Changing times

I emigrated from England to Scotland in 1964, and was delighted with my new home. Here was a beautiful country, forward-looking and willing to accept new technology. We had investments in new nuclear power stations, hydroelectric schemes were being developed, and skiing in the Highlands was finding its feet. Politically – as was common everywhere else – things were not to everyone’s liking, but there was general accord between the authorities north and south of the Border.

I find the current scene quite depressing. We have a Scottish “Government” that seems to see its role as involving collection of as many more powers as possible – to add to those it already possesses and has never used – but the principal objective seems to be to create as much dissent between Scotland and the rest of the UK as possible.

Political correctness runs wild; eg quotas for the proportions of men and women on boards of public companies. Quite irrational! We need the best, and if the best involves women exceeding the men – well, that’s what we should use.

As for the children’s guardians idea – where does the Nanny State end? This will cause civil strife! But this sort of idea is quite consistent with the moves to centralise the police and fire services.

Perhaps the most depressing feature of current times is the reluctance to accept what science tells us. The current objections to fracking represent the worst example: an apparent preference to accept views based on ignorance rather than on the results of experience and knowledge.

Had the current “ignorance-based views” been around in the Sixties I question if the North Sea oil industry would have ever got started.

As for the beautiful country? Greatly diminished by the prevalence of wind turbines, ­designed to give us highly ­expensive electrical power.

There is even a large body of opinion in favour of adopting Flower of Scotland as a national anthem! A dirge without musical or literary merit – even worse than God Save the Queen.

I even wonder if we did ourselves a favour when we voted for devolution.

Eric Davidson

Ashfield Road

Cults

Aberdeen