Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – I have noticed a trend amongst those who oppose Scottish independence to attempt to falsely blacken the name of those who believe poverty and economic decline can best be addressed by achieving it.
Every word or phrase that can be taken out of context, or analogy that can be spun in a negative fashion, is seized upon with a ravenous zeal to be shared with the electorate.
This political opportunism would be bad enough if it were not for the hypocrisy of it.
We have calls for MSP Joan McAlpine’s resignation for making a rather apt comparison between a dysfunctional marriage and the union, while unionist politicians continue to use the divorce and family break-up analogy to describe Scottish independence. If one is insensitive then so is the other and if Ms McAlpine is to resign over it then so should most of the unionist MSPs in Holyrood.
We now have more faux outrage over Dundee City Council leader Ken Guild indirectly referencing the Tay Bridge disaster despite references to other, greater and more recent disasters, such as the Titanic and Somme, being part of common parlance.
On top of this we have Courier columnist, Jenny Hjul, using language to describe supporters of independence that would have unionists “publicly” outraged if used against them.
It is unfortunate unionists feel the need to adopt these tactics but, in my opinion, in keeping with the generally dishonest nature of their campaign.
Stuart Allan.8 Nelson Street,Dundee.
GPs would be better to work with NHS 24
Sir, – At the risk of being abandoned by my GP, we read that GPs at their conference are to call on the Scottish Government to scrap the NHS 24-hour service the reasons given being that there have been a couple of cases of patients dying after taking NHS 24 advice.
The question is, just how many more poor unfortunates have succumbed to a GP’s advice and died as well? Thankfully very few medical mishaps happen in proportion to successful medical outcomes, no matter which service is being used.
I may seem a wee bit cynical but are GPs trying to enhance their monetary rewards by ensuring that NHS 24 is scrapped?
Rather than trying to castigate NHS 24, GPs would do well to work alongside them for the sake of all of us who use the NHS.
Bob Harper.63a Pittenweem Road,Anstruther.
Admired their passion
Sir, – I am intrigued as to why Dundee City Council are seeking to remove the Occupy protesters from the grass outside the City Churches.
I spoke with some of the ‘occupiers’ and although I didn’t agree with everything they said I admired their passion and their call for justice and fairness.
Whether we agree with them or not, I cannot see what harm they are doing indeed they bring a little bit of much-needed life and colour to the city centre.
Thomas Jefferson once stated “a little rebellion now and then … is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government”.
Is it too much to ask Dundee City Council to take a little dose of that medicine?
(Rev) David A. Robertson.14 Shamrock Street,Dundee.
Financed by same money
Sir, – VisitScotland makes a good effort to promote Scotland as a tourist destination, but is probably hampered by the urban roots of its executives and staff, whose hearts are in the Highlands but whose homes are more likely to be in Edinburgh.
By their lack of comment they are clearly unaware of the ruination of the landscape they seek to sell to tourists, by the endless proliferation of government-subsidised windfarms.
In effect, as Linda Holt (Letters, March 17) points out, VisitScotland is being financed by the same money that works to destroy the only asset that it has to sell.
Malcolm Parkin.Kinnesswood, Kinross.
Camouflaged by a lot of spin
Sir, – Why do people keep reinventing the wheel without bothering to learn from past experience? I’m referring to the Curriculum for Excellence “initiative” which bears an uncanny similarity to IDE, Interdisciplinary Enquiry, a project hailed in the 70s as the way forward.
It disappeared within a few years due to the usual culprits lack of sufficient finance and the expectation that teachers would be willing and able to supply 95% of the development work.
Teachers have suffered over the past two decades from the lack of stability caused by constant changes in the curriculum, most of which have not proved to be improvements.
The actual state of education today is heavily camouflaged by a lot of spin based on the ever-increasing number of pupils who “pass” exams. Bear in mind that today the need to attain at least 50% to pass has long been abandoned, and that no-one actually “fails” any more.
The very term ‘Curriculum for Excellence’ is an excellent example of spin and is also somewhat insulting in that it suggests that teachers in the past have never delivered such excellence.
Our teachers are right to push back against the rushing in of this latest “innovation”.
Ken Greenaway.Torr of Kedlock,Cupar.
Easily rectified
Sir, – When the then unmarried Gordon Brown scrapped the Married Couples’ Allowance, the UK became the only major economy not to recognise the family unit in its tax system.
While it is silly to suggest fiscal incentives are decisive when people decide whether or not to marry it is surely perverse for married people to be penalised.
This could be easily rectified by allowing a non-working husband or wife to transfer their tax allowance to their married partner.
As most people agree the traditional family unit is central to social cohesion why is the coalition showing the sort of obduracy we associate with the former chancellor?
(Dr) John Cameron.10 Howard Place.St Andrews.
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. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.