Letters: Don’t inflict more damage on our once beautiful city

But no doubt, in due course, council officials investigating these allegations will fully exonerate the council officials involved.

No doubt the planning committee will not be given the information needed to make a sound decision.

And no doubt yet another architectural monstrosity will be inflicted on this once beautiful city.

All these things will come to pass unless our good citizens give their councillors a wake-up call. This is a major development which is significantly contrary to the local development plan. There ought to be a predetermination hearing.

Alan Murphy, Learmonth Grove, Edinburgh

SNP’s referendum is just ludicrous

I HAVE been watching the politicians pontificating on the referendum and feel that Nicola Sturgeon has gone too far. She has the audacity to state that 16 and 17-year-olds can marry and pay taxes, so why can’t they vote?

Yet I do not see a rush to let them be able to do all the other “adult” things like have a pint, drive a car, see a certain type of film.

Are there any depths to which the SNP will not stoop?

The reality is that if one looks at the recently  independent countries of similar size such as Croatia and Serbia the turnouts were over 90 per cent and the “yes” votes were the same.

This party has at best had 40-odd per cent of a 50-odd per cent turnout in one election and finds this enough for full independence. If it were not so serious it would be laughable.

I do not think there was even a mandate for a  referendum. The present situation is ludicrous, with vast sums and effort being wasted on this nonsense when resource is much needed elsewhere.

Ian Hunter, Penicuik

Westminster is biggest threat

It was with interest that I read Mike Crockart MP’s article in “Who is defending our army families?” (News, March 1).

Much of what Mr Crockart says is true, army families and personnel are being treated shabbily. Scotland was promised thousands more troops to be stationed here while the economic hit on those areas affected by base closure and relocation is massive.

The one thing Mr Crockart of course failed to mention is that he is a member of the coalition which is closing the bases. Under the last Labour government at Westminster we saw our old traditional regiments amalgamated into one, the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

We now have a Liberal Democrat-Tory coalition decimating the British Army to the point where the total full-time army personnel will be able to sit in Wembley Stadium with seats to spare.

We have aircraft carriers being built with no planes to fly from them and the defence of our offshore installations and shipping don’t have the presence of Nimrod reconnaissance aircraft in the event of natural or terrorist emergencies thanks to defence cutbacks. They can, however, always find billions extra for nuclear weapons!

Perhaps Mr Crockart and others may reflect on this when attacking the SNP for their post independence defence plans?

It does seem the biggest threat to the defence of Scotland comes from politicians at Westminster.

Colin Keir MSP, Edinburgh Western Constituency

Trams only one of Capital’s flaws

I AGREE with Hazel Lightbody about trams (Letters, March 8), but there are so many things wrong in our city. Where are the environmental people to go around our areas regarding cigarette butts and rubbish dropping? Spitting is another bad habit, no wonder there are so much infections.

Kate MacKenzie, Sighthill Gardens, Edinburgh

Keeping quiet on licence to speak

I AM glad to see Chris Huhne’s former wife Vicky Pryce reaping the dividend of her perfidious treachery in the shape of a jail sentence.

Closer to home, whereas I am prepared to admit I have a clean driving licence whilst my wife regrettably has three points on hers, neither of us will be making any comment!

John Eoin Douglas, Spey Terrace, Edinburgh