Sir, Surely it is too early to conclude that the leaders of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties have reneged on their promise to devolve more powers to Scotland.
However, it is clear for all to see that Alex Salmond has gone back on his word.
During the referendum campaign he asserted that it was a once in a generation opportunity for the people of Scotland to vote for independence.
During the television debates he repeatedly said that he would accept the result of the vote but now the opposite seems to be the case.
There was a clue on the eve of the vote when Blair Jenkins said that in the heat of the campaign people would make exaggerated claims that they didn’t really mean. He was referring, of course, to leaders of the three main parties in Westminster.
I remember thinking at the time that his mistake was to assume that David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg would behave in the same way as his colleagues in the Yes campaign who repeatedly made claims and assertions which were not true.
The claim that there would be a currency union was obviously one thing that was not in their power to deliver.
There were many other examples.
M Vansittart. 6 The Cribbs, St Monans.
The SNP should hand over reins
Sir, According to Mr Salmond, when the sovereign will of the Scottish people was declared at the referendum vote the irrevocable wish of Scotland would be honoured.
It now appears that elements of the SNP are weighing up the possibility of asking for a second opinion.
If they cannot let their disappointment at failure dissipate should they not be obliged to hand over control of the Scottish Government to people whose main interest is to create the best government we can have with the additional powers coming our way?
It will take a strong government to deal with many issues, not least the possibility that personal income tax rates in Scotland will be higher than English rates. The same difficulty will probably occur in respect of National Insurance contributions. These are, in my opinion, the tip of the iceberg.
A A Bullions. 6 Glencairn Crescent, Leven.
Telling it like it really is . . .
Sir, George Osborne’s four years at the Treasury have been a continuous struggle to bring the nation’s finances back into good order after Gordon Brown’s 13 years of profligacy. His proposal to freeze Britain’s £100 billion bill for working-age benefits for two years is a clear demonstration that he is better suited to making the tough decisions than Ed Balls.
Many people in work will be worse off than expected but the reductions will be more than offset by the higher income tax personal allowances he has already put in place. It provides clear blue water from Labour which still believes that more can be taken from a small band of richer taxpayers and homeowners to fund unsustainable public spending.
His conference speech was bold, honest and high risk but we are told the electorate longs for politicians to lay the plain facts in front of them and now we shall see if this is true.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
Thought we were tolerant
Sir, I am in complete agreement with letter writer Iain Richmond (Monday’s Courier) who finds the contempt for older voters, just because they voted against independence, insulting.
So do I and I would remind those decrying the over-65s who voted “no”, that for many decades,it has been this age group which has kept democracy alive by consistently turning out to vote in general and council elections while those in younger age groups couldn’t be bothered.
Up until the referendum hullabaloo I had always seen Scotland as a tolerant nation. The infantile reaction by some since, would appear to prove me horribly wrong.
Robert T Smith. 30 Braeside Terrace, Aberdeen.
They have got a right cheek!
Sir, Jim Ratcliffe, chairman of the Ineos plant at Grangemouth, has promised to give 6% of revenues to those living above shale gas developments. This could mean £375 million to be spent on local projects.
As to be expected, the ink has hardly dried when up jumps Lang Banks of WWF Scotland complaining that the size of payments “is a sure sign of how desperate the fossil fuel industry has become”.
What a cheek! He had nothing to say when wind farm developers resorted to financial bribes to communities so that the public did not oppose their numerous and destructive planning applications so that they, the developers, could reap the eye-watering subsidies for 25 years. And they allege “the wind is free”.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Need to shoot down this deal
Sir, Chicken washed in chlorine, and beef and pork injected with hormones, are illegal in this county. But the US government wants the UK and the rest of the EU to allow these American products to go on sale in our shops.
The ban on these dodgy meat products is just one of many regulations, designed to protect people and the environment, that could be threatened by a trade deal being negotiated between the EU and the US.
Multinational companies are pushing hard to get rid of any regulations that stand in their way. The UK government is backing the deal, once again putting big business above the lives of ordinary people.
Public opposition to the deal is growing rapidly. It’s time to stand up for ourselves and make sure this deal is abandoned.
John Higgins. 2 St Albans Terrace, Dundee.
A great advert for Scotland
Sir, Your Ryder Cup articles in Saturday’s Courier, “It was all a bit of an anti-climax” and “Barn Burner? This match failed to live up to hype”, were both inaccurate and shockingly negative representations of what was a great day’s golf for those who walked the course from start to finish.
My family and I were out from 6.30am in the chilly wind at the 3rd/4th/7th holes, a terrific atmosphere with the early morning roars from the first tee very clearly audible. An exciting early morning session with a big and vocal gallery.
Later, in the afternoon, Rory McIlroy’s 35-foot putt at the 17th and Sergio Garcia’s amazing second shot at the 18th in the foursomes, were as magical as G Mac’s final putt on the 16th in the gloaming.
Time for your reporters to get out of the media room and into the real world with the real supporters? We were thrilled throughout, the best international sporting event of many we’ve attended and left after a 15-hour day with a huge spring in our step and a happy song in our heart.
Well done to all the players and officials at Gleneagles. A truly great advertisement for Scotland and Perthshire.
Rod, Janet, Thomas and William McMillan. 154 Church Street, Broughty Ferry.
Wonderful staff at Ninewells
Sir, I recently had the misfortune to contract a serious illness which required me to spend four weeks in Ninewells Hospital.
I was rushed into HDU for a couple of nights and then into ward 23A, Neurology dept. With all the negativity which is surrounding us nowadays, I would like to commend highly the staff of the hospital for the excellent treatment I received.
The nursing staff were wonderful. Their compassion, care and big dose of humour kept me going in all circumstances. The medical team inspired confidence, the physios and OT’s huge encouragement and ambition. I would also compliment the chef for the food, particularly the soups and puddings.
We so often hear criticism, which only demoralises, so I would like to bring these words of encouragement.
Jonathan Marks. Northlees House, Kinfauns, Perth.