Scotland on Sunday readers' letters: Washington speech greenwashing the Sturgeon narrative

Nicola Sturgeon spoke at the Brookings Institute, Washington on various issues including climate change.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon at a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington DC on May 16. (Photo: Pedro Ugarte/Getty Images)

However, let's remember that, until recently, Sturgeon wanted to reduce Air Passenger Duty in Scotland to levels way below that of England to attract increased numbers of aircraft into Scotland's airports.

She also, again not long ago, loved to fly around Scotland by helicopter, when campaigning. Sturgeon now travels almost exclusively by privately chauffeured limo, pretty much never using the public transport for which she's responsible. Merely hypocrisy? Or is Sturgeon opportunistically greenwashing her narrative in an attempt to attract votes?

Martin Redfern, Melrose Roxburghshire

Liberal benefits

While I come from the other side of the constitutional fence from Dennis Forbes Grattan, I agree with him on low electoral turnout at local elections (Scotland on Sunday letters, May 15).

However, it would help if the two main unionist parties, namely the Scottish Conservatives and Scottish Labour, actually understood that simply because someone like myself voted for Scottish independence in 2014, does not mean that I ceased to be an equal member of the UK, and treated such people with respect, just like the Scottish Liberal Democrats.

Scottish Labour decided not to field any candidates in either Peterhead ward of Aberdeenshire Council, which is up to them, but shows a complete lack of respect for the electorate, especially when you say both the SNP and Scottish Conservatives are apparently bad for Scotland.

On Scottish Labour maps, the biggest town in Aberdeenshire must not be in Scotland. Or SNP and Scottish Conservatives are bad for Scotland, except in Peterhead? Which one, or both, is true, Scottish Labour?

The good news, if you are Scottish Liberal Democrat, is that from four candidates – two Conservative, one SNP and one Lib Dem, we ended up with only one Conservative, one SNP and a new Lib Dem councillor called Colin Simpson, with the opportunity to show the benefits or otherwise of a Scottish Liberal Democrat councillor to folk in Peterhead.

Peter Ovenstone, Peterhead

Switched on

According to Prof. Declan Diver (Government urged to back bid for world's first fusion power plant, May 15), a nuclear fusion plant would be “switched on when the weather's bad or when you can't run your wind power or at nighttime”.

Electricity from a fusion plant, if it works, will be expensive enough but making it an intermittent (back-up) generator would make it even more expensive. Nuclear fission stations are most efficient as base-load generators operating almost continuously. That must also apply to any future fusion stations.

Steuart Campbell, Edinburgh

Scooter swarm

Despite evidence that e-scooters caused 11 deaths and over 2,000 injuries the Queen's Speech revealed they will soon be allowed on UK roads. Our politicians have also ignored the fire risk of the lithium batteries. E-scooters should pay a tax to use the roads. However most riders seem to prefer pavements and shopping malls so pedestrians better put on crash helmets and carry a fire-extinguisher since a swarm of e-scooters is coming your way.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow

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