Letter: Pub closures

I AM writing with reference to Sheila Duffy of Ash Scotland's letter (10 September) in which she says that there is "absolutely" no evidence that the smoking ban has been responsible for the closure of many Scottish pubs. This word usually means "none at all", "not even a trace".

Does she think that David Edes, who the previous day gave a graphic account of how the ban forced him to close his pub, Oliver Griffiths of C5 Consulting and Paul Waterston of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association are fictional characters, or suffering from delusion since they dare to hold serious views at variance with her own?

Her colleague Amanda Sandford claims that the recent survey was "misleading" and did not reflect "the reality of the licensed trade".

Ash would now seem to have greater knowledge of this trade than its practitioners and professional representatives. So that's doubtless some relief to those of us less clued up in other people's business.

Kenn McLeod

Ralston Drive

Kirkcaldy, Fife