Power struggle

It's bad enough that Scotland has a government that will not permit the construction of any new nuclear power stations, while hypocritically allowing the existing ones to generate. However, if the Lib Dems get any influence in the UK government, England and Wales will suffer the same fate and there will no provision for secure and reliable electricity from about 2017 onwards, when the first new nuclear station in England could be commissioned.

Scotland's generating capacity will be severely reduced when Hunterston B closes next year. This may lead to the end of electricity exports from Scotland and put a strain on generation in the rest of the UK, where there could be blackouts somewhere between 2013 and 2016 due to further closures.

Power from wind farms will be useless on a calm day, which means that the planned expansion of renewables is both pointless and dangerous. The electricity gap could only be filled by more gas-fired generation, putting us at the mercy of the countries that now supply much of our gas.

STEUART CAMPBELL

4 Dovecot Loan

Edinburgh