Readers Letters: Get back into EU as part of UK

The worrying thing, to my mind is that these are being taken as definitive facts in the matter of Scotland's place in the UK, with the assumption being that a good result at the next Scottish election in some way trumps the outcome of the 2014 independence referendum. It will do no such thing.

Was it Rab Butler who said that a week is long time in politics? Well, we have many weeks to go before that, much-vaunted election takes place, but the elephant in the room is not Scottish independence. The real show is Brexit and the Scottish nationalists are happy to use that for the purpose of furthering their political aims, quite unashamedly.

Scotland breaking the United Kingdom apart merely leaves Scotland utterly adrift. Of course, despite panic being kept firmly down at SNP HQ, nationalists know that the anti-Brexiteers who currently support them are responsible for the rise in the polls (not forgetting bucket-loads of free TV time). When anti-Brexiteers realise that independence would leave Scotland horribly alone, most of them will pull back. Nicola Sturgeon knows this.

The best way to get back into the EU is as part of the UK in which almost as many people want in as voted to leave.

Dave Anderson, Broomhill Road, Aberdeen

Boris+1

Our First Minister reminds of ITV+1. Just like ITV but an hour later. In her case, just like Westminster but a week or two later – and different! There is a simplicity to three levels. Arguably there is still a simplicity to five levels, but to number them zero to four? Level 4 is actually tier 5? Now that will confuse. Fortunately, as a software engineer of many years standing I’m used to adding that “-1” to indexes due to a zero base. I always found it annoying.

Ken Currie, Liberton Drive, Edinburgh

Tiers will come

So, as ever seemingly unwilling to replicate anything England does presumably out of principle, Nicola Sturgeon is to adopt not a three-tier lockdown system but five. Bizarrely, her key justification seems to be that New Zealand and Ireland have five tiers.

Of course Scotland is geographically joined to neither of these countries but is to England and with complete freedom of movement across the jurisdictional border – so common lockdown rules for our two countries would simplify matters and help control the deadly virus. It's regrettable Ms Sturgeon can't put aside her characteristic divisiveness at such serious times as these.

Martin Redfern Melrose, Roxburghshire

Careful Christmas

I heard Prof Jason Leitch announcing that we in Scotland can look forward to a digital Christmas, apparently. To those who do not know what this means, “We are not going to be in large groupings with multiple families coming round – that is fiction for this year," he says.

Well, good luck with that, Prof! I don't think that most of us in this day and age have "multiple families coming around", but most of us will be visiting our nearest and dearest and, being sensible people, we will observe normal Scottish social distancing, which may not suit some of our more exuberant young people who like to grapple with each other at first sight. However, for old crusties like me, a handshake was the most intimate gesture, so a wave and a smile will be quite sufficient on December 25, thank you very much.

I think that Christmas will still be a time for togetherness. We will simply exercise the caution for which Scots have always been noted.

John Fraser, Jedburgh Gardens, Glasgow

FM’s sorrow

It was abundantly clear from the First Minister’s evident annoyance and discomfort at yesterday’s Coronavirus briefing that her National Clinical Director had “landed” her in it with his comments on radio around people having to “get their digital Christmas ready” and that the idea of a normal Christmas is “fiction”. The First Minister has put herself up as our Almighty Leader with her daily briefings but these briefings are simply announcements of new cases, sad deaths and talk of how difficult it is for her and how she works so hard to ensure these briefings are non-political!.

When you decide never to delegate as she has clearly done, bearing in mind the total absence of other ministers now and that “the buck stops with me” as she said, then such irritations are bound to come about from a loose tongue elsewhere. You must know how difficult this is First Minister – you have told us often enough!

Richard Allison, Braehead Loan, Edinburgh

The tide is nigh

How can the SNP be “all for Scotland” while at the same time importing wind turbines made in China? It’s a nonsense!

Wind turbines are indeed a nonsense in themselves simply because they depend upon the vagaries of the wind. For example, because of very little air movement during the weekend of 10th and 11th October, instead of producing about 60 per cent of the UK’s power, our turbines produced merely 9 per cent! To compensate, power had to be brought into the UK by interconnector cables from both France and Holland.

The public should be made aware that those turbines produce nil electricity when the wind speed is lower than about 5mph and have to be shut down at wind speeds over about 50mph to prevent damage to the machinery. Alas, electricity produced by 50mph winds is no greater than if the wind speed was 25mph but there is far more wear and tear on the machinery. Because of the above, it was clear to me in 2014 that some new method of electrical generation was required in order to produce regular and known amounts of electricity...and from onshore locations which could be easily serviced.

I am pleased to say that earlier this year I was granted a Patent by Her Majesty’s Patent Office for a “Tidal Energy Harvesting System” which will produce electricity in an onshore site and virtually continuously each time the tide moves in or out. Because of the known regularity of this system, the electricity produced must surely benefit the production of hydrogen, which in turn must eventually fuel all sizes of road vehicles.

Archibald A Lawrie, Church Wynd, Kingskettle, Fife

Wrong targets

A Climate Emergency has been declared and we are told that mankind has only a short time to "save the planet" by restricting the rise in global temperatures to 1.5 per cent above pre-industrial levels. Various pundits have said 12 years, others ten years, Prince Charles said 18 months and the Climate Clock in Manhattan's Union Square shows the planet's tipping point to be seven years plus descending days and hours.

The latest Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) report discloses that US$3660 billion has been spent on trying to limit emissions over the period 2011-2018. Fifty-five per cent of this on building wind turbines and solar panels but this only increased worldwide green electricity from 0.5 per cent to 3 per cent. Meanwhile coal, oil and gas continue to supply 85 per cent of the world's energy needs. Slashing this 85 per cent would, I suggest, bankrupt nations, thus "saving the planet" may take a little longer unless Extinction Rebellion targets the oil and gas rich countries of China, Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, Nigeria, Angola, Algeria, Libya, Egypt and many others. XR obviously prefers the easy more civilised targets rather than a cold dark cell.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow

Mucus to my ears

If you're medically in need of an expectorant, don't trouble the hard-pressed NHS – just read any of the reasons given by 322 Tory MPs for voting against free school meals for needy children.

Steve Hayes, Aithernie Court, Leven

Speak freely

Despite suggestions that the Hate Crime bill that Humza Yousaf has put before Holyrood may be amended, there remain many deeply concerning problems about the whole matter. Like the road the Hell, the way is paved with good intentions with this bill and blunt questions must be asked about it.

If inflammatory written materials are to be made illegal, what about the copy of “Mein Kampf” that I used in my academic studies? Can I understand Hitler’s mindset without it? What of passages in the Koran which are regularly trotted out by Islamists? Will he ban that holy book?

Certain communities who have established themselves in this country do not observe the same treatment of their womenfolk as we do. Will I be prevented from saying that I don’t like (say) Martians because they refuse to shake hands with women, or damage their genitals, or beat them, or fly them to Mars at the age of 16 and marry them off to 70-year-old Martians? Surely that would be an unacceptable inhibition on my free speech and would prevent appalling behaviour being put under the spotlight. Surely, Mr Yousaf remembers how the police in certain English cities ignored Asian gangs who were making English girls into sex-slaves in case they were thought racist? Is his bill not another attempt to prevent the exposure of unacceptable views to the clear light of day in the same way that the behaviour of these gangs was protected by inhibitions about questioning the behaviour of different cultures? Surely, these things must be open to scrutiny?

The only way to deal with people is to allow free speech. When it is in the open, those who voice their views have to justify them. In the light of day, those openly-expressed opinions which cannot withstand scrutiny can be taken apart, as is normal in a free society.

Andrew H N Gray, Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh

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