Sir, In his letter (February 11), Ian Macaulay attempts to justify the rapidly increasing and current £300 million per year actual subsidies paid to wind turbine operators by repeating the long since discredited canard that £2.6 billion “subsidies” are paid annually to the coal, oil and gas sector.
The cornerstone for this alleged fossil fuel “subsidy” is that the domestic energy supplies to consumers is subject to a VAT rate of only 5% rather than the standard rate of 20%.
This is a complete red herring in that wind-generated electricity is also subjected to the same lower 5% VAT rate and this in no way is comparable to the genuine subsidies paid to wind generators per MWh generated and paid for by additional charges via our electricity bills.
The lower domestic fuel VAT rate, which has no impact on the costs and profits of fossil fuel suppliers, results in a lowering of energy bills whereas the wind subsidies add costs and increase the profits of wind generators resulting in an increase in our bills.
Dr GM Lindsay. Whinfield Gardens, Kinross.
Private benefit from windfarm
Sir, Ian Macaulay (Subsidies are a means to an end, February 11) destroys the sole justification claimed for windfarms by confusing personal and public subsidy. The coal and nuclear industries are publicly subsidised for the benefit of the national economy, whereas windfarms are subsidised individually for private benefit.
Landowners cannot build a nuclear power station or open a coalmine on their estate but, by bribing the community with “development funds”, they might win consent to erect gigantic turbines in order to retire in luxury on rental income from the energy company, regardless of the damage to the landscape or the nuisance to their neighbours or the negligible value of the electricity produced in relation to the amount of subsidy, plus “compensation” paid when there is no wind, or too much.
Vivian Linacre. 21 Marshall Place, Perth.
Cars will now no longer need us
Sir, I read with interest in The Courier (February 11), about the Government launch of the first driverless cars.
It is almost like an April the First wind-up. If cars can drive themselves and go places, why should they bother about us humans? What’s the point? (tongue in cheek).
Ed Thomson. Camphill, Broughty Ferry, Dundee.
The arrogance of power
Sir, I write about Dundee City Council’s attempted eviction of their own janitor from his tied house at Sidlaw View Primary School where he has lived with his family for the last 14 years. The council did not even have the good grace to tell him of their plans and he only learned of them by chance in December.
Dictatorial, unsympathetic and heavy-handed undoubtedly but self regarding and unaccountable also. Without the merest trace of irony a spokesman for the council’s democratic and legal services division stated: “We do not comment on ongoing legal matters.” Oh, the arrogance of power, and what a misnomer!
John Justice, (retired solicitor) 20 Staffa Place, Dundee.
Can’t they see the folly of this?
Sir, One has to ask: “What is going on in Perth and Kinross?” Do we, the ratepayers, deserve this council?
Does it know the difference between £500,000 planned saving on “cultural and community services” and approximately £10,000,000 of other unnecessary and grandiose expenses which they have in the pipeline?
We are all agreed there is a severe shortfall in the city coffers, so is this the time to spend millions on refurbishing No. 2 High Street for the greater comfort of councillors and staff?
Is this the time to spend further millions on Perth Theatre which was perfectly functional before being prematurely closed for enlargement and realigning to Mill Street?
Is this the time to refuse to sell the City Hall and instead plan to demolish it at a cost of several millions more?
It is not. This is the time to make the most of our assets. Put the council employees back where they were, reopen and use the theatre, keep and profit from the City Hall.
Demolition of a well-loved, listed building is unforgivable. Refurbishments should wait until we can afford them.
So, is this council “fit for purpose”?
Eva McDonald. 10 Rose Terrace, Perth.
Local knowledge a basic essential
Sir, It was rather sad to see the demolition of the former Fife Constabulary, with the latest move being to transfer the control staff to Bilston Glen in Edinburgh.
A friend of mine who worked in the Fife Control room when it was located in the former NCB offices at Dysart, tells me that the staffing level on each eight-hour shift was a sergeant and two constables with an inspector on duty during the daytime.
All the staff knew every area of the force, as did the patrol car crews, who were on patrol within designated areas of the county 24 hours a day, and 999 and non-emergency calls were answered immediately and police units, or specialist personnel, were directed to the location.
Local knowledge is a basic essential for effective policing, but the politicians always seem to know better. Of course our recorded crime is down!
John McDonald. 14 Rosebery Court, Kirkcaldy.