Today’s letters to The Courier.
Sir. – If David Cameron perceives the building of houses as the key part of our national recovery he has miles to go on the road to Britain’s salvation.
Building houses for a population swollen beyond reason by uncontrolled immigration is to continue the culpable policies which have got us into our present travail over the past decades and if his reported platitudes this past weekend are the best he can drum up for the new session of Parliament then he is not fit for the job of Prime Minister.
We live in a world where trade, as always, is king and money is the oil which renders trade more smooth.
Our remaining manufacturing industrial base, therefore still home to the genius that not so long ago made us the workshop of the world should be favoured at every turn by reducing inhibitive taxation and ratings and every other hurdle that bureaucratic, socialistic administrations here have devised.
Subsidies and support currently being wasted wholesale on the dubious ”green” industry should be channelled into the research and development of the new electronic, nuclear enterprises of the 21st century.
Alastair Harper.House of Gask,Lathalmond,by Dunfermline.
We need facts and answers to allow debate
Sir, – David Kelly (Letters, September 3), accused me of distasteful slurs and dredging up nightmares of possible media changes in Scotland if the SNP achieve separation from the UK.
Press reports (August 25) stated Mr Salmond would establish a national broadcast service based on the staff and assets of the BBC in Scotland.
Many Scots will interpret that as an implied move towards nationalisation of Scottish broadcasting.
Scotland will respect any political party in our Edinburgh Parliament which guarantees independence of comment coupled with freedom from political influence within the Scottish media.
Not one word of my letter of August 31 accused the SNP of being racial or fascist.
The reference to German WW2 media domination is historically factual and still exists today in many countries.
I merely warned of what could happen again in any authoritarian regime.
Mr Kelly reverts to the current SNP hysterical personalised attack on any person who publicly supports the Union.
He calls for a more rational and less negative debate on separation from the UK. That would be possible if the SNP gave answers rather than soundbites, facts rather than silence (eg hiding legal views on future EU entry), minimised their PR posturing and produced detailed policies on which to judge the future of Scotland if separated from the UK.
Personal attacks on the commentators and ignoring the issues is not the answer but is the saddest of methods used by the SNP.
Angus Brown.The Orchard,Longforgan.
Where is the compromise?
Sir, – An article by Alan Richardson drew attention to ”complaints about noise from jet-skis” on the Tay at Perth (August 30).
”City centre councillor Heather Stewart said she had had complaints about noise from the jet skis from all around the area” and a spokesman for the skiers admitted to ”a couple of run-ins with anglers”.
My own concern, however, echoes the advice of the police to ”watch for wildlife” which the jet skiers appear to have ignored having skied upriver throughout the breeding season.
The skiers have not been sticking to the area between Perth Bridge and the railway bridge but have, defiantly perhaps, been doing figures-of-eight well beyond Perth Bridge, which does not look like ”efforts to compromise”.
Mrs G. Ogilvie.19 Bridgend Court,Main Street,Perth.
Hard-working cheerful staff
Sir – I must congratulate Dundee City Council for the way in which their staff worked so cheerfully and tirelessly in keeping the ground conditions in such reasonable order at the flower show.
Without their hard work it would have been much worse. Thank you to all involved.
Ally Taylor.Guide Dogs for the Blind.
Why the need?
Sir, – David Kelly writes of the ”independence movement’s desire for a modern, pluralist and social democratic Scotland” (Letters, September 3). Since we already enjoy such conditions, why this needless and irresponsibly expensive referendum?
Andrew Lawson.9 MacLaren Gardens,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.