Letters: Lower emissions do not justify the drop-off charge

An airport spokesman said that part of the reason for this charge is to reduce vehicle emissions.

The managing director, Gordon Dewar, has used the emotive words "change driving behaviour, making public transport more attractive and reducing the number of people using cars and our car parks".

I am only surprised that BAA and Mr Dewar did not add "this will save the planet". Since Scotland has only 0.2 per cent of global CO2 emissions we could take all the traffic off the roads and all the aeroplanes out of the sky and it would not make a difference.

It would however allow politicians to puff their chests with self-righteous satisfaction.

Meanwhile, as our economy goes into freefall China and India carry on building coal-fired power stations and steel producing factories.

Do you really think they will control their emissions?

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow

'Dick Turpin' is at the city's airport

WHILE I welcome Gavin Brown MSP telling us that the 1 rip-off charge to be levied by BAA on those dropping of its customers to its airport is entirely for "commercial" reasons, isn't this a wholly inadequate response?

Wouldn't the words "stand and deliver", "daylight robbery" and "outrageous" have been more appropriate?

Can anyone explain how Jubilee Road, which is a public thoroughfare, came under the ownership of BAA to allow them to place a tithe on its use in true "Dick Turpin" style?

Or how Edinburgh City Council, which is supposed to be looking after our interests, allowed BAA planning permission to facilitate this commercial organisation "ripping off the public" in this way?

Since privatisation our airport has descended from being a valued public service into a private monopoly designed to aggressively "harvest" customers' cash from the point of entry to exit.

Can we now look forward to Network Rail, bus stations, shopping malls and even city centre streets being subject to a similar charge?

And will this year's 1 charge become a 5 or 10 or higher charge in years to come – the thin end of an ever widening wedge?

Profit is an essential commercial reality. But, isn't this just naked commercial greed, aided and abetted by unrepresentative politicians who should be standing against such greed and injustice?

Jim Taylor, The Murrays Brae, Edinburgh

Troubled by lack of knowledge

I FIND it troubling indeed that Councillor Wheeler (Interactive, 2 July), who is apparently Edinburgh's finance leader, doesn't appear to know that the council contributes quite significant sums of money to the local authority pension fund.

If he cared to glance at the recently approved unaudited accounts for 2009/2010, he would see that many, many millions of pounds of local taxpayers' money is contributed to the Lothians pension fund.

This is annual revenue funding, not one-off capital funding. If these monies were not contributed to the Lothian pension fund, it stands to reason that they would be available to fund other council services.

Cllr Wheeler would do better acquainting himself with these basic facts than trying to make cheap political points.

Alan Boston, Rosemount Buildings, Edinburgh

Bosses are not the only fat cats

PUBLIC sector union leaders in denial over the need for economies in the face of the financial crisis threaten the population with the inconvenience and expense of widespread strikes.

This is claimed to be for protection of members' jobs, but is more about preserving their own.

Who could blame them, with many earning 100.000-plus? I agree with union criticism of high private sector salaries and extortionate bonuses, but their boardrooms are not the only "fat cat" lairs.

Robert Dow, Ormiston Road, Tranent