Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – In reply to Mr Lindsay’s letter (No comparison, May 7), I would say he has missed my point completely. I was comparing the benefits of shale ”fracking” to those of wind turbines. However, to answer some of his points:
1) Have I ever seen how the countryside is being infested (with turbines)?
No, never infested, but I grew up seeing the countryside and revisit it annually.
When I look at the Sidlaws they look much the same as they always did.
Even to the extent of those towers on the summit of Craigowl which no one has complained about in my 60 years on this planet.
And as for that folly on Kinpurney Hill, well, that serves no useful purpose and should be done away with.
2) He says that, to his mind, an equivalent level of desecration would be placing turbines in the Grand Canyon at Mount Rushmore and Yosemite?
Well, let me ask, do you have turbines in the Lairig Ghru, atop Ben Nevis, in the Cuillin? Of course not.
No, they are at Whitelee just south of Glasgow an area of natural beauty no doubt Blacklaw in the Lothians, need I go on.
As for the nonsense over the Bell Rock if it was a ’40s-size oilfield, would you hear complaints? Actually, probably yes.
Cheap, available power but not on my doorstep, that seems to be the mantra. Less emotion and more pragmatism is required here.
Eric Swinney.101 Creekwood Drive,Lafayette,LA 70503,USA.
Wrong to reject voting system out of hand
Sir, – The intentional or unintentional spoiling of ballot papers should concern everyone who wants to see democracy work well.
A 2% rate in the east of Scotland area in the recent council elections is something the Electoral Commi-ssion needs to work on(Courier, May 10).
But it would be wrong to turn the whole thing into a rejection of the single transferable vote system used to elect our councillors.
One of the reasons it was introduced was to rectify a greater affront to the democratic process – the first past the post system which sometimes allowed a party with less than 50% of the voteto gain nearly 90% of the seats.
A success of the STV system is that on May 3 it gave each party the number of seats which was almost exactly in line with the number of people who voted for it.
Labour has gained absolute majorities in a few councils throughout Scotland.
It can take satisfaction from the fact that this accurately reflected the intentions of the voters.
Elsewhere, with no majority, it has to enter negotations with other parties in order to form an administration.
This is no bad thing if it encourages co-operation, compromise and transparency.
It may sometimes be frustrating but in the end our elected representatives need to accept the cards the ballot boxes have dealt them.
It’s a point they should remember when considering why a very small minority managed to waste their vote by spoiling it.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
Going against local wishes
Sir, – I was both disappointed and incensed that Historic Scotland has turned down an application to demolish the city hall in Perth. This unelected body has effectively overruled both the democratically elected council and the wishes of the majority of Perth citizens who expressed their view in the local referendum.
Perth already has one mouldering pile in the form of St Paul’s and I can foresee that it will eventually be joined by another in the centre. With many shops already lying empty, who is expected to come forward to spend millions of pounds in creating more retail space which is clearly unwanted?
Perhaps Historic Scotland and those who will be rejoicing at the news that the city hall must remain should be asked to contribute to the £15,000 a year cost of maintaining the building!
Eric Brownsmith.39 Sutherland Crescent,Abernethy.
Time to move forward quickly
Sir,- Now that our city hall has been saved from the bulldozers, its prompt revival is urgent, so that it can be applied to new, good purposes to serve both locals and visitors, encouraging tourism.
Councillor Ian Miller’s remark that the council will seek help and advice from Historic Scotland is helpful and we suggest that an ad hoc committee be formed, with pro-hall people, to move its revival forward, without delay.
Specifically, Mr Vivian Linacre’s group’s ideas, said to be low-cost, should be developed and the opportunity also taken to move the excellent, but presently remote, tourist information office to the site in the centre of the city, perhaps along with displays of local events and history, all to promote tourism interest.
The now-defunct Mediterranian-style plaza would never have done that and the demolition/building area would have been a very expensive, protracted blot on the city centre for years, probably.
These and other opportunities for vity hall development can offer very rich prospects in contributing to our and visitors’ life in the Fair City.
Isabel and Charles Wardrop.111 Viewlands Road West,Perth.
Not a vigilante!
Sir, – I enjoyed the article on exams Revision time over (May 10) and remembered that after telling my elderly aunt what I was doing during May, she phoned her daughter, and told my cousin: ”Did you know our Dorothy is a vigilante at Madras!” I think the kids and staff are all great, so, no I am definitely an invigilator.
Dorothy Kennedy.5 Kilmany Road,Wormit.
Gold filling?
Sir, – I refer to the £50,000 estimate for repairing a pothole at the Cadham Shopping Centre in Glenrothes (The Courier, Friday). Is the pothole to be filled with gold, or is this just another case of highway robbery?
John McDonald.14 Rosebery Court,Kirkcaldy.
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.