Tullis loss

It is unfortunate that the 
closure of Tullis Russell in Fife (your report, 28 April) has happened during the election 
campaign while politicians are busy on other things.

It is not just the recession that has reduced demand for paper. The reduction in circulation of magazines and newspapers with the movement of information to the internet and the reduction in book production as use of tablets and Kindles increases have 
contributed to reductions in demand. However, with renewable supplies of trees and with a new energy plant this factory should have been ideally placed to 
compete.

Since one of the problems was the pound/euro exchange rate, would it have made it easier for us to trade in Europe if Scotland had been in the euro with stable exchange conditions?

And with the Scottish Government putting in a £6 million package to assist with the redundancies, is it efficient having to spend almost twice the plant’s annual loss and possibly more on benefits dealing with the closure?

Bruce D Skivington

Strath

Gairloch, Wester Ross