Letters: Pledge to clear up booze culture would be a winner

Not that long ago, drink was seen as something that you bought in a pub where people socialised together, or perhaps it would be got from an off licence for a special occasion in the home.

But the scourge of drink seems to be everywhere now. Every time you go to do the shopping in a supermarket, huge boxes of the stuff are piled on top of each other at special offers to release cash from the wallets of the tempted.

When the SNP tried to do the obvious thing by pricing the drink out of the pocket of booze abusers, their opponents saw an opportunity to gain political brownie points rather than address the problem.

The party that offers the most convincing solution to the problem will get my vote at the election.

A Barker, Albion Road, Edinburgh

Priorities not as they should be

BRIAN Monteith (News, April 8) muses upon the odd juxtaposition between the Government being prepared to cut public expenditure to the bone - because the country's broke apparently - and its preparedness to honour a commitment (agreed to by all parties, regardless of the Chancellor's denials) to bail out Portugal with a 5 billion loan, following similar loans to Greece and Ireland.

At least Brian is willing to face the issue; any Westminster politician interviewed by the media invariably ducks the question.

We will support the Portuguese because we have an unavoidable legal obligation to do so. On the other hand the Government recognises no similar obligation to feed our poor, or house our homeless.

The reason it has chosen to cut the public debt so quickly and so deeply is the naked ambition of the Tory and Liberal MPs in coalition to convert as much public service provision as possible into profit-making opportunities for themselves and their pals.

And if their apologists wish to deny it, they can begin by explaining why, when social and council services are being cut to the quick, British embassies all over the world are throwing free drinks parties at the end of the month for non-UK tax-paying British expats to drink the health of the Royal couple on the day of their nuptials.

If we can afford to spend millions on that - and it is likely to be - we can afford to give our pensioners, homeless and dispossessed the services they have depended upon, without making a profit from their troubles.

David Fiddimore, Calton Road, Edinburgh

Union is not best deal for Scotland

VOTERS are not yet convinced that Scotland would benefit from independence. But have they benefited from the UK?

Do they think Scotland gets a fair deal from the vast wealth its oil has generated over 40 years? Why is there so much deprivation in an oil-rich nation like Scotland?

Could it be that the London government are not equally distributing the oil revenue? Independence would be better than what Scotland has now.

Trevor Swistchew, Victor Park Terrace, Edinburgh

Scouts' founder spinning in grave

WHO is responsible for the ourageous decision to give sex education to boy scouts (News, April 5)?

We are saturated, day by day, with the word "sex", in the papers, magazines, adverts, chat shows on TV - enough is enough.

The innocence of children has already been destroyed at an early age in schools, apparently to safeguard their future, and what has it achieved? We have the highest rate of teenage pregnancies in Europe -so much for education!

I didn't think it could get any worse, but now they want to tarnish the image of our much-loved and innocent boy scouts. Is nothing sacred these days?

Their founder must be spinning in his grave!

Sylvia M De Luca, Baberton Park, Juniper Green, Edinburgh