Sir, No doubt we will hear for a long time about the recommendations of the parliamentary body to award MPs an 11% pay rise, while we will also see a vast amount of hot air coming from said MPs refuting acceptance of this disgraceful amount whilst other public services have had to face either pay freezes or capping at 1%.
It is interesting to note that they like to compare their salaries to those of doctors, teachers and even serving HM Forces officers, to name but a few.
The only difference is you don’t need to have any qualifications to become an MP, unlike the others. It requires a higher level of education to fill these posts. In actual fact, the only thing they have in common with any of these jobs is that of teachers and the amount of paid holidays they receive.
In the short term they will stand up and say theydon’t want this rise but they will still accept it in the end when things quieten down after a few weeks. It is clear that essential reading to become an MP is George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” where every one is equal, only some are more equal than others.
Alastair and Elaine McLean. Ar Tigh Ciether, 4 Fletcher Place, Crieff.
Why bring it up now?
Sir, I am getting a bit bored with Gordon Brown’s continual press coverage about Dalgety Bay beach contamination. Mr Brown has been a member of parliament since 1983 and was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1997 – 2007 then Prime Minister from 2007 – 2010; that contamination has been there since 1946, so one has to ask, why have the Labour party not brought this up before?
Mr Brown needs to look the other way from his Queensferry home to Rosyth dockyard where seven nuclear submarines are rotting away, one of which, HMS Dreadnought, has been there 30 years. Some of the others were put there during Mr Brown’s stint in parliament.
These submarines are a far greater risk to the public than any luminous dials long buried on a beach. After all, how many people have died or been affected by this so-called contamination at Dalgety Bay?
James F Rigby. 16 Blackcraigs, Kirkcaldy.
Fishing a welcome step
Sir, The decision by the High Court in London to uphold the UK Fisheries Minister’s move to redistribute some fishing quota away from the major operators in favour of smaller-scale fishermen is a welcome step.
While the quantities of fish involved are minor, we hope that it signifies a shift towards recognising the importance of the small boat inshore fleet.
The decision also confirms that the fish and fishery are a public resource and asset that should be managed for the benefit of the many, rather than a select few.
The Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (SIFT) looks forward to Marine Scotland embracing this principle in the way that it manages Scotland’s inshore waters. Continuing to favour the practices of the more destructive elements of the Scottish fleet is a discredited option.
Much of Scotland’s inshore fleet of smaller boats exclusively employs local residents and thus has a great incentive not to over-exploit the resource.
The income they generate is retained locally to the benefit of fragile rural (and often remote) communities. These fisheries, particularly creeling and diving, can be entirely compatible with other inshore activities and income streams such as marine tourism.
Scotland needs and deserves a truly sustainable inshore fishing policy.
Charles Millar. Director. Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust (SIFT), Edinburgh.
Politicians of every ilk ‘at it’
Sir, It’s certain that Andy Murray’s brilliant success at Wimbledon was nothing to do with politics.
Robert IG Scott was astonished when the cameras homed in on David Cameron and found Alex Salmond waving the saltire behind him.
I take it he doesn’t think Mr Cameron is cashing in on Andy’s success by making sure he’s photographed all over the place clapping and shaking his hand?
Politicians of every ilk try to cash in on sporting achievements and always have done.
John Strachan. 23 Beechwood Avenue, Glenrothes.
No different to Number 10
Sir, Alex Salmond’s antics with the saltire, which your correspondents complain of, are surely no different to David Cameron flying it over No 10 on finals day?
Laurie Richards. 100 Crail Road, Cellardyke.
The problem is bad driving
Sir, I use the A9 regularly and there is nothing wrong with the road at all. The problem is rank bad driving, excessive speed, poor overtaking and in particular a total and utter lack of policing.
Iain Cathro. 31 Ferndale Drive, Dundee.