Readers' letters: Abolish crofting to increase democratic land ownership
I agree wholly with Patrick Colquhoun (Scotsman, 19 December) when he says that landowners welcome and support land reform and also that almost all landowners already manage their land in accord with many of the principles contained in Land Rights and Responsibilities.
I also agree that the submission to the Net Zero Committee by Peter Peacock and Andy Wightman was, as usual, cogent, logical and well thought through despite not subscribing to their views. That hearing, though, was in stark contrast to the subsequent submission by the Crofting Committee, where I honestly thought that Holyrood had decided to stage their own version of Dead Ringers.
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Hide AdI have been a supporter of crofting most of my life but have been persuaded that it is, in truth, a highly inefficient structure for the production of food.


The fragmentation of land ownership not only means that the Scottish Government will not achieve net zero or its biodiversity targets but the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill as it is currently drafted means that, at best, its aims of fragmentation will only be achieved over a long period of time.
To speed up the process towards large-scale community ownership, could I suggest that the Government abolishes crofting and takes all crofting land into public ownership prior to giving it out to local communities in parcels of not less than 10,000 acres. At the same time it should bring these community enterprises within the scope of the Land Reform Bill, requiring them to adhere to Land Rights and Responsibilities and to produce Land Management Plans as described in the Act.
In one move the government would increase democratic land ownership whilst ensuring that the new structure has the scale required to produce food efficiently and reach Scotland’s essential natural capital targets.
Mark Tennant, Elgin, Moray
Interest rates
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Hide AdGravity ensures things that go up come back down to earth at a constant 9.81 meters per second squared. Interest rates, however, appear to be gravity-defying. After 14 consecutive rate rises since December 2021, we’ve seen only two cuts both this year (four were expected). This seems to reinforce the adage that “interest rates rise like a rocket but fall like a feather”.
But some feathers fall faster than others: in Europe the ECB has just cut the base rate from 3.25 per cent to 3 per cent; In North America, the Federal Reserve has just reduced the cost of borrowing from 4.5 per cent to 4.25 per cent, the third consecutive cut – and Canada has cut its rate by 0.5 per cent to 3.25 per cent, the fifth in a row. Against a common backdrop of simmering inflation and sluggish but positive growth, priority has been given to stimulating economic activity by lowering interest rates.
Contrast that with the UK which has had two successive quarters of “negative” growth. This week, in their wisdom, and on six-three split, rate setters at the Bank of England decided to hold interest rates at 4.75 per cent – their main justification being ongoing concerns over annual inflation which rose to 2.6 per cent (the Bank’s target is 2 per cent); high service inflation; and above-inflation wages rises.
Notable by its absence from the Bank’s headline rationale is growth. For example, no comment is offered on how or to what extent the cost of borrowing remaining higher for longer, as its now expected to, will impact a struggling economy. Clear analysis of “growth prospects” is surely now needed from the Bank, one that details the differential effects of interest rate changes – not just on the overall economy, but also on the regions of the UK. Furthermore, adopting a 2 per cent growth target alongside a 2 per cent inflationary target may just help rate setters focus minds on the growth imperative, and thereby speed up the downward pull of gravity on interest rates.
Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire
Maxwell’s genius
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Hide AdI agree wholeheartedly with John Birkett (Letters,18 December) that we in Scotland don’t celebrate the revolutionary scientist and world genius James Clerk Maxwell anywhere near as much as we should.
Maybe the hard time he had north of the border is explanatory. As a former member of staff of Aberdeen University it is still embarrassing for me to relate an example. When Marischal and King’s Colleges in Aberdeen amalgamated to form the university in 1860 Maxwell was the only young professor to be made redundant. He then applied for senior jobs at the universities of Edinburgh and St Andrews, but was unsuccessful, so he moved to a chair in London, and then after working from home in his beloved Galloway, established the outstandingly successful Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge, which became the birthplace of much of modern physics.
Maybe his toughness and determination stemmed from his unhappy early schooldays at Edinburgh Academy, where he was mercilessly bullied and nicknamed “Dafty” because of his unusual personality and his stammer. He had the last laugh; helped by a teacher at the school his talent blossomed, his tormentors left him alone, and aged 14 he finished his first research project. Peer review confirmed its originality and it was published by the Royal Society of Edinburgh when he was 15.
That Maxwell’s revolutionary discoveries were made in both Scotland and England endorses Anton Chekov: “There is no national science just as there is no national multiplication table.”
Hugh Pennington, Aberdeen
Ferry failin gs
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Hide AdThe ongoing delays affecting CalMac ferries (Scotsman, 20 December) represent a critical failure not just in execution but also in foresight for Scotland’s maritime infrastructure. The ramifications of these setbacks extend far beyond inconvenience; they jeopardise the livelihoods of those who depend on these vital transport links for their goods, services, and connections to the mainland.
As Adam Smith famously said, “Little else is requisite to carry a state to the heights of glory than that people should be united.” In this context, the unity of Scottish communities hinges on reliable transport, essential for maintaining local economies and fostering connections between islands and the mainland. It is alarming to see that this unifying thread has been frayed by management missteps and poor oversight.
The Scottish Government must adopt a proactive approach to ensure that such delays do not become the norm. Accountability should extend to every level of procurement and governance. Furthermore, it is crucial to explore alternative solutions to prevent the over-reliance on foreign shipyards, which increases vulnerability to delays and logistical setbacks.
To resonate with the communities they serve, our leaders must act swiftly and decisively. When will we learn that inaction in the face of such crises only leads to further challenges?
Alastair Majury, Dunblane, Stirling
Labour turmoil
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Hide AdAfter a mere five months, Sir Keir Starmer's beleaguered government is described as being in turmoil (Scotsman, 20 December).
Like so many others, I optimistically voted Labour and find myself increasingly disenchanted by their continuing scapegoating of the previous government. This excuse is rapidly wearing thin. Meanwhile, the Tories themselves are frankly, under Kemi Badenoch's stuttering leadership, unelectable, as the electorate look elsewhere.
Frighteningly, elsewhere for far too many, especially south of the border, could mean a vote for Reform UK and Nigel Farage.What is clear is that Scotland is veering further and further apart from the rest of the UK in both policy and party allegiance. Those who see Scotland as a separate nation far outnumber the SNP. I count myself as one, who believes that the status quo is unsatisfactory and, at the very least, we should seek a federal solution.
Ian Petrie, Edinburgh
Unwelcome gift
Police Scotland are warning people about buying electric bikes and e-scooters for Christmas. (Scotsman, 20 December) It should be made clear that e-scooters are illegal in Scotland and can only be driven on private land with the owner’s permission.
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Hide AdThose which are ridden on the roads or more likely the pavements should be reported to the police, who will hopefully confiscate and destroy them. It is negligent of the sellers of e-scooters not to make this crystal clear. The retailers should be legally obliged to present a document laying out these facts to the purchaser and retain a signed copy.
Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian
Celebrate Solstice
To some, Christmas may be a celebration of the birth of Christ, although no one knows when Jesus was born; not even the year. The birth narratives in Matthew and Luke were invented to give Jesus an origin commensurate with his elevation to universal saviour and God incarnate. Neither Mark, the first Gospel to be written, nor the well-informed John know anything of Jesus’s origin.
The early church arbitrarily usurped a pagan solstitial festival as part of its plan to obliterate paganism by supplanting it with Christian beliefs. As a result, modern celebrations at this time, especially Nativity Plays, are entirely misplaced and irrelevant. Likewise giving at this time, apparently because the Magi brought gifts, is founded on myth. Giving at Christmas implies one celebrates Jesus’s birth.
Today marks the winter solstice, so on the 25th let us celebrate the return on the Sun and the beginning of an end to winter darkness.
Steuart Campbell, Edinburgh
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