Ewing posturing

Scottish energy minister Fergus Ewing’s claim that powers over hydraulic fracturing should be devolved to Scotland (Your report, 27 September) is merely grandstanding. The necessary planning laws in Scotland already cover this issue and ensure control remains in the hands of the Scottish Government and local communities.

Mr Ewing’s message is therefore to our green contingent and the one green MSP without whose support this Government would collapse.

As for the 99 per cent of those who apparently wrote to the UK government to oppose fracking, their well-known opposition is based on an ideological objection to all fossil fuels and the flawed supposition that in some way, never specified, electricity generation can be provided when needed without fossil fuels or nuclear power as back-up.

One of the contradictions of the independence debate was the support the green party gave to the SNP whose avowed intention was to mine and sell every last drop of oil that could be gained from the North Sea.

Mr Ewing’s and Mr Salmond’s policy of putting up wind farms everywhere in deference to this lobby has ensured that in over two-thirds of Scotland you are now not out of sight of turbines. Scotland the beautiful is rapidly degenerating into Scotland the ugly.

(Prof) Tony Trewavas

Scientific Alliance Scotland

North St David Street

Edinburgh

Only too believably, our energy minister eulogises over another 15-turbine desecration of Scotland’s landscape (Your repoert, 27 September). Again, Mr Ewing came out with the absurdity that such a wind-farm will “aid Scotland’s work to tackle climate change”.

He knows full well that what Scotland does is essentially irrelevant in global terms. The only sound reasons for the turbines are to reduce the UK’s equivalent energy imports – and for Holyrood to keep on cashing in on the entire UK’s subsidies for them.

There may be financial benefits to local communities but why oh why again are the adverse impacts on anyone living nearby ignored?

Will the owners of nearby houses with their amenity permanently ruined be able to sell out without loss? If not, will Mr Ewing offer to take them on? The turbines will loom so tall that their impact will be felt even further away than 10 kilometres.

Mr Ewing should try one near his house – perhaps he would then be less cavalier, less contemptuous of local residents.

Fat chance. What the SNP dictates, Scotland gets in matters like this. Their majority automatically rubber-stamps nearly all such developments, and their agency VisitScotland continues to promote Scotland’s unique beauty for tourists without blushing.

Do they really think that more tourists will come the more turbines are erected? 
Holyrood has to sort this out, it’s not up to local councils.

Joe Darby

Cullicudden 
Dingwall