Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir, – The vexed question of high rail fares into Dundee rightly concerns Jenny Marra MSP (Comment, August 17). The right fare structure and the associated subsidies are vital not just for the city but for investment in all of the east of Scotland.
She might have mentioned another key point about getting people to the City of Discovery and all around Fife and Tayside a concessionary fare structure for pensioners.
Why is it the local authorities in the London area can combine to create a Freedom Pass for pensioner travel, and local authorities in Scotland cannot? That pass offers the over-60s free travel on the Undergound, buses, the rail network within the London orbit and even a small number of Thames ferries.
It happened because the various authorities were prepared to talk to and work with each other. It helps with mobility, an improved quality of life and the economy.
With rail fares rising this might not be the best time to discuss another concession for pensioners but when the V&A opens I’m willing to wager that the over-60s will form a large part of its client group.
Well, I can hear the cry, they can get there free by bus! But not all will find it convenient to do so. Some might choose to use cars to travel from outside the city with more impact on congestion and the environment.
Jenny Marra needs to look at the wider picture if she wants to see access to the V&A and all the arts in Scotland.
Bob Taylor.24 Shiel Court,Glenrothes.
Charity should begin at home
Sir, – The Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, has said that India intends to launch a space craft to Mars in November 2013. The cost of this will be £50 million.
Since British taxpayers are committed to an eight-year foreign aid package totalling £1.6 billion you could say that the British people have financed this exploration.
We are no longer ”Great” Britain but ”soft-touch” Britain which thinks it can buy other countries’ support with generous handouts. Charity really should begin at home.
The aid package runs to 2015 but we must pull the plug on India now and gain some self-respect. The £800 million saved can be used to get our unemployed back to work and to reduce fuel poverty.
Clark Cross.138 Springfield Road,Linlithgow.
A wonderful performance
Sir, – I was one of the lucky people invited to attend the ART Moves performance of A Comedy of Errors.
I was surprised to read the article in the Saturday edition that the provost praised the staff of the theatre but made no mention of the excellent work John Binnie as director had done not just for this performance but for the previous ones also.
May I also give thanks to all the volunteers who worked so hard to ensure that this production was so good?
I know that many hours of work went into making the costumes and there are many other tasks to be done.
The volunteers give their time freely and probably don’t even ask for expenses.
Once again the ART Moves members under the guidance of John Binnie have shown how talented they are and their enthusiasm is to be applauded.
Mary Dow.70 Provost Buchan Road,Brechin.
A tradition of tolerance
Sir, – The harsh and contemptuous attitude displayed by the Scottish Catholic hierarchy in the debate over gay marriage does not reflect Britain’s tradition of tolerance.
In 1979 the English Catholic Church issued guidelines confirming its responsibility to work towards the elimination of any injustices perpetrated by society on gay people.
This policy was strengthened in 1997 by Cardinal Hume who wrote that love between two people whatever their sexual orientation must be treasured and respected.
He also dismissed out of hand the absurd argument that gay marriage would undermine heterosexual marriage and insisted it was in the best interests of society.
It would seem to me perfectly proper for Catholics to accept the more humane views of Cardinal Hume and support the legal extension of marriage to same-sex couples.
Rev Dr John Cameron.10 Howard Place,St Andrews.
Ignoring the true cost
Sir, – A favourite trick of the green brigade is to ignore capital cost when justifying anything.
The CO2 generated during the manufacture, transportation, installation, connection, infrastructure and servicing of windfarms must be huge.
So, just as with capital cost, no amortisation calculation is made for CO2 either.
The reality is that wind turbines are very likely to be increasing CO2 output on a permanent basis, because the CO2 produced during their creation may not be recovered during their working lifetime.
Malcolm Parkin.15 Gamekeepers Road,Kinnesswood,Kinross.
No place for such groups
Sir, – As a business which displayed the Union Flag proudly during both the Olympics and Queen’s diamond jubilee celebrations we applaud the council licensing committee’s decision to ban the Scottish Defence League from demonstrating in the City Square, Dundee.
There is no place for such organisations in Britain and Dundee Trades Council are to be congratulated in keeping issues of racism and fascism to the forefront of local thinking.
I would have despaired to see this country’s flag sullied in such a fashion.
John Justice.Pillars Bar & Salty Dog Lounge,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.