Letters: Burns is just as confused as the rest of us on poll reform

His blog correctly reported that "people do want a fairer political system than First Past The Post". That includes me; I think the present FPTP is definitely flawed.

You then said he had voted with his party line and said no to backing reform.

The fact is we are not being asked to reform the system, we are being presented with just one alternative, with no consideration being given to other voting systems.

Why isn't some independent body giving us details, with pros and cons, of all the alternatives?

Then we could decide whether we want to reform the system and how to do it.

In fact, according to a leaflet I've received, the Labour Party line is not to say "no to reform". Its line is to support the Alternative Vote.

It is very sad that the discussion on this important constitutional matter has almost immediately become a politically-driven affair, with Conservatives against and Labour for.

And why? Because Conservatives say they will lose seats under AV and Labour say they will "do better", so neither party gives us all the pros and cons. We all know that Nick Clegg wants "reform", but was offered AV by his Tory masters and had to take it or leave it.

As an example of confusion resulting from political spin, the Conservative leaflet says the current system excludes extremist parties as the BNP have never been able to get their candidates elected. BUT the Labour leaflet says "AV makes it harder for the BNP to win seats".

No wonder Andrew Burns is confused; so am I and so are many others, I suspect.

AV seems as flawed as FPTP and as a result I may well vote "No", hoping a better system comes along eventually.

N Mackenzie, Grange Loan, Edinburgh

Take words with a pinch of salt

George Christie has a vested interest in the proposed biomass plant within Leith Docks (Interactive, March 9).

He is a director of GAC Shipping (UK) Ltd, which is presumably hoping to land the contract to bring wood to fuel the plant from far-off lands.

The trees cut down have absorbed CO2 for 20 years but when they are burned they release all of what they absorbed.

How many trees have to be planted to equal the one felled? What is green about that?

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow

Another U-turn by Labour Party

Henry Philip's letter (Interactive, March 10) fails to mention it was Labour that introduced student top-up fees in England and voted against the SNP's abolition of Graduate Endowment fees in Scotland.

Only the SNP has a consistent record on free tuition fees for students and, as recently as December, Labour MSPs were saying that graduate contributions were "inevitable".

Labour is turning somersaults on alcohol pricing, council tax, pay restraint, police numbers and now, it seems, on student fees.

Is there an election coming up by any chance?

Fraser Grant, Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh

Care levels at the highest standard

I WRITE regarding the article "Care concerns as health visitor numbers fall by 25 per cent in Lothian" (News, March 9).

Our health visitor role has been replaced with the wider role of the public health nurse and there has been no overall change in the number in Lothian.

We actually have the equivalent of a slight increase.

I would also like to stress that there are no band 5 public health nurses in Lothian. Our health visitors and public health nurses are all band 6 or above and are highly skilled and qualified nurses.

In fact, the new public health nurse qualification means that this role brings even greater benefits as it has a whole community approach.

Melanie Hornett, nurse director, NHS Lothian