Sir, – It seems I have annoyed Allan MacDougall by “having a pop” at the Holyrood government on the subject of immigration.
His response seems to be that the buck is passed to Westminster onmatters of necessary screening of immigrants.
As a self-confessed nationalist, perhaps he can tell us what might have happened were Scotland independent and without theeconomic and fiscalability to finance the immigration controls that he apparently agrees to be necessary.
He avoids completely the issue of the necessity of immigrant integration and acceptance of our social and culturalvalues.
He should try visiting Saudi Arabia and Muslim-controlled countries in Africa to see what would happen if he insisted on following a typical UK lifestyle in such places.
On a further point, Brussels, the political capital of Europe, was in lockdown this week and it was revealed that 40% of the population of Brussels are avowed followers of the Muslim faith and that the authorities have no idea about the extent of integration intolerance because of too many years of complacency and an absence of intelligence information on the behaviours of its immigrant population.
Maybe, instead of delivering a lecture on the need for greater tolerance on my part (otherwise known as blind faith in the good intentions of foreign immigrants) he might pause to consider the wider issues of failed integration in the UK and precisely what the SNP should be doing about that bothat Holyrood and atWestminster.
Wishful thinking and vote-catching Holyrood gestures do not solve such problems andneither does hand-wringing over the next atrocity that may bevisited on a UK city because of misguided magnanimity.
So far as I understand, the UK Government through the Department for International Development is already providing millions of pounds to support war refugees in their local regions.
Do we wish to see a policy statement from the SNP on immigration?
Yes we do and I think the majority of people in Scotland might agree with me.
Derek Farmer. Knightsward Farm, Anstruther.
Treat Turkey with caution
Sir, – We should refrain from taking sides in the dispute over the downing of the Russian fighter jet by the Turkish military.
In Syria, Russia is serving our best interests by fighting against the various Sunni Islamist groups, including so-called Islamic State, which was responsible for the Paris atrocities.
Turkey’s behaviour has been far from that of a reliable ally of the West.
Despite the fact that Turkey has long been a security state, it has allowed its borders to remain wide open.
In the West this has led to large flows of migrants to the EU including some of the Paris terrorists.
In the East this has allowed both volunteers to flow to ISIS and trained terrorists to return home.
Turkey is quite capable of military action in Syria when it suits itsgovernment.
Its prime minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, admitted that, when in February a Turkish military column entered Syria, it had nopermission from anyone.
Nor can anybody have any illusions about the Islamist agenda of President Erdogan, who has long worked to dismantle the secular legacy of Kemal Ataturk.
For the foreseeable future we will have to treat Turkey as at best a dubious ally.
Otto Inglis. 6 Inveralmond Grove, Edinburgh.
Population threat to world
Sir, – Alan Hinnrichs is (November 24) correct to say climate change is happening, unfortunately no one knows for sure whether man is responsible.
Climate change has been happening since the dawn of time. The biggest threat to our planet is population explosion which no one seems to want to talk about.
The world’s population has increased by more than 74.5 million since the start of the year and these are mouths that need food and water and fuel that is getting increasingly scarce.
It is time politicians confronted this elephant in the room and dealt with it.
Bob Duncan. 110 Caesar Avenue, Carnoustie.
Nonsensical energy policy
Sir, – Our energy policy looks increasingly like an act of national suicide and we are heading for our greatest self-inflicted political disaster sincewe declared war onGermany in 1914.
An attempt was initiated by New Labour, supported by Alex Salmond, to decarbonise ourelectricity supply.
Billions of pounds in subsidies were poured into renewables and the world’s highest carbon taxes loaded onto coal and gas to make our unreliable windmills appear competitive.
With the crunchlooming, the Government has sourced at colossal expense thousands of filthy dieselgenerators from China in an attempt to keep at least some lights on.
Energy Secretary Amber Rudd trots out the former First Minister’s delusional nonsense about “setting an example to world” but the world is taking not a blind bit of notice.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
SNP pander to wealthy Scots
Sir, – Your usual correspondents are effusive in their praise of the SNP and withering in their contempt for theWestminster Government.
They seem strangely blinkered to the obscenity that in Scotland (which, last time I looked, was run by the SNP) the sons and daughters of the rich get free education, and the sons and daughters of the rich (and the rich themselves) get free prescriptions, while the poor have to turn increasingly to food banks.
The SNP group at Westminster preen and posture.
But what have the feeble 56 (or, 55, or 54, or however many it is now) actually achieved?
Well, they have stopped English shops opening on Sundays.
What a triumph for Scottish Nationalism. Onwards and upwards.
Bob Stark. Mill Street, Tillicoultry.
Tallboy stood above the rest
Sir, – I was interested to read your news story (November 21) about the Tallboy bomb being built in Fife.
Although I never prepared one in anger, I prepared several during training exercises.
The bomb was designed to toppletargets and Barnes Wallis offset the tail fins to give it spin, like a bullet.
It would hit the ground marginally in excess of the speed of sound.
It had three firing mechanisms and was used with a 28-second delay detonator (or sometimes a longer delay), to enable it to penetrate to its earthquake depth before exploding.
It was virtually hand made, for precision, and was so expensive to produce that it was one of the few weapons crews were ordered to bring back to base if they failed to get to the target.
It was arguably a better weapon than the bigger Grand Slam and perhaps its best known use was to sink the Tirpitz,a sortie flown from Lossiemouth, I think.
Laurie Richards. 100 Crail Road, Cellardyke.
We live in a crazy world
Sir, – At the weekend I purchased a little coat for my doggie, with the help of a young assistant.
She said that if the one I chose didn’t fit, I should just bring it back and change it.
After putting the coat along the dog’s back I realised it wasn’t suitable and neatly packed it in its original packet and put my receipt with it.
On Monday I returned to shop and was told they didn’t exchange dog coats because of health and safety measures.
I remonstrated with the assistant and pointed out it was a dog not a human being and what was there to cause a health hazard. But she said it was their rule and that was that. So now I have no coat and no money refunded. How crazy has this world become?
Fiona McMillan. Ethiebeaton Terrace, Monifieth.
Outstanding customer care
Sir, – For some time it has been obvious that customer service no longer applies to many businesses but my faith was restored when my freezer broke down.
I contacted Colin Smith Electrical inForfar and asked for a new chest freezer, which had to be ordered.
So that I didn’t lose the contents of my freezer, Smith’s brought out two smaller ones on loan, and when they didn’t hold all the contents of my own freezer, brought out a third.
Smith’s took it all in their stride with no fuss, no extra charge for the freezers on loan and no delivery charge. It goes to show that the smaller, privately-owned stores can outshine the others.
(Mrs) Judith Dorman. Gradonfield, Westmuir, Kirriemuir.
Scots would be left out in cold
Sir, – As we know, were Scotland to become a brand new member of the European Union, we would be bound by the 1999 rules of the EU.
We would have to accept all policieswithout exception.
David Cameron’slatest policy would introduce a new EU rule for any Scot travelling south to look for work.
I quote the Prime Minister: “..we have proposed that people coming to Britain from the EU must live here and contribute for four years before they qualify for in-work benefits or social housing”.
If we stay within the UK, we can go anywhere on these islands to find work and get the benefits we’ve paid for.
But if Mr Cameron gets his way, we would be on a par with all other countries. This would apply no matter how much NationalInsurance you have already paid in Scotland.
Andrew Dundas. 34 Ross Avenue, Perth.