Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – Once again the SNP government has betrayed that its policies designed to protect our natural heritage are wholly at odds with its all-consuming renewable energy targets.
Last week Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson launched a consultation on a new governmental biodiversity strategy designed to ”engage people with the natural world” and ”empower them to have a say in decisions about their environment”.
This came just days after the launch of Scottish Natural Heritage’s revised plan to address climate change, in which Mr Stevenson wrote: ”Even a small proportion of the carbon stored in peatlands, if lost by erosion and drainage, could add significantly to our greenhouse gas emissions. Their importance to us on a global scale demands we should do more to protect this carbon store and to reduce emissions from degraded peatlands.”
Of course, while such aims are worthy, it is sheer hypocrisy for the minister to utter these platitudes when his own government is busy facilitating the wanton destruction of ancient peatlands on an unprecedented scale because of its own stated determination to ”re-industrialise Scotland” by building giant, industrial wind turbines from one end of the country to the other.
Equally hypocritical are claims to be empowering people to have their say in decisions about the environment when, almost every time a local authority turns down a planning application for an industrial windfarm, ministers call in the decision and overturn it, thus trampling on local democracy.
Surely the minister cannot be wholly blind to the cruel irony that by the time the Scottish Government’s various action plans are ready for implementation, yet further swathes of our most prized peatlands and the habitats they support will have been obliterated by the tide of ”green” energy developers besieging rural Scotland.
What good are strategies to protect our rural heritage without the treasured natural resources they are designed to protect?
Struan Stevenson MEP.President of the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development.
A repeat of the forces fiasco
Sir, – This irresponsible act by Parliament in reducing our regular armed services and increasing the Territorial Army is a copycat action of the Government after the First World War.
Everything was sold off and forces drastically reduced.
I can still remember the posters warning us in 1933 that war was imminent and to start air raid precautions.
War did start in 1938 and we entered in 1939. We sent more territorial soldiers than regular soldiers to help France.
Without any doubt our soldiers were ill-trained, ill-equipped, out-gunned and vastly outnumbered against the most modern army in the world.
I believe we sent approximately 13 divisions across to stop Hitler’s 76 divisions, six of which were armoured. The most up-to-date weaponry against our First World War equipment. We all know the result, ”Dunkirk”.
Our Commonwealth countries and America saved this country from the most ruthless regime one could imagine.
I think Mr Cameron is making exactly the same mistake.
James Mann.29 Airlie Drive,Monifieth.
Serious debate is required
Sir, – I have read over the past many months (and on occasion responded to) Jenny Hjul’s emotional unionist rantings.
As a daily reader and general fan of The Courier from an very early age, this weekly diatribe is clearly viewed by many of your readership as negative and unhelpful.
The need for a real and serious debate of the issues to be discussed ahead of the referendum is essential and I would challenge you to invite someone of stature to contribute from the pro-independence camp.
Oh, and one thing which has been bothering me for ages. I too was in London for the jubilee, my parents are SNP members, pro-independence and absolute royalists, so can Ms Hjul please stop talking like the two are mutually exclusive?
(Cllr) Neale Hanvey.Dunfermline Centraland Crossford.
Well worth the extra money
Sir, – I have heard that the Queen has cost us an extra £200,000 this year.
My immediate thought was, what a bargain. As our monarch, in her 60th year as Queen, she is still carrying out a schedule of engagements that would have many women (or men) half her age shirk at the thought.
If you cast an eye over any tourist brochure for Britain it is inevitably full of royal paraphernalia such as Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle, Windsor Castle etc which brings in much foreign currency and tourists to our country.
She is well worthy of only £200,000, much of which will go back directly into the economy through tax.
God save the Queen.
Willie Robertson.Forest Park Cottage,Lynton, Stanley.
They must all be consulted
Sir, ““ I note that the Prime Minister is touting a two-question Euro referendum. Does he not realise this will cause untold uncertainty in the business community and may hinder investment?
Particularly so, as there is no need for a referendum in the first place, as we are all ”Better Together”.
However, if he increases the franchise to French, German, Greek, Italian and Spanish citizens then at least there will be integrity to the result, as these European citizens all have a vested interest in the future of the EU and must be consulted.
Anything else would simply be manipulating the result.
Henry Malcolm.331 Clepington Road,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. Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number.