Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, Fife Women’s Technology Centre rooted in Lochgelly is a well-known and much-admired driving force. This educational powerhouse delivers skills, raises hopes and injects a shot of confidence for the jobless.
Investing in life-changing opportunities for go-getters that continually seek, strive and stride towards success yields clear benefits.
People down on their luck climb through never-ending hoops, facing immense barriers and unbearable pressure. Prosperity can and should be widespread, not isolated for a select few out of touch with ordinary people.
Governments far and wide have a moral obligation to ensure that those out of work are able to grasp the opportunity to become in work.
The passion for progress is being dashed by high and mighty rulers who remain remote from real people and their lives. All the worse when dreary decisions are for ever imposed without an ounce of empathy.
I hope other sources of funding are found. Whilst, we will always have the miners institute we must also fight for Fife Women’s Technology Centre as well.
It is beyond belief that the SNP/Lib Dem bosses at Fife Council have slashed funding.
The SNP Government also claimed they would protect coalfield regeneration trust funding. Yet the CRT has withdrawn a whopping £171,000 from Lochgelly. These promises seem worthless.
Gordon Barlow.43 Timmons Park,Lochgelly.
Punishing the innocent
Sir, I am 100% in agreement with Mrs June Reid, that the SNP’s minimum price for alcohol will have no effect at all. It is nothing more than punishing the innocent to get at the guilty.
I have a friend who is an alcoholic. When I asked him if the SNP’s plan will have any positive effect, he said that it would have no affect at all. Drunks will always find the money for their drink, he said, even if that money comes from their children’s food.
I also agree with Mrs Reid in her comparison with other European countries, many of which have drink even cheaper than in the UK and have little or no difficulty with problem drinkers.
What most of them do have are laws that make it easy to punish those who do cause problems, and police and courts who are not afraid to be severe with troublesome drunks.
I also have experience of Scandinavian countries, where alcohol is very expensive. By contrast, most of these countries have a thriving black market, and illicit home distilling is widespread.
One of these countries remains the only country in the world where I have seen a drunk fall over and lie in the gutter at 8.30 in the morning.
The SNP would be better to bring forward legislation outlawing drunkenness in public, and ensuring relevant current legislation is properly implemented, rather than punishing the many law abiding tipplers for the sins of the few trouble makers.
(Captain) Ian F. McRae.17 Broomwell Gardens,Monikie.
Need to stay closely aligned
Sir, As a developer of onshore wind energy projects across Scotland with a value of approximately £750 million, we do not agree with Citigroup’s paper on the investment climate for renewable energy in Scotland.
They seem to believe that, should Scotland vote for independence in a referendum, its energy market will be hermetically sealed at the River Tweed.
This displays a basic misunderstanding of the realities facing the UK when it comes to energy generation.
With around 25% of the UK’s coal, gas and nuclear generating capacity due to come off-stream by 2021, the need to replace this shortfall is extremely pressing.
While new nuclear in England may fill some of this gap, the lengthy period it will take to get new plant constructed and operational means that England may well need to ‘import’ electricity from Scotland in the short to medium term.
An increasing proportion of this electricity will be generated by on and offshore windfarms.
Whatever the referendum outcome, the nature of the shared National Grid and current distribution of generating capacity make it likely that the nations of the UK would choose to continue to operate a common, or closely aligned, energy policy.
Given that the UK and Scotland both have challenging and internationally binding carbon reduction and renewables-generation targets to meet, it is therefore perfectly conceivable that a system similar to the Renewables Obligation would continue to operate.
Graham Brown.Chairman.Burcote Wind,15 Pitreavie Court,Dunfermline.
Good example closer to home
Sir, I was interested to read about Councillor Laurie Bidwell’s trip to New York and proposed tenement house museum for Dundee.
Perhaps those who are keen on the idea could visit one closer to home.
The Tenement House in central Glasgow owned by the National Trust for Scotland is an excellent example of a museum based in a 19th century tenement flat and a popular visitor attraction.
(Rev) Catherine Collins.25 Ballinard Gardens,Broughty Ferry,Dundee.
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.