Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – I read with shock and dismay the letter dated November 23 regarding the awful and tragic death of Alison Hume following her fall into a mineshaft at Galston in 2008.
There cannot be a firefighter in Britain who does not feel the hurt, frustration and anger at how this could have been allowed to happen.
Now retired and having been a firefighter for 30-plus years, the motto hammered into young firefighters training at Gullane was “save life, protect property and offer humanitarian services”. This really describes how firefighters go to extreme lengths on a daily basis to do exactly what is in the motto.
I cannot for the life of me understand why a rescue attempt was not made to extricate this poor girl.
Thankfully I can say that Tayside Fire and Rescue have firefighters who are highly trained in rope rescue and that an incident like this would not be allowed to happen again.
Alex Salmond has ordered an inquiry into these tragic circumstances and am sure that once this is completed and all the facts have come out Chief Fire Officer Sweeney of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue will have to resign as his position is untenable.
Ed Thomson.Camphill,Broughty Ferry.
A royal pieceof hypocrisy
Sir, – In his diatribe against Alex Salmond and wind turbines, John J. Marshall quotes the Duke of Edinburgh dismissing the turbines as ‘completely reliant on subsidies’.
This is a bit rich (no pun intended), coming from someone whose burgeoning family are happy to accept a massive taxpayer subsidy on an annual basis!
Robert Woodcock.357 Strathmartine Road, Dundee.
Blots on our fine landscape
Sir, – I am in total agreement with the comments expressed by John J. Marshall and Prince Philip and many others in your letters page about wind turbines. They are useless and a terrible eyesore on our beautiful country.
From a wee hill at the back of Blairgowrie I counted, with the aid of binoculars, six separate wind factories, from Drumderg to the Braes of Doune to latest hideous ones at Griffin.There are to be more near Alyth, Amulree and Crieff.
It’s not just Perthshire and surrounding areas. There are many in the Highlands and Caithness, as well as in the south.
I could cry at seeing our renowned landscape being vandalised for money and greed and so-called green energy. Maybe Alex Salmond should ask China, India, USA and so on what they intend to do to save the planet.
I’m also appalled that bodies such as WWF Scotland and the RSPB support wind turbine factories. What must the the tourists think when they visit Scotland?
Fraser Brown.West George Street,Blairgowrie.
Dundee minds on higher things
Sir, – I recently attended a lecture and book-signing to promote the publication of “Victorian Dundee” a look at the city’s transformation from mediaeval hodgepodge to (almost) civic masterpiece.
As references were made to the city’s collection of statues, I asked the three authors why there was no fitting tribute to the city’s most famous former student, William Wallace.
I was surprised to hear in reply the suggestion that Victorian Dundonians were too busy looking to the outside world to consider such “parochial” dedications.
So that explains why they erected statues to local engineer Andrew Carnegie, Ayrshire poet Robert Burns, cartoon characters Minnie the Minx and Desperate Dan and an anonymous dragon!
It seems the term “parochial” qualifies only when referring to Scottish national heroes.
Considering that these are times when any and all opportunities should be used for the promotion of the city, I think Dundee has missed a trick or two.
John F. Campbell.31 Finella Gardens,Dundee.
Time to developsome backbone
Sir, – I took out a private pension policy and 13 years ago when it matured I elected to make it a Flexible Retirement Plan. Tens of thousands of others did likewise.
This has worked satisfactorily but now the government has changed the goalposts and reduced the amount I can take out each month.
So why then is this government not being tougher with the public sector and telling them the country and taxpayers cannot afford the gold-plated index-linked pensions, the employers contributions and the early retirement packages?
Let them strike and lose pay until they see sense.
The last government even backed down with their sensible proposal that all new employees should be in a cheaper defined benefit scheme and not in the final salary scheme.
Is this government going to continue doing about-turns foisted on them by the Liberals or will they get a backbone transplant and tell the Liberals and the unions where to go?
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.