Letters: Let's clean up the streets after nights on the town

Is there no policy for Edinburgh City Council to arrange early morning uplifts on a Saturday morning? The impact on residents seeing this mess is truly discouraging.

There must also be a negative impact on the many tourists to our fine city and I just hope that their abiding memory is not that of how dirty the central streets appear.

Although I am no fan of them, perhaps strategically-placed A-boards reminding people of their responsibility to bin their litter might help to some degree.

It almost seems a no-brainer that it is a privilege to live in a beautiful city such as Edinburgh, but some people with their irresponsible attitude to dealing with litter do not share that view.

Jack McLaren, Northfield Crescent, Edinburgh

SNP's all quiet on Murdoch scandal

ONCE again Nationalist MPs at Westminster and MSPs at Holyrood remain silent over the News International scandal.

Normally not a day goes by without them press releasing or tweeting their views on everything under the sun. But over the Murdoch scandal there has been silence.

Where is Kenny MacAskill on investigating NI in Scotland for hacking? Where is John Swinney to explain if the Scottish Government still advertises with News International?

And of course, where is Alex Salmond on whether or not he raised the issue of hacking with Mr Murdoch when he met him in January this year?

Their collective silence speaks volumes.

In the last week Scottish journalists have all analysed Tony Blair and David Cameron's closeness to Murdoch - but not a peep about Mr Salmond travelling all the way to London, a place he attacks religiously, to sit at the court of Murdoch. Are Scottish journalists prepared to take on Murdoch but too scared to speak out against Salmond? That is far more worrying.

M Smythe, Dalry Road, Edinburgh

Fuel companies have cold hearts

IT is shocking and completely unacceptable that British Gas is hiking up its domestic gas prices by 16 per cent from August 18 (News, July, 9).

More poor souls will be plunged into fuel poverty.

It's our elderly and most vulberable I feel most sorry for, indeed the poorest will be hardest hit.

Shame on all those greedy energy firms for treating their customers as they do. The government should take steps to stop them.

People should not have to choose between eating and heating.

June Fleming, Hercus Loan, Musselburgh

Three cheers for Western General

IN June I spent two weeks as an inpatient at the Western General Hospital. Given the level of derogatory comments made about NHS care, I went there with serious trepidation.

From the moment I arrived in the Assessment Unit and subsequently transferred to Ward 3, my fears were unfounded and I cannot speak highly enough of the treatment I received.

The staff, from doctors, nurse and ward orderlies, were professional, cheerful and dedicated.

Nothing was too much trouble. Well done the Western!

Edith S Guild, St Albans Road, Edinburgh

Look to London for the answers

I AM intrigued by the letter from former UKIP candidate, Otto Inglis, which calls Scottish Government proposals to charge students from the rest of the UK as 'unjust' (July 7).

It was not the Scottish Government's decision to impose fees of up to 9000 a year on students, but the ConDem Government at Westminster, which has forced the government north of the border to take this decision.

It would therefore be more appropriate for him to focus his attention on Westminster, and not Holyrood.

Alex Orr, Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh