Sir, – In quashing Fife Council’s “unlawful” decision, the Court of Appeal determined councillors were misled.
Councillor Bryan Poole asserts “from a layman’s perspective, it is just an opinion”. Has he read it?
As an experienced councillor, though no lawyer, he is hardly a “layman” as normally understood.
It is surely disrespectful (almost contempt?) for a councillor to disparage in such terms the well-argued, unanimous and damning judgment of three senior Inner Court of Session judges.
Did he similarly describe the earlier opinion, now overturned?
He considers the options of refurbishing Kilrymont or looking outside St Andrews as “the choice of last resort” (the exact words he used in June 2012, correctly then as now, about Kilrymont and Pipeland).
By implication, he presumably accepts the obvious but unmentioned location, North Haugh, is a better option than these. Would he please confirm?
Finally, he has the nerve to “urge the council to do first things first and get proper advice”!
Had he and his executive committee colleagues done first things first and accepted officers’ and others’ proper advice in late 2012 or early 2013, a new school generation would already be enjoying the new building’s fine facilities and visionary western-edge campus location.
John Birkett. 12 Horseleys Park, St Andrews.
Dundee should have one team
Sir, – I was born in Glasgow but I have always supported Hibernian.
When I look at football in Dundee I see the ridiculous situation where two football teams that now exist as relatively fringe teams battling even to stay in the Premier division.
Not for them the opportunity to give their fans the chance to see European football.
With their limited finances they do not attract the right calibre of player to challenge for a European place, which they should be gaining every year and being successful.
Dundee deserves better and it is long past the time when both Dundee teams’ owners and fans should get round the table and agree a merger.
Not only would Dundee greatly gain in sporting prestige by having a successful and much higher profile team, I am convinced Scottish football would gain by having one more team that can challenge the dominance of the Old Firm.
I appreciate both teams have a long history, and a fierce rivalry.
But the real football world today has left that all behind.
Nick Dekker. 1 Nairn Way, Cumbernauld.
Where is all the rubbish going?
Sir, – It is interesting to read that the odd rubbish bin is not being emptied in Arbroath because of the occasional misplaced black bag.
But the problem can only be blamed on these incompetent Angus councillors and their so-called officers for coming up with such a madcap scheme in the first place.
Not to mention the expense of the new vehicles.
The previous scheme, where they sorted out the recyclables at the lorry, seemed almost sane compared to what they are doing now.
Where do they sort it out now, and who does it?
I think most of it or indeed all of it will end up in landfill.
And as for the waste food boxes, what are they hoping to do with the stuff in them.
Start a pig farm?.
John Milne. Addison Place, Arbroath.
SNP in denial at price of heating
Sir, – I note Nicola Sturgeon wants to bring forward the winter fuel payments to ensure older people who live in rural areas, off the gas grid, can buy their expensive heating oil at summer saver rates.
Does she not know that the price of oil has collapsed and is now cheaper than gas, or are the SNP still in denial.
Councillor Mac Roberts. Perth and Kinross Council, Ward One, Carse of Cowrie.
Scottish Green Party is just that
Sir, – I would like to correct Richard Clark (April 8) when he says there is only one party that represents Scotland.
Nobody should be fooled by the word “Scottish” in front of the London establishment party names on the ballot papers, but there are a number of parties that are fully independent and based solely in Scotland.
For example the Scottish Green Party is really “Scottish” and is focused solely on the future of Scotland and our part in shaping the future of the planet as a whole.
Andrew Collins. Ladyburn House, Skinners Steps, Cupar.
Time to leave the corrupt EU
Sir, – Between 2010 and 2015 the UK paid a net contribution of £45.4 billion to the EU to subsidise other countries and pay for the numerous unaccountable officials in Brussels.
Voting to leave the EU would allow Britain to keep this money and decide where it would do most good.
One suggestion would be to give larger subsidies to farming and fishing and so reduce our dependence on imports.
High energy consuming companies employ 600,000 people but are forced to pay for expensive green electricity, which puts thousands of jobs at risk.
Slashing EU-imposed green tariffs would reduce energy costs, help industry and create jobs, while the elderly would not have to choose between heating and eating or in some cases freezing to death.
Definitely time to leave the unaccountable, undemocratic and corrupt EU and trade with the world.
Clark Cross. 138 Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
The hidden pain of tax avoidance
Sir, – The Panama Papers highlight the way in which off-shore vehicles allow plutocrats and international companies to deny developed countries around 20% of tax revenues.
Of course the problem is much worse in developing countries where corrupt elites use tax havens to deprive their own people of health services and their children of education.
It is high time we faced up to the fact that the West is fully complicit in distorting the global economy and ripping off the impoverished south at a time when growth has stalled.
For it is our banks working with our law firms in the secretive remnants of our empire that make wealth “anonymous” and allow shyster firms and dodgy people to avoid paying tax.
Rev Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
A travesty of democracy
Sir, – I was appalled, disgusted and outraged when I read thisgovernment is spending £9.3 million on a propaganda exercise to persuade voters to remain shackled to the European Union (April 7).
It is a decision that has infuriated me as a commited “Leave” voter.
I feel this action is undemocratic, immoral and manipulative.
While the Leave campaign can only spend £7m, this seems very biased and the statements asserted in the leaflet are highly questionable, and obviously designed to cause fear among people, with one aim in mind, that they will vote to remain in the EU.
It is a complete waste of taxpayers’ money.
How many nurses, teachers and doctors could that £9.3m pay for?
I find the timing of the disclosure very interesting, in the week that a lot of revelations have been made regarding offshore banking, surely this couldn’t be a smoke screen could it Mr Cameron?
I only hope that the electorate will see through this dirty trick and do as I do by putting it straight into the recycling bin.
Gordon Kennedy. 117 Simpson Square, Perth.
Corbyn needs to show his return
Sir, – As Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has yet to make public his tax return, it seems somewhat hypocritical for him to demand further details of the Prime Minister’s financial affairs when Mr Cameron has already published his.
John Eoin Douglas. 7 Spey Terrace, Edinburgh.