Sir, I was disappointed today (July 6) to receive an email from Perth and Kinross Council development management committee, informing me their development quality manager is to refuse Binn Eco Centre’s application to install four wind turbines.
We have three choices: we use less electricity, we make it locally and sustainably or we import the raw ingredients from abroad, and I refer to proposals to increase Grangemouth’s capacity to store shale gas from America and agree licences to allow fracking in the central belt.
Although I do not know the grounds for refusing to allow the turbines at Binn Eco Centre, I imagine some people will have objected on the grounds they are unsightly and might adversely affect tourism.
Meanwhile, hideous electricity pylons bestride the country with impunity.
As I can discover, no research is taking place to address the problems they present. On the other hand there is a lot of research taking place into how wind turbines can be made quieter and I have no doubt that the cost benefits, although not impressive at the moment when cheap, imported and nuclear are abundant, will become evident in the long term.
Those of us who support wind turbines are concerned with the future. It is beyond time we stopped polluting the seas by transporting oil in tankers from the other side of the world to meet our needs, and I would not like to live in a central Scotland trying to live on top of fracking plants.
It’s a clich but true nonetheless: you can’t eat the scenery. You can’t use it to heat your home or run industry, either.
I say to Perth andKinross Council when you meet on July 15, please change your mind about the wind turbines and have the courage to invest in the long-term future of Perth andKinross.
Lovina Roe Glasgow Road Perth.
Travellers show true colours
Sir, It seems theTravellers showed their true colours to your staff on the recent visit toMill o’ Mains.
Your reportermanaged to contactthe phone numbersdisplayed on Kestrel Driveways van, so they are contactable.
Maybe someone from HMRC should pop along and ask them about tax returns.
Of course they won’t because that would be harassment.
Apparently, if you live in a caravan on someone else’s property, intimidate the locals verbally and with your dogs, leave a mess when you move on and pay no taxes or rates, no one is allowed to harass you.
At least that seemsto be how the local authorities and thepolice interpret the law.
Never a truer phrase than one law for them another for the rest of us.
John Strachan Beechwood Avenue Glenrothes.
The mistakes Ms Hjul makes
Sir, I wish to raisemy concerns over anarticle by Jenny Hjulthat appeared in your newspaper recently.
I take umbridge that she assumes that the No vote for an independent Scotland would have secretly been greeted with relief by not only those who voted No, but by leading nationalists.
This is an irrational statement given that the whole purpose of the SNP is to achieve anindependent Scotland.
Also, there was never any suggestion to use any currency other than sterling after independence.
Basically, had Scotland not been allowed to retain sterling following independence, thebottom would have fallen out of the currency, and this is why the No camp were so desperate to hold on to Scotland.
Can I also point out to Ms Hjul that since the referendum, membership of the SNP has grown considerably, which would indicate a confidence in the SNP and the former leader Alex Salmond andcurrent leader Nicola Sturgeon.
In response to Ms Hjul’s claim the SNP is having sleepless nights over its figures evenas she fails to have confidence in the people of Scotland and their ability to stand on their own two feet, there are those of us who do.
And why? Can I point out to Ms Hjul thatEdinburgh is Europe’s fourth-largest city in terms of equity assets and that Scotland’s GDP continues to grow.
For our main industries we have oil, gas,sciences, renewable energies, tourism, shipbuilding and textiles.
On the export side we have fish, potatoes, Irn Bru (“our other national drink”), whisky, ships, pharmaceuticals and timber.
More importantly, a National Statistical Report for Scotland dated May 13 2015 includes the accounts for Scotland for October- December 2014, which shows onshore GDP at £139 billion, or £26,100 per person.
As regards Scotland’s population share of offshore activity, this comes to £141 billion, or £26,300 per person.
I feel Ms Hjul was rather incorrect in her assumption that those of us who believe in our country and voted Yes could have in any way been happy with the outcome.
We shall continue to seek to gain what rightly belongs to Scotland by legitimate means.
B Burns Petterden Tealing.
No democracy in referendums
Sir, Comparing the Scottish and Greekreferendums, it wasclear that both gavevoters an artificial sense of empowerment and heightened nationalist assertiveness against a perceived enemy.
Animated by a rabble-rousing campaign, Scottish voters were not going to be told what to do by London and now Greek voters are not going to be bossed around by Berlin.
The Greek premier declared: “Democracy cannot be blackmailed”, but democratic will is unavoidably compromised by a currency union whose obligations are not blackmail.
Referendums unleash emotions that undermine their leaders and Alex Salmond was fortunate to lose because the oil price fall would have destroyed him and his new statelet.
In his referendum, Tsipras generated expectations he cannot meet, and any deal with which he returns will still demand huge sacrifices from those who suddenly feel defiant.
Dr John Cameron Howard Place St Andrews.
Greeks vote against the 1%
Sir, The Greek people have voted 61% to 39% against accepting thelatest round of austerity the creditors are trying to impose on the Greek people for the benefit of the 1%.
What is amazing isthat 39% voted for the 1% against their own interests.
The vote was not a vote to leave the EU.
With the backing of the Greek nation, the Greek government hopes to reopen negotiations with the EU and to finda solution to the debt problem that will actually work.
The EU objects to the Greek people having a voice in their fate, and unless common sense prevails, is inclined todisregard the vote and to maintain the EU’s inflexible position that the debt issue can be resolved only on the EU’s terms.
As has been madeperfectly clear, these terms are more looting of the Greek economy by the 1%.
As the Greek banksare closed and evidently cannot reopen without a resolution of the issue, EU inflexibility would force Greece to leave the euro and return to its own currency in order to reopen the banks.
This would not require Greece’s departure from the EU as the UK and one or two other EU member states have their own currencies.
However, most likely the EU and Washington and Washington’sJapanese, Canadian, and Australian vassals would attack the new Greek currency and drive its value in exchangemarkets to such a low value that Greece could not import and wealth held in Greek currency would be worthless abroad.
An inflexible EUcreates conditions for Russia and China to act.
These two powerful nations have the means to finance Greece and to bring Greece into the economic relationships established by these two countries and by the BRICS.
Alan Hinnrichs Gillespie Terrace Dundee.
A loud warning from Athens
Sir, With reference to Andrew Collins’ letter (July 3) in which he seeks to distance a conceptual Scottish economic model from that of Greece, he simply regurgitates the nationalist mantra that Scotland is more than capable of running its own economy for the good of the Scottish people for ever, without any interference or assistance from anyone and whoever might disagree with this philosophy puts Scotland down.
Like so many other nationalist supporters, he confuses capability with capacity.
No one suggests Scots are less capable: the real issue here is the size and future outreach of a small Scottish economy managed by a left-leaning government.
This is exactly the model that has failed in Greece, largely due to politicians living for today and borrowing billions that this size and structure of economy could never repay in order to fund a lifestyle that was unaffordable, but which promoted the continuing, enthusiastic, populist votes for thepoliticians in power to continue their lavishfiddling while Athens started to burn.
The Greek tragedy should be a warningto those nationalists whose dreams are so far removed from the reality of global markets and economic management.
Derek Farmer Knightsward Farm Anstruther.
Unionists stretch a comparison
Sir,- I was wondering when unionists would make the silly comparison between Greece and Scotland.
I could almost set my watch by it, and it comes as no surprise to see Derek Farmer leading the charge.
Mr Farmer talks of “the realities anddangers of small country independence”.
To what countries is he referring?
Surely not Norway, Luxembourg andSwitzerland small nations that have came through the financial crisis relatively unscathed, countries whose finances are in good health, unlike the UK’s.
Perhaps he was referring to Iceland a country that had the guts to jail its bankers, unlike the UK, that instead lavished these crooks with honours and bonuses.
As for his query regarding the SNP’s risk strategy, it may have escaped Mr Farmer’s notice that Westminster voted down FFA forScotland.
In other words, Westminster retains the levers of economic control.
If a Greek style disaster befalls Scotland, then it will be down to the usual Westminster incompetence.
RMF Brown Hill Terrace Markinch.