Sir, – Does the House of Lords need reform simply because it thwarted the Government’s plans on tax credits?
I read JenniferDempsie’s pleas for a written constitution to try to overcome future problems between the two Westminsterparliament chambers (October 28).
That may be one way but it would involveyears and years ofcontroversy.
Another is the introduction of an electedsecond chamber although that too is fraught with difficulty.
For the moment I think we should just celebrate the fact that, on this occasion, the Lords behaved in an exemplary fashion.
Not least was the contribution made by Baroness Hollis of Heigham.
By consultation with parliament’s clerks and use of library facilities, she was able to show a number of things.
She was able to refute the Government claim that the tax credit proposals were a finance bill when it was not. It was simply a statutory instrument.
She showed how it was possible for the Government to provide transitional relief for existing claimants, apply the full changes to new claimants and still get most of the savings it wanted.
Even more important, she showed that the full facts had not beengiven to the House ofCommons before it voted on the matter.
By any standards it was an accomplished parliamentary performance by a peer who had every right to show that, in many ways, theGovernment had simply got it wrong.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.
Schools need more discipline
Sir, – Like most people I was deeply shocked and saddened to hear about the death of a teenager at a school in Aberdeen.
But I seriously have felt for a long time that teachers do an excellent and hard job but it is made harder by the fact that some children in the classrooms have a complete lack of boundaries and seem to be afraid of nobody and they also are very aware of their rights.
The worst thing tohappen to the education system in Britain was the abolition of corporal punishment.
If children misbehaved or were disrespectful in class, they were given or threatened with the belt.
I realise that while we are part of Europe this would never be allowed because of human rights laws.
But when I was younger if I was given the belt for misbehaving and I went home to my parents and complained about it I would get one from them as well.
It never did me or millions of children like me any harm and it acted as a deterrent for bad behaviour. Where isdiscipline in schools?
Gordon Kennedy. 117 Simpson Square, Perth.
Cash wasted on nuclear deal
Sir, – Tory councillor Mac Roberts is in the right when he expresses fears that the use offoreign suppliers and contractors in projects may result in the loss of control (October 28).
It would reassure me immensely if he could have a word with David Cameron about the new nuclear plant to be built at Hinkley Point in Somerset by France and China costing £25 billion, the cost to be shared between China and France.
It does not reassureme to find that the UK Government hasguaranteed EDF (a French state-owned company) a price of £92.50 per megawatt hour when the present wholesale price is £45.
This may sound like a lot of money but then I’m sure that this large outlay will be mitigated by the savings coming from the Tory Government cancelling those green energy grants which have caused the collapse of so many promising green energy projects in Scotland.
George White. 2 Cupar Road, Auchtermuchty.
Folly of UK energy policy
Sir, – I strongly believe certain utilities such as power generation and water should be solely in the hands of the nation without exception.
George Osborne must also know that is so, yet he has made a somewhat idiotic decision to pass the master controls of proposed nuclear generation to China. He isdesperate to defend his error behind a political firewall by saying the decision will create 25,000 jobs.
As someone who has worked on several nuclear power station construction projects, these are grosslyexaggerated numbers.
However, the building will create work and to be perfectly realistic, exactly the same number ofjobs would be created constructing UK-funded stations.
Colin Cookson. 37 Hatton Green, Stenton, Glenrothes.
Time for real cost cutting
Sir, – Due to the £28 million pounds Dundee City Council has to save, there will be redundancies. It is inevitable according to the chief executive.
I would also bet that it is inevitable that most of them will be on the bottom rungs, bin men, park staff, painters, joiners, anything but managers or those on £80,000 or more a year.
In some departments there are almost asmany managers and supervisors as there are workers.
Workers are the people who physically do the job of emptying bins or cutting grass, painting doors and so on.
Let’ see if this SNP council can break the mould and keep the lowest paid in jobs and have a real money-saving clear out.
Bill Duthie. 25 St Fillans Road, Dundee.
UK could retain Faslane base
Sir, – The case of the UK having responsibility for the refugees on the British sovereign bases in Cyprus should finally give the lie to all the nonsense about Faslane.
When independence comes, it simply becomes a sovereign British base.
Guantanamo Bay has existed as a sovereign US base in Cuba for more than a century, even through the missilecrisis.
There is no reason why Faslane should not do the same, retaining the jobs but without havingTrident in Scotland.
Laurie Richards. 100 Crail Road, Cellardyke.
Foreign steel increased costs
Sir, – Recent letters on this page have decried the use of foreign steelin the new Forthcrossing.
However, the original 1964 road bridge usedAmerican steel, as the supply of British steel from Port Talbot in Wales was unreliable due to numerous strikes at the time.
This choice of material then added to the costof subsequent strengthening of the towers, as the American steel had to be specially treated prior to welding with steel from the United Kingdom.
Malcolm Parkin. Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.
Scots workers were let down
Sir, – I, like many other Scots, am proud of the world-famous Forth Bridge.
It has stood for many years as a landmark to Scottish railwayengineering and was even pictured on our banknotes.
I am, however, worried that the new Queensferry Crossing willbe remembered for its contribution to the lossof the Scottish steel industry.
The new bridge isfollowing an extraordinary path the Holyrood assembly began when its building was designed by a Spaniard. The steel is all being imported from, among other places, China.
If Scotland is aspiring to be a nation again,then the Holyroodbrigade have some very strange methods.
Willie Robertson. Grianan, Lynton, Stanley.
A time to remember
Sir, – In the wake of the controversy about modifications to the London Cenotaph service, may I reassure readers that the Royal Naval Reserve Service of Remembrance onboard HMS Unicorn (Sunday November 8 at3pm) will follow ourtraditional trusted and tested format.
Unicorn’s ancienttimbers will once again reverberate to the sound of familiar, inspiring hymns sung to thesplendid accompaniment of Dundee Instrumental Band and we aim for an atmosphere of friendliness and comradeship as we pay our respects to the fallen.
The service takes place in the afternoon to avoid conflict with themorning’s events and all, be they serving personnel or veterans of any of the services, families, friends or indeed anyone else will be made very welcome at this uplifting event.
Roderick Stewart (Lt Cdr RNR). Dronley House, Dundee.
Don’t lose our voice in Europe
Sir, – David Cameron’s assertion that for the UK to form a Norwegian-style arrangement with the EU is not in theUK’s best interests is absolutely correct.
Norway is a member of the European Economic Area but enacts most EU legislation in order to maintain access to the single market.
Not being a full EU member, it does not participate in decision making in Brussels but abides by its decisions.
It is what is known as fax democracy, with Oslo awaiting instructions from Brussels.
Norway has no seat at the negotiating table. It has no veto in the European Council, no votes in the EU’s Council of Ministers, no MEPs and no European commissioner to help.
In addition, Norway also pays about £432 million a year to the EU.
It is no surprise that Norway’s Foreign Minister Borge Brende earlier this year stated that it makes sense for the UK to stay in the European Union where it canhave more influence than outside.
Alex Orr. 77 LeamingtonTerrace, Edinburgh.