traditional ”High Street” of older towns, the Kingdom Centre is an important place for the people of the town to gather and celebrate significant cultural and historic events. Over the years I have witnessed many events representing a wide range of the community.
Most would agree that the Kingdom Centre is becoming increasingly like a ghost town, due to the blinkered management of the centre, and many smaller businesses are struggling to survive.
It seems odd then that, against this backdrop, the centre management have refused permission to a section of the community to celebrate an important historical event (i.e., the 500th anniversary of the King James Bible), thus further alienating prospective shoppers.
How Mr Hinnrichs (Letters, September 14) can construe one stall in the vast (increasingly empty) expanse of the centre as ramming anything down anybody’s throat is slightly bemusing. Surely if you are not interested you can just walk past?
Anne Hinojosa.326 Colliston Ave,Glenrothes.
We must stand by Greece
Sir, Recent posturings by commentators, such as Struan Stevenson MEP, stating that Greece should simply be allowed to go bust or be kicked out of the eurozone are ill advised. Because of the interconnections of the European economy we would all be hit, the UK included.
Greece effectively has three options it can either default, deflate or devalue. To default would be the nightmare scenario and would endanger investment in the likes of Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy, the eurozone’s other weak economies.
It also runs the risk that Greece would not be able to get access to the global credit markets, although this fear proved to be exaggerated for Russia in 1998 and Argentina in 2001.
In addition, not only is the UK exposed to these debts, but a Greek default would heavily impact on the balance sheets of British banks, as well as weakening the European Central Bank.
The option of devaluation would mean a Greek exit from the euro, and this would risk a similar withdrawal by some of the fragile European economies, destabilising our largest trading partner.
That leaves deflation, grinding out improvements in competitiveness by cutting wages and keeping the lid on costs.
That is precisely what Germany did when it joined the single currency at a rate which made its exports expensive, and it sees no reason why Greece should not do the same.
Alex Orr.77 Leamington Terrace,Edinburgh.
Scots construction under the cosh
Sir, Less widely reported than the headline that Scotland outperformed the rest of the UK, for the building industry, the latest UK labour market statistics provide worrying evidence of worsening conditions.
Ten thousand Scottish workers lost their jobs between April and June this year a 5.5% reduction in Scotland’s construction workforce compared to a 3% reduction for the UK. Since March 2009, official figures now show the Scots construction industry has shed 30,000 jobs.
Based on these figures, the longer term trend in construction jobs remains downwards and that should be a matter of real concern to our politicians.
Holyrood and Westminster need to place a strategy to protect and consolidate capital investment at the heart of their recovery plans.
Michael Levack.Chief Executive,Scottish Building Federation.
Obsessed with climate change
Sir, In a new report, Dr Richard Wellings, of the Institute of Economic Affairs, warns the government’s obsession with climate change will result in a £500 increase in energy bills within four years.
Huge subsidies are paid to the renewables industries, especially wind turbines, and this will get worse.
He then cites official figures that building thousands of wind turbines and connecting to the National Grid will cost the taxpayer £100 billion over the next decade. And there was me thinking we were in economic meltdown.
What is the point of Britain sacrificing her economy on the altar of climate change when China is opening two coal power plants every week?
Clark Cross.138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
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.