Sir, – The recent Clean for the Queen campaign has created controversy beyond its original intentions.
The reality is that litter is becoming the scourge of Scotland that often puts off visitors who come to this country drawn by visions of natural beauty unblighted by careless litter louts who spoil the environment.
I host many visitors from the Americas and elsewhere.
Too many times my visiting guests have mentioned the mounds of litter along our motorways that make an unwelcoming first impression after arriving in this country.
Too many times I have had to make excuses for motorists sitting in queues of traffic tossing fast-food containers, bottles and discarded baby nappies from their vehicles on to the verges.
Too many times I’ve had to try to draw attention away from students at lunch break as they toss litter and uneaten food on to the pavement as they walk directly past available refuse bins.
We all want visitors to Scotland to leave with a positive impression but unfortunately from my experience many leave perplexed by the careless attitude by Scots to their environment.
I recently tried to tell one of my visitors that due to cutbacks (austerity) the local councils were finding it difficult to cope with the litter.
My foreign guest mentioned they had no provision for litter clean-up in their city budget and that they never had such a provision yet their city and area were litter free. I was embarrassed.
What they were saying was that their culture emphasised individual responsibility whereas ours put the blame elsewhere.
In other words, their children, neighbours, and friends would not think of dropping litter with an expectation that the government would pick it up for them.
Frankly, I don’t care if it’s Clean for the Queen or some other gimmick, Scotland (and the rest of Britain) needs to address the litter problem and more importantly the overriding issue of personal responsibility.
Bill Davis. The Coach House, Reres Road, Dundee.
How much is parking profit?
Sir, – Road repairs for those supporting the economy of the city of Perth who travel from rural areas to work or shop should be a higher priority than new furniture for council offices.
I was told in November 2013 that the surplus income over expenditure from parking fees for the period 2008-13 was a total of £9,448,851.
Can Perth and Kinross Council please explain where all this money has been spent?
Garry Barnett. The Garden House, Campsie Hill, Guildtown.
Scotland’s roads in ruin
Sir, – Avoiding potholes large enough to tear off a wheel is a full-time task when driving on Scotland’s ghastly roads.
Now we learn that the Scottish Government has a Green Bus Fund for electric buses.
Already £500 million has gone to subsidising electric buses in Inverness. The SNP throws money at irrelevant projects while roads and bridges deteriorate into Third World status.
Malcolm Parkin. 15 Gamekeepers Road, Kinnesswood, Kinross.
Spend cash on Fife rail project
Sir, – The announcement that the Queensferry Crossing (above) is expeced to be completed at £1 billion less than the projected cost is welcome indeed.
Perhaps a tiny part of the billion pound saving could be used to reinstate the Leven to Thornton rail link as recommended by the recent Fife Council STAG report.
Just 5% of this saving could fund the construction of the single greatest improvement Levenmouth and Fife will have seen in 50 years.
Eugene Clarke. Chair, Levenmouth Rail Campaign, 17 Taeping Close, Cellardyke.
Hypocrisy of politicians
Sir, – Listening to Liam Fox complain about the scare tactics being used to convince us to vote to stay in Europe surprised me. It was a bit hypocritical after the scare tactics used during the independence referendum.
Grahame Walker. 61 Tweed Crescent, Dundee.
Council tax vow broken
Sir, – Credit to the SNP for devising a constructive method for breaking electoral promises. Make a promise, get elected, set up a commission then break the promise, citing the commission’s findings.
Paul Lewis. 99 Guardwell Crescent, Edinburgh.
Different roles for genders
Sir, – A key fact emerged on International Women’s Day: most people don’t want quotas of females enforced in senior positions.
Despite this lack of support, the political establishment takes it for granted that such measures are justified. This is yet another issue where voters are prevented from expressing their views at the ballot box because the main parties ail to represent a spectrum of opinion.
The liberal left loves identity grievance politics: what better justification for faith in big government than to convince people that they are part of a persecuted minority that needs special protection from the benevolent state?
The fact is that men and women are, in general, different.
Intellectual differences are not significant, but differences in outlook and values are substantial.
Women tend to be more drawn to commit themselves to domestic and family life, while men are inclined to the world outside the family.
That can lead to a happy and effectively balanced husband and wife team, giving children what they most need while the family is provided for materially.
This is not coincidental or the product of dark forces of socialisation, but is by design.
Anyone wishing to adopt another model of family life should be free to do so, without state interference. But those choosing a more traditional arrangement should not be penalised financially, and their taxes spent on subsidised child care for twin working families.
The SNP can try all it likes to make men and women make the same choices and behave in the same manner, but it won’t work.
There will always be more female primary school teachers and more male politicians.
Why can’t we just let people do what they want to do?
A woman who chooses full-time motherhood and a career offering more relational fulfilment than financial gain should not be regarded as a traitor to the feminist cause, a part of the pay-gap problem, or a weak-willed collaborator with patriarchy.
The way for a society to fulfil its potential is to cherish freedom of choice and celebrate contributions in all spheres of life.
Richard Lucas. 11 Broomyknowe, Colinton, Edinburgh.
Benefits of new drink-drive law
Sir, – Licensees are making an issue of the large number of pubs that are closing every week.
Has it not occurred to them that the good times are over and that the new alcohol limits for drivers are going a long way towards making the roads safer?
From figures available to date, the numbers experiencing death and serious injury through drink-driving has diminished considerably.
This has been brought about by drivers concentrating on the new limits, the side effect of which is to lower the sale of alcoholic products.
It has not come soon enough.
Allan Murray. 44 Napier Road, Glenrothes.
Beware backlash from Trump
Sir, – Donald Trump is so proud of his Scottish mother’s roots that he’s sure to want to be involved in New York’s Tartan Week if he should become US President.
Now that would be a sight: The Donald, Alex Salmond and/or Nicola Sturgeon together at the head of the Sixth Avenue parade.
They would be in a right stew if they did not turn up and spurned the US President.
Donald Trump would just love to hog the show and put the boot in.
Andrew Duncan. Upper Largo.