Sir, – A strong case now exists for a fatal accident inquiry into the Clutha helicopter crash (October 24).
Why? Because it is now one means of trying to find out about the state of mind of the pilot David Traill. By all accounts, as a former RAF helicopter pilot, he had above-average experience of navigation.
The problems with fuel management, which the Air Accident Investigation Branch highlighted, could not be put down to inadequate knowledge on Mr Traill’s part.
We need to know much more about his state of mind before he undertook the flight concerned. This may be unpalatable but it is necessary if we are to get at the truth.
Some parallels do exist with the Glasgow bin lorry inquiry.
The Lord Advocate decided there was not enough evidence to secure a conviction against the driver Harry Clarke. At least the bereaved relatives were able to hear something about his medical background.
At least they were given some idea of what actually caused the disaster, even if it was not enough to justify taking some sort of legal proceedings against him.
A fatal accident inquiry may discover that there was nothing Mr Traill could have done to prevent the Clutha tragedy.
For the sake of the reputation of Scottish justice and the peace of mind of the bereaved, it should be carried out as soon as possible.
Our consciences might then be clear that all has been done to discover what actually happened.
Bob Taylor. 24 Shiel Court, Glenrothes.
Think of plight of farmers
Sir, – I was disappointed by your headline, Red meat ‘as big a cancer danger as smoking’ (October 24).
The articled related to processed and cured meats but your headline did not reflect this.
It is only when the reader got to the end of the article that you learned that a European study showed that bowel cancer rates were similar in vegetarians and meat eaters.
The farming industry is going through a very tough period at the moment and I find this kind of headline disappointing to say the least.
Jean Rattray. West Park Farm, Auchterarder.
Councillor owes an apology
Sir, – It was with some interest I read your letters column on October 23.
I was particulary interested, or rather more accurately concerned, regarding the input of Conservative Councillor Mac Roberts of Carse of Gowrie.
He stated: “Perhaps if the Scottish Government had awarded the steel contract for the new Forth crossing to a Scottish firm, rather than a foreign one, steelmaking in Scotland might have had a future”.
As anyone with even the most basic knowledge of tendering knows, a contract can only be awarded to a company which actually submits a tender for the work.
Not only did no Scottish company tender for this work, no company in the whole of the UK did either.
No Scottish company is capable at the moment, or indeed in the near future, or producing the type of steel in the required volume for the new Forth crossing.
Given the above, could Councillor Roberts please explain why he is so astonishingly ignorant of a situation which can be easily researched at the touch of a button?
Perhaps if his party hadn’t annihilated heavy industry north and south of the border throughout the 1980s, he would have no need to resort to writing to newspapers with inaccuracies. I eagerly await his apology.
John-Paul Bell. 87 Glenclova Terrace, Forfar.
Long-term folly of cheap steel
Sir, – There seems little point in our Scottish Government postulating and hand wringing over the demise of Tata Steel and the loss of more than 1,000 jobs.
Indeed, the £10.5 million promised to offset the impact of these losses is too little and too late.
The gradual death of Tata Steel had its origins, not only in the flooding of the market by cheap China steel produced by cheap labour and equally cheap power sources but also in the main by the SNP’s inability to foresee this happening.
In the apparent interest of financial propriety, they awarded the contract for supplying steel for the construction of the new Forth crossing to China rather than bolstering our own Scottish steel industry, which although more expensive in the short term, is proving more expensive in both human cost and industrial terms in the long run.
This could have been a life saver for our steel industry.
We now depend on steel from outwith our country at whatever market prices prevail at the time.
There is also a parallel in the costly tramcar debacle in Edinburgh, with foreign contracts awarded proving economic nightmares afterwards but I fear these events will pass, be pushed under the carpet, and lessons remain unlearned.
David L Thomson. 24 Laurence Park, Kinglassie.
Scots workers were overlooked
Sir,- I have read numerous posts and blogs that are very obviously from the nationalist and SNP battalions that would like to see an end to all the comments about the lost engineering employment and steel supply involved in the new Forth crossing.
These people tell us it is in the past and to get over it.
But we all see how they cannot get over the Margaret Thatcher years.
Can anyone imagine the fury that would exist in their ranks if the same expenditure had been made by Westminster?
If the Tories had been responsible, we would have seen SNP protest marches and so-called BBC-type “spontaneous” demonstrations by people making claims that David Cameron had devastated the Scottish steel industry and wiped out Scottish structural engineering.
For those who are not au fait with local heavy engineering, suitable engineering facilities near to the bridge site exist at Leith, Rosyth, Methil and Dundee,
with many more facilities on the Clyde and in former oil rig construction yards all around Scotland.
An arrangement could have been established like the arrangement made at Fergusons on the Clyde.
The Scottish Government claim no UK structural engineering firms bid for the contract but when the Spanish supplier dropped out, it was a UK company who picked up the pieces.
It is true that the total order was a big one, however, the manufacture of big aircraft carriers at four locations then brought together is a indication that the work could have been divided up in the UK, instead of Poland, Spain and China.
Westminster had no input in this debacle. Blaming the big boys who ran away is not an option this time.
Colin Cookson. Hatton Green, Stenton, Glenrothes.
Westminster sells out UK
Sir, – Most days your letters page has its fair share of complaints about the SNP from bitter unionists.
On Wednesday Mr Ian Lakin regurgitated the often-stated view that the SNP Government are incompetent fantasists.
His view is that Scotland cannot go it alone because the sums don’t add up. He invents facts to support his argument.
What he is really saying is that we Scots are parasites living off the wealth of England.
Perhaps if Mr Lakin removed his blinkers and saw what was really happening in Britain then he would question his own belief that we must remain part of the union.
Last week we saw Indian-owned steel works close down in England and here in Scotland. We have seen most of British industry destroyed in the same way.
Our major industries are in the main foreign owned along with our energy suppliers and much more.
We have just seen the Chinese sign a multi-billion pound deal to build a nuclear reactor in partnership with the French.
I struggle to see what is actually left of Britain.
Most of what is worth anything has been sold off. It would seem that all that is left for British citizens is the national debt and the prospect of working at low wages for foreign companies.
I have much more faith in my fellow Scots to do a better job of running our country than the Westminster elite.
Harry Key. 20 Mid Street, Largoward.
Can surplus support NHS?
Sir, – If I am correct in what I read about the budget surplus in Scotland, may I ask why this money is not used to support the Scottish NHS?
Garry Barnett. The Garden House, Campsie Hill, Guildtown.
Vote obsession harms Scotland
Sir, – My letter seems to have drawn the sting of some of your SNP readers, particularly those of the never-ending referendum brigade.
Their usual mantra is – the matter is settled for a generation; we will have another referendum if the European vote is not in Scotland’s interests; we may have another vote if there is a Holyrood majority.
The most recent one is – we will only advance the case for a referendum if we think we can win one. What way is that to govern Scotland?
The closure of sheriff courts, the failed amalgamation of local police services and the problems in further education and the health service are strong testimony to the fact the SNP government, in pursuit of their referendum, have taken their eye off the ball and in doing so are failing Scotland.
Harry Wills. Feus House, Kedlock Feus, By Cupar.