Readers' Letters: Military deterrence and gas production must be 'beefed up'

In fact we import around 65 per cent of total gas via pipelines and ships and 47 per cent of that – one third of total consumption – comes from three Norwegian pipelines – but these numbers are still concerning. Russian vessels are hovering over our pipelines and data cables and the blowing up of their Nordstream pipeline to Germany shows it can happen again.

The answer surely is to beef up our military deterrence and gas production. Labour and the “putting Scotland first” SNP are at best “mebbes aye, mebbes no” on these two issues and it's about time they aligned themselves with Reform and the Conservatives.

Perhaps, if we are to believe Mr Offord, and Ross Greer on Wednesday's BBC Morning Call, that is what allegedly prompted Anas Sarwar to suggest they “work together, to remove the SNP”.

Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

Bridge that gap

It was interesting that none of the influential friends detailed by Neil Anderson (Letters, 15 April) provided any solution to fixing the looming £5 billion black hole in the Holyrood budget. Indeed, the spend costs promised by all the political leaders suggest the black hole will be nearer £7bn by 2029.

There are only two solutions open to Mr Anderson’s pals. The first is to cut the number of public sector employees, as most of Holyrood policies are labour intensive. However, assuming an annual wage of £40,000 in the sector, that implies around 125,000 job losses to cover a £5bn shortfall. It’s never going to happen.

That leaves tax increases as the only solution. If all 2.8 million Scots taxpayers pay an equal share, that’s an annual tax rise of £1,800. If restricted to the top 10 per cent the rise is £18,000 per year.

The last solution will not be appreciated by NHS consultants, head teachers or the first team squad at Ibrox or Parkhead, so it would be appreciated by all voters if the manifesto of all political parties gave cogent details on their plans to bridge the £5bn gap looming on the Holyrood horizon.

Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway

Trump is right

Donald Trump may not be everyone's cup of tea but he is a successful businessman (“Aberdeen should be booming says Trump”, 15 April). So it should be, but it is being held back, if not destroyed, by Labour, SNP and the Greens.

We have, over time, moved away from politics that helps the population to something more akin to the personal projects of some of our “leaders” that takes no account of reality.

These issues trip off the tongue, like “net zero”, “immigrants welcome here” and “trans rights” without any regard to the effects these issues can actually have on local communities and spending policies. Scottish energy policy is being exposed, right now, for its antipathy towards fossil fuels and nuclear power.

The upcoming election can change things as Donald Trump is right, but is it a case of if he says it, many politicians here will rush to do the opposite? Scotland is in a deep rut.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Tricky question?

A few days ago I received a Facebook invitation from my local Reform candidate, Rachael Wright, asking residents in Stirling and surrounding villages what their concerns were. I wrote back with my main concern, asking why Reform are accepting huge donations from offshore billionaires and tax exiles and what do those donors want in return?

I should have realised sooner as the other replies to her invitation, all seven of them, were all positive about Reform. Within ten minutes I had been blocked and Ms Wright chose not to answer my question. It seems Reform UK are keen to engage with constituents and find out their concerns so long as they concur with those of Reform UK. Had I mentioned immigration, Reform’s sole issue, was a concern I’m sure Ms Wright would have been only too happy to indulge me.

D Mitchell, Doune, Perthshire

Green with envy

Environment has changed to envy. Given their history of changing the Party name from The People Party to The Ecology Party to the Green Party and then to the Scottish Greens, is it not time, after the unveiling of their manifesto, for yet another name change and to merge with The Monster Raving Loony Party?

Brian Petrie, Edinburgh

Staying away

There are predictions of a poor turnout at the upcoming election. With the probability of another SNP government, who is surprised?

M J Salter, Banchory, Aberdeen

Look outwards

As someone born in London who went to school in Lancaster (burned down in1322 by a Scottish army which again passed through to defeats in 1648, 1651, 1715 and 1745), who had the enormous luck to be mentored in London by the June Almeida when she was discovering human coronaviruses (whose English father was a Glasgow bus driver), who worked in a Glasgow virology laboratory lavishly funded from London and run by a scientist whose parents perished in the Holocaust, and who has been proud to play a central role in celebrations of the work of Joseph Lister, who came from England to Glasgow where he revolutionised surgery with antiseptics, and Alexander Fleming who discovered penicillin in London, I strongly agree with the principles expressed in Ian Johnston's article “The grim fantasies of illiberal politicians are very dangerous” (Perspective, 15 April), in particular his negative view about nationalism.

It is hard to see how a hard border at Gretna would have been anything other than a hindrance regarding the events I have noted.

Hugh Pennington, Aberdeen

Cheap and clean?

Dhara Vyas, chief executive of Energy UK, said cheaper electricity prices would come gradually with the transition to “clean” power; however she said a price rise in July is coming due to the Iran War (“Energy chief says bill rise in July is now inevitable”, 14 April)

I seem to remember Labour promised £300 off our bills. Politicians, the Green brigade and uncle Tom Cobley and all have been promising cheaper electricity bills for years if we embraced clean renewables.

Clean? The majority of turbines erected in the UK are made in China with the steel manufactured by coal-fired furnaces and then shipped over to the UK in diesel ships and transported to site on diesel vehicles where foreign workers erect them for the mostly foreign energy companies. Redundant wind turbine blades cannot be recycled so end up in landfill.

Wind turbine companies which submit a price to supply electricity to the grid know full well that there are lots of juicy hidden extras. They even get paid handsomely to switch off their turbines when their electricity is not needed, either during the day or at night when there is limited demand. We are talking billions in subsidies here, not a few thousand pounds.

It needs to be pointed out that wind and solar, despite all the hype, could provide only 43 per cent of UK electricity in the last 12 months. “Nasty” gas, nuclear and biomass provided 47.1 per cent.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Iran’s Vietcong

Pope Leo has once more got under the skin of President Donald Trump in his plea for peace in the Middle East and an end to the costly war in Iran.

Pope Leo is saying only what most fair-minded people think. There should be a lasting ceasefire and immediate peace talks. After all, such talks had reached near agreement before this disastrous war began.

Only one person wanted this war, Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been thirsting for such a conflict for many years. Not to be outdone, Trump followed him, blundering into a war, with no obvious endgame.

What was meant to be over in days may take months, even years, to resolve. For all their problems, and a loathsome government, nevertheless the Iranians are a proud people, who, like their neighbours in Ukraine, will fight to the bitter end.

The Iranians have played a masterstroke by blocking the straits of Hormuz, with universal consequences.

Significantly, it's America, not Iran, who are seeking a resolution of this conflict, which is going nowhere. The Iranians are well prepared to dig in for guerrilla warfare for as long as it takes. Just think Vietcong in Vietnam.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

A Pope’s prayer

President Donald Trump's incendiary tirade against Pope Leo is repugnant to say the least. Worse, his portrayal of himself as Jesus the saviour, who descended to earth to redeem humanity from Sin, is beyond human comprehension. Pope Leo has shown compassion, humility, unwavering dedication and indomitable spirit in his earthly journey to foster a climate of ethics and responsibility, trust and dialogue, social justice and solidarity with the marginalised, displaced and dispossessed.

War sows death and destruction and deepens divisions between cultures and ethnicities. What is needed now is to embrace Pope Leo's vision for peace and the need for reconciliation in war-torn countries.

(Dr) Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London

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