Sir, Jim Wallace (September 26) repeats the old nonsense that an independent Scotland would not have been able to bail out those banks with headquarters here.
If Scotland had to find the whole amount this would have been difficult, but not impossible. However, Andrew Hughes-Hallett, Professor of Economics at St Andrew’s University says: “In the case of the RBS, roughly speaking 90% of its operations are in England and 10% are in Scotland, the result being that the rest of the UK would have to carry 90% of the liabilities of the RBS and Scotland 10%.”
The question itself presumes that Holyrood would have been as incompetent in its regulation of the banks as Westminster was.
Many other countries with better regulation did not have to bail out their banks.
What concerned me about the bail out of the banks by Westminster was how incompetent managers were allowed to walk away with millions of pounds in pension pots whilst ordinary tax payers were left to pick up the bill.
This is just one indication that Westminster is government by the rich, for the rich.
Andrew Collins. Ladyburn House, Skinners Steps, Cupar.
Encourage and support Scots language
Sir, It is good to see figures being produced for the first time from the 2011 census on the number of those speaking Scots (September 27).
Now that we know that 1.54 million people speak the language and where they are located we can begin to plan how to support communities of Scots speakers and encourage these communities to value their language and pass it on to future generations.
After centuries of neglect it is time for action to be taken to safeguard the language for the future and we are calling on the Scottish Government to draw up a Charter for Scots outlining how the language and its dialects can be supported more effectively.
Children are the key to the future health of the language and we’d like to see new efforts being made to encourage innovative projects aimed at creating a sense of pride and self-worth amongst Scots speaking school pupils.
For centuries the Scots language has been at the heart of our culture, it has helped define us as people and has been one of the key outlets through which we have expressed ourselves artistically and creatively.
Scotland without the Scots language would be a pale imitation of itself and we must do everything we can to encourage and promote it.
Michael Hance. Director, Scots Language Centre, A K Bell Library, Perth.
Unwanted visitors
Sir, I was very disappointed to read that the far-right Scottish Defence League (SDL) are planning a return to Dundee next month, a view, I am sure, shared by many fellow citizens of Dundee.
They certainly were not given any indication that their extremely toxic views had any place here when they attempted a City Square demonstration last year and I hope they will be given similar short shrift this year.
I trust Councillor Guild will be as vocal in his condemnation of these unwanted visitors to our streets as he was when he let everyone know his views on travellers coming to this area. There will, after all, be a hefty policing bill associated with the SDL visit no doubt!
D F McPhee. Charleston, Dundee.
Hope there is no ’79 repeat
Sir, Jim Crumley hit the mark in a recent column. I remember the overwhelming disappointment I felt after the 1979 referendum when fear and timidity won over hope, delaying our Parliament for another 20 years.
This licensed Thatcher to do all the harm which so damaged our industry and ultimately our banks as well.
Are self-doubt and caution to prevail again? Is our future to be a shrivelled, shadowy half nation or something more spirited? I hope we grab the opportunity we are being given.
The referendum is not about Alex Salmond it’s 5.3 million times bigger than that.
Iain Haxton. Macbeth Cottage, Birnam, Dunkeld.
Only crumbs of comfort
Sir, Pensioners have borne the brunt since Gordon Brown “saved the world” by putting the money printing presses into hyperdrive euphemistically called “quantitative easing”.
Interest rates were slashed to 0.5% in the spring of 2009 and more than a million elderly people have been consigned to a life of poverty as a result of this strategy.
Pension hopes were wrecked by the Bank of England’s £400 billion gilts purchases and it is unclear how or when this will be unwound and a semblance of normality restored.
Now the bank’s new governor Mark Carney claims that Britain is finally bouncing back from the financial crisis and recession and he sees no need for further “easing”.
His words are a crumb of comfort but the fact is the policy drove down annuity rates and some pensioners receive a permanently smaller income from the nest-eggs they saved.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.