Elderly abuse - 'It's disturbing . . even if it is a tiny minority'

The emergence of hate crimes being committed against someone just because they are elderly is a sinister twist to the well-known issue of age discrimination.

The idea of someone being abused simply because they are older than their tormentor is so abhorrent that some people will no doubt find it hard to believe such a problem exists.

But this is clearly more than just a box-ticking exercise being carried out in the name of political correctness.

More than 40 incidents have been identified by Lothian and Borders Police officers where a person's age appeared to be a significant factor in them being targeted for abuse.

We know that age discrimination is rife in the workplace.

Miriam O'Reilly, the 53-year-old Countryfile presenter who has just been rehired by the BBC after successfully suing the broadcaster for age discrimination, simply highlighted how widespread and entrenched such attitudes can be.

But it is disturbing that some people are willing to turn that kind of prejudice into criminal levels of abuse, even if it is only a tiny, warped minority who would do so.

With more than one million over-65s in Scotland, and the number expected to rocket by 62 per cent within 30 years, any problem affecting the elderly in this way is potentially a huge issue.

It is important that the police and the Scottish Government continue to monitor events such as this one closely.

Perhaps the time has come for a "respect the elderly" campaign in the style of recent anti-racism and anti-sectarianism drives.

Brand of my fathers

VisitScotland may look as though it has shot itself in the foot by choosing a Welsh company rather than one within our own borders to provide staff uniforms.

It would have been nice if the tourist board had been able to use the contract as a chance to promote Scottish manufacturers or some of the world-renowned craftspeople based here.

The 50,000 that the work could be worth would certainly have been welcomed by many firms and their employees.

But it was a company from Wales that offered the best value for money to our national agency at a time when every part of the public sector is having to count every penny.

We can't have it both ways. We either want our public sector to be cost-conscious and as efficient as possible or we don't.