Sir, I am writing to complain about Ms Hjul’s article (October 2) in which she admits having never read any of Irvine Welsh’s works.
So how, then, is it possible for her to know he has been involved in the “glamorisation” of hard drugs? Anyone who has read his works would be well aware of the hard-hitting nature of his fiction.
By his own admission Mr Welsh was heavily involved in the drug scene in Edinburgh during a part of the 80s and has real world experience with addicts in their own habitat. This makes her statement that he is “wilfully divorced from the grim reality of drug use” look ridiculous.
She calls one of the UK’s most senior officers “naive” with his call to legalise recreational drugs, then pulls one argument out of the air (if drugs are legal then more will be consumed) and ignores the rest of the complicated issues.
Instead we are told how the practical, hands-on approach is the way to go. The way we have been trying to deal with drugs since forever and, shock horror, more people are consuming recreational drugs than ever before.
Who is being naive?
She ignores so many other factors around drug addiction. By keeping these drugs illegal we are making sure that the cost of these drugs is high and the quality is low. With it being difficult to feed a habit long term these addicts have to spend the vast majority of their time focused on obtaining these drugs. This leaves the rest of their lives, including children, tragically, as impediments to this goal.
But simply claiming Irvine Welsh has glamorised drugs whilst also admitting that she has never read any of his works is just ridiculous.
Andrew Young. 1A Cambridge Street, Alyth.
Taxpayers will foot the ‘mop up’ bill as well
Sir, Reading of Murdo Fraser’s and Alex Johnstone’s concerns about windfarms, I would like to add the following.
The French are now building a nuclear fusion power station which they would not do were they not concerned about future energy supplies and had conducted the most thorough scientific and engineering investigations. (Perhaps our own engineering profession would like to comment?)
The French, obviously, are not enamoured of turbines.
Who will dismantle all our turbines, whether on or offshore, when they have worn out in 10 years or so?
I suspect that the financing companies and their installation brethren will have long since disappeared.
That’s right, the poor old taxpayer will have to foot the bill again. Fife Council, and others, please note.
A T Geddie. 68 Carleton Avenue, Glenrothes.
Impractical and expensive
Sir, Following on from the correspondence regarding the reopening of the rail link from Edinburgh to Perth via Kinross and Glenfarg I would like to make a few points.
The present rail journey via the Fife coastal route is around 65 miles and takes one hour and 15 minutes or so. A rail link via Glenfarg and Kinross would be 47 miles giving a likely time of 55 minutes for the same journey but due to the track a more realistic time would be one hour, a saving of 15 minutes and not the 30 minutes put forward by Transform Scotland.
Re-instating the nine miles of the old line from Cowdenbeath to Kinross is relatively straightforward, it is flat and there is little in the way of buildings. The problem starts when the line approaches Kinross, the Old Cleish Road underpass has been built on and the section onwards has been significantly altered by housing and Sainsbury’s supermarket. Some buildings would have to be demolished and a level crossing constructed over the road off the motorway to Kinross, this would not be feasible.
A new track bed through Glenfarg would be necessary to replace that lost to the M90 construction. Once through the Glenfarg tunnels which are still there and in good condition, an underpass would have to be made under the M90. The junction at Bridge of Earn has also been built upon which would create additional problems.
As much as I would like the line to be resurrected it would be too disruptive, impractical and expensive.
David W Fenwick. 4/1 The (Old) Granary, West Mill Street, Perth.
A most helpful traffic warden
Sir, Through your columns I hope you will allow me to thank a most helpful traffic warden (often an oxymoron) who assisted us to find and park at the McManus Galleries when we visited Dundee recently.
We were finding it difficult to locate the gallery (poorly signposted) and asked a lady traffic warden for directions.
Not only did she direct us, she walked the few hundred yards we were away and found us a parking space!
My wife is disabled so this was a real benefit. Well done the lady traffic warden!
The McManus is a top municipal gallery and we will visit again.
We also look forward to the V&A opening.
W A Proudfoot. 72 Farm Fields, Sanderstead,