Letter: Energetic rebuttal

You report that in a recent Scotsman poll 27 per cent of those asked were opposed to nuclear power (27 September).

You then use this information to suggest that the electorate is in agreement with the Scottish Government in its opposition to nuclear power. I'm not sure how a poll where 73 per cent did not support government policy can be seen as representing electoral vindication for Alex Salmond's wind farm-based energy policy.

Equally significant is that only 22 per cent of those polled believed that our electricity supply would be secure without nuclear power. What this poll really shows is that despite the incessant propaganda from the Scottish Government and its friends in the wind energy business, a significant proportion of the population have not been convinced by what they have been told.

If only Alex Salmond showed similar humility we might arrive at a sensible energy policy that guaranteed electricity supplies but did not destroy our beautiful countryside in the process.

Alan J Black

Camus Avenue

Edinburgh

It was of interest to note that the former Deputy First Minister and leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Nichol Stephen, is to stand down at the Scottish elections in May to pursue a career in business, possibly in renewables.

Is this the latest starter for one? Who else among the politicians at Holyrood will we soon see heading along the very same lucrative green path when they too stand down at the next election?

The present Scottish Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, Jim Mather, perhaps, or maybe even at a later date, to further bolster the claim that the renewable industry could create "tens of thousands of new jobs", the First Minister himself.

That said, with billions of pounds of public money still planned to be spent by government to support this chasing of the renewable rainbow, it will no doubt be a consolation for the consumer to know that while they struggle to stay warm on cold winter nights and pay ever increasing electricity bills; for those politicians involved in industrialising Scotland's wild land and sea scape and selling the nation short in such a worthless manner, there will always be a job for the boys when needed.

Neil McKinnon

Tulchan Garden

Glenalmond, Perth

I read with delight your poll that found only 18 per cent of Scots would support building new nuclear power stations in the country. As a cross-party organisation campaigning on the dangers of nuclear power and nuclear weapons proliferation, the Nuclear Free Local Authorities Scottish Forum is pleased the vast majority of Scots agree with us. The reasons are obvious: Scotland is a country with vast resources for promoting renewable energy, whether it be hydro-electric, wind, tidal, marine or solar.

Our member councils are leading the way in promoting energy efficiency and micro-generation energy projects.We all know of the huge legacy issues and financial liabilities of the nuclear industry in Scotland, such as the hundreds of millions of pounds it will cost to deconstruct the likes of Dounreay and the radiation safety issues that arise from that.

We also have the worry of the UK's nuclear weapons system on our doorstep at Faslane, making us a potential target for malicious attack. In our own report on Scottish energy policy (see www.nuclearpolicy.info) we calculate that Scotland will be producing 178 per cent power generation of what it actually needs by 2020.

(CLLR) Euan McLeod (CLLR) Audrey Doig Nuclear Free Local Authorities Scotland Forum

NFLA Scotland Secretariat Glasgow City Chambers