Readers’ letters: Bring public sector pensions in line with the real world

He could join the private sector in the “real” world and cut the pension contribution paid by the employers – ie taxpayers, ultimately – of 22.5 per cent of NHS Scotland’s salaries, to say 10 per cent, which would still finance a fair pension after 40-45 years of employment – as in the best private sector schemes.

The remaining 12.5 per cent could be used to increase many medics’ basic salary rates now, which is what they understandably prefer rather than waiting until they are pensioners – which, to be blunt, some will never become.

The same should be adopted for the Scottish teachers’ pension scheme (currently costing us 26 per cent), the civil service (a whopping 28.97 per cent), MPs and MSPs, and all other similar public sector schemes.

In 2025/26 it is surely beyond high time that the costs, benefits and terms and conditions of public sector pension schemes, were brought into line with the 21st century’s fiscal, economic and average lifespan realities – as many of us argued over 30 years ago when generous, index-linked, final-salary-based pensions, payable for life in both sectors, were recognised as unfair and simply unsustainable.

John Birkett, St Andrews, Fife

Thuggery snapshot

On Friday afternoon, my six-carriage return train from work became the encapsulation of what this country has become.

At Paisley Gilmour Street, a disgruntled Rangers fan – back from his club's latest European mauling – was expelled from the bottom carriage for taking his bad mood out on random passengers. His mulish response was to re-enter up the top carriage – clearly the worse for wear from drink and third-rate football.

Thrown off once more, he proceeded to run amok on the platform, and passengers were told the train couldn’t move until he was removed for this person’s “own safety”. Rubbing salt in the wound, trains for the same line stopped at the adjacent platform one after the other. When it was finally deemed “safe” for us to leave, we had to wait for those trains to be “cleared”. Transport Police were nowhere to be seen throughout.

At every turn, the law-abiding, tax-paying citizen suffers: punishment has been replaced by pusillanimity, except where “thought crimes” are concerned.

Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire

Off target

I’m someone who has been sports daft for more than 70 years, taking an interest in a very wide range of sports. Imagine, then, my surprise when I looked at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year contenders and did not recognise three of the contenders, plus a darts player included in a “sport” category. That used to be categorised as a pastime.

Is this just now about box ticking and nothing to do with sporting achievement? Scoring a penalty is nothing to a season-long slog winning something meaningful. This is yet another instance of a BBC woke offering that I will not be watching.

Ken Currie, Edinburgh

Solstice marvel

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob writes about how marvellous Christmas is (Letters, 13 December). There is an even more marvellous event at this time of the year which predates the birth of Jesus, and indeed of mankind: the Winter Solstice.

This will occur on Sunday, 21 December – at three minutes past three in the afternoon in Edinburgh, as it varies according to latitude – when our six billion trillion ton Earth by the marvel of nature begins once again, as it has done for eons, begin to tilt towards the Sun. Ever so slowly but with increasing speed the long winter nights will begin to shorten and spring beckons. No wonder the ancients, without the bright lights we enjoy at the flick of a switch, celebrated this wondrous event. It is definitely an occasion to open a fine bottle of malt.

William Loneskie, Lauder, Scottish Borders

It’s SNP v Reform

The victory of Reform in the Whitburn and Blackburn council by-election (your report, 13 December), taking the seat from Scottish Labour, clearly sets the narrative for the next Scottish Parliamentary election.

This is an election that will be about the very soul of our nation, and a victory for Reform would take Scotland into a very dark and uncomfortable place. As the polls consistently show, the Labour vote has utterly collapsed, and what should be obvious to all is that it is only the SNP can beat Reform and keep them out.

Alex Orr, Edinburgh

Urban blind spots

The letter from Peter Ovenstone (13 December) on the subject of Scottish Labour being out of touch with rural Scotland could well have applied to all parties at Holyrood.

Three questions are not raised by the contributor, Firstly, why has Holyrood failed to match the Welsh Assembly by updating the voting system? After all, it would have been a simple change to adopt the Westminster boundaries and increase the number of list MSPs. Winning over half the Holyrood seats with less than one-third of votes cast is not democracy in action.

Secondly, why have all parties refused to implement the draft Wightman Bill to devolve financial and political out of Edinburgh to councils representing rural Scots? Every party pledged such action prior to the 2021 election.

Finally, why are Barnett Consequentials not ring-fenced for bringing rural facilities up to the standards in the Central Belt?

Ian Moir, Castle Douglas. Dumfries and Galloway

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