Sir, In Saturday’s paper a letter writer condemned people he calls Travellers for messing up the countryside, leading to a massive clean-up at a cost of thousands of pounds to taxpayers.
The Travellers he refers to, I presume, are indigenous people who come every year to the same places. He urges councillors to get a bit of backbone and stand up for the taxpayers. It is not the fault of councillors, it’s the taxpayers themselves who cause the problem.
When areas for transient sites are proposed, Nimby attitudes intervene and sites are turned down. Seasonal visitors are forced to park where they know they are not welcome because of public complaints. On places where there are no amenities. May I add, the visitors fill their petrol tanks and shop locally as any tourist would.
I am a long-time settled Traveller, our camping places have long since been denied us or given to caravan clubs with no ‘Travellers’ rules.
Driving north west last weekend I too saw dozens of caravans, makeshift canvas abodes, old cars and vans clogging long swathes of bonny Loch Earn’s shoreside.
The mess was vile, rubbish piled high, spewed onto the road. Trees were hacked to pieces, grasses ripped up. What a sight for tourists and visitors to view.
When I was small we never left a mess here, it was too precious.
Sadly, these seasonal visitors don’t live here so they don’t care. Police don’t harass them and councils gladly pick up the cleaning cost. Well, these are taxpaying citizens, respectable people; fishermen enjoying their hobby.
Tell that to the mallard duck bobbing on the murky filth at the waterside, slowly dying with a fishing hook stuck down its throat.
So come on, letter writer, why don’t you grow a bit of backbone and say what you really mean you don’t want to see Travellers, full stop.
Just tell the truth and stop loading excuses into piles of ammunition for throwing at those you think are Travellers.
Jess Smith. 1 Coishavachan, Invergeldie, Glen Lednock, Comrie.
Proper labelling is required
Sir, Supermarkets and restaurant chains are selling halal meat to millions of customers without telling them.
People complained.
The deputy chairman of food standards for the Muslim Council of Britain, Dr Yunes Telnaz, immediately says that their objections show “Islamophobia”.
If Muslims wish to eat only halal food then they can but others should not be compelled by deception to do the same.
Muslims are 4.8% of the population.
Dr Taj Hargey, Director of Muslim Educational Centre of Oxford and Imam of Oxford Islamic Congregation considers that this issue is covert religious extremist and creeping Islamic fundamentalism.
With the exception of pork, Dr Hargey says that the idea that Muslims cannot eat non-halal food is wrong and there is no theological basis in the Koran, the supreme text of Islam. He states that all that is required is that the individual says a prayer just prior to actual consumption and this makes the meat fit halal to eat.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Dr Taj Hargey, so can the remaining 95.2% of the public be told through proper labelling which is halal meat and let them choose?
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Campaign just an excuse
Sir, The current vociferous campaign against Halal and Shechita slaughter of food animals is a transparent excuse to get away with showing the sort of prejudice against Muslims and Jews that is no longer acceptable in a multi-racial and multi-faith society. After all, if anybody really cared about animal suffering, they’d be vegans and not debating about whether pre-stunning is necessary.
As an atheist carnivore, I can merely attest to the infinitely superior flavour of animals killed by these methods. Unfortunately, I have been unable to procure a supply of pork so killed. But if any of your readers know of a religion or culture which mandates killing in this way and eats pig meat, I would be glad to hear from them.
John Eoin Douglas. 7 Spey Terrace, Edinburgh.
Deserve better from service
Sir, June Reid is correct in her observation of the timetabling of the extended 33 bus service to the new Life Services Centre at Lothian Crescent in Whitfield (Letters, May 10).
It is not good enough to add mileage to an already beleaguered bus service and expect the bus drivers to maintain an efficient service.
This extra mileage is not uncommon within National Express journey times and adds extra stress to an already stressful occupation. The main problem is National Express never consult with the experts (the drivers) when changing these routes or time tables.
The residents of my North East Ward that the 33 bus serves deserve better, as do the drivers.
Councillor Brian Gordon. North East Ward, Dundee.
Prompt way to deal with it
Sir, I empathise with your correspondent Gordon Kennedy in regard to his displeasure in receiving unsolicited mailshots from the Conservative Party.
I, too, receive unsolicited letters from sources I have not been previously been associated with, but, unlike Mr Kennedy, I have adopted a very different approach to this problem and promptly bucket the unread material.
G E Muir. 70 Abbey Road, Scone.