Readers Letters: Solve budgets crisis by amalgamating universities

I have, for a long time, been an advocate of Scotland biting the bullet and creating a global scale university from its excellent but subscale group of existing universities. I have observed the gap in funding between the leading Scottish and English universities, and the double overheads.

I would have started with the obvious merger of Heriot-Watt and Edinburgh University, despite the academic vested interest in keeping them apart. However, I would also argue for a much greater set of Central Belt university mergers to be able to compete not only with the so-called golden triangle of Cambridge, Imperial and Oxford, but also with the US Ivy league.

We are living in the glorious past and are fantasising about our future government funding if we think we can maintain the status quo and stay ahead in education.

Ian Godden, Edinburgh

Vanished plan

Justice Secretary Angela Constance’s aim to establish new sexual courts is all very well, but where will they sit (your report, 10 September)? If Kenny MacAskill hadn’t done a “Dr Beeching” to our Sheriff Court system some years ago things would have been marginally better. Several years ago there was talk that Haddington Police Station was going to move into the Sheriff Court suite, but like so many other SNP pans it seems to have disappeared like snow off a dyke.

David Elder, Haddington, East Lothian

Green shoots?

As correctly stated by Ben Douglas (Letters, 4 September), Scotland's landscape is indeed considered one of the most nature-depleted in the world, ranking in the bottom 25 per cent of nations in terms of biodiversity intactness. This decline, according to a State of Nature report, is due to centuries of habitat loss, over-exploitation, intensive farming, development, pollution, climate change and invasive species stripping the land of its natural richness.

That accepted, if Ben Douglas is of the belief that by supporting Ross Greer as one of the new leaders of the Scottish Green Party in charge, can we also assume he is fully aware of the following?

The construction of a 200-250m high, 20-turbine wind farm, similar to many being proposed at the moment by wind farm developers all over Scotland, and seemingly fully supported by Ross Greer, requires thousands of tons of concrete and steel for the foundations, hundreds of tons of steel for the towers and additional materials like copper, fibreglass and rare earth elements for the electrical and mechanical components for its construction?

Is he also aware that all wind farms require significant supporting infrastructure, including access tracks, hardstanding areas for cranes and on-site substations and a “restructuring” of local roads to service the wind farm, all of which can can seriously destroy natural carbon sinks such as peatlands through disruption of the original hydrology of the area, which can lead to the release of stored carbon and degradation of the fragile habitat?

As Mr Douglas rightly suggests, the windfarm will undoubtedly make the developers, landlords, energy companies and speculators very wealthy indeed. That is a scandal in itself, one in urgent need of addressing. Despite these facts, is he still content to see even further despoiling of to Scotland's landscape in such a destructive manner?

Surely he cannot believe huge numbers of turbines, almost four times the height of the Scott Monument, will somehow improve the look of the “desolate” hills, and in some way prevent climate change?

Neil McKinnon, Glenalmond, Perth

UN-truthful

Lest your nationalist readers become excited by Herbert Petrie's claim that “a UN conference in Geneva will soon address Scotland’s right to self-determination” (Letters, 10 September) , let us note that the conference at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva on 18 September is being held by the International Pro Bono Legal Services Association and an outfit called Liberation Scotland, whose campaigning arm is Salvo. This sect aims to prove that Scotland is a sovereign country that is denied its rightful place in international affairs by the dastardly UK. Apparently, historians and lawyers have got it wrong about Scotland being an integral part of the sovereign UK.

Mr Petrie asserts that the conference will run from 23-29 September, but online information describes its duration as from 10.00 and finishing at 15.00 hours on 18 September. The imminent UN conferences listed as “Geneva conferences” are on international subjects, such as the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament and the International Labour Conference.

Pretending that this little meeting in Geneva is sponsored by the UN is dishonest.

Salvo’s aim is to induce the UN to recognise Scotland as a “non-self-governing territory”, and have it subjected to “decolonisation” to become an independent country. The UN recognises 17 non-self-governing territories, not including Scotland, but including Bermuda.

I quite see that Mr Petrie wishes to publicise this little gathering, but let us recognise it for what it is: a somewhat cranky event making claims about mythical “sovereignty” and equally mythical “plundered assets”. Still, he got mention of it into The Scotsman.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Lesson learned?

In 1979, after Labour lost the general lection, Jim Callaghan said, “We lost because people didn’t get their dustbins emptied, because commuters were angry about train disruption and because of too much union power.”

Is it possible that in UK, 46 years later, our politicians have failed us by learning nothing from history?

Elizabeth Marshall, Edinburgh

Let Leith lead

With spiralling costs threatening the Dunard Centre (your report, 10 September), isn’t it time to ask whether central Edinburgh is still the right location?

Edinburgh’s festivals already overwhelm the city centre, fuelling congestion, pushing infrastructure to breaking point, and frustrating residents. Building another flagship venue there risks deepening these pressures instead of solving them.

Leith offers a smarter alternative. With new tram links, ambitious regeneration plans and the revival of Leith Theatre, the area is fast emerging as a cultural hub. Placing the Dunard Centre there would disperse festival crowds, spread economic benefits, and deliver a more balanced, sustainable cultural landscape for the city.

If public money is involved, this is the moment for bold thinking. Rather than reinforcing over-tourism in the Old and New Towns, why not seize the chance to reimagine Edinburgh’s festival footprint – and let Leith lead Scotland’s next cultural chapter?

Stewart Walker, Edinburgh

Move funds

I am not the greatest follower of the arts but do enjoy the odd classical concert or organ recital, and think Edinburgh would benefit greatly culturally from a new concert hall while providing a much needed permanent home for the SCO.

If the City of Edinburgh Council is having difficulty finding funds for the Dunard Centre I suggest they rummage in the garden shed for their secateurs, prune a few sprigs or even branches off the overgrown money tree called Trams Extension and graft them onto the one labelled Dunard Centre.

Problem solved.

Neil Robertson, Liberton, Edinburgh

Unfair to Sturgeon

It is sad when some feel it necessary to misrepresent the intent, the context or the words of others in order to attempt to justify their particular views.

Jane Lax (Letters, 10 September) is letting down her cause by deliberately inferring that the quoted remarks made by former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon were aimed at all opposed to the GRR Bill. The Bill was not Nicola Sturgeon’s Bill, but a bill that had wide cross-party support at Holyrood.

Opposition to the Bill has apparently come primarily from those genuinely concerned about women’s rights but it cannot be denied that in addition there were others opposed to the Bill driven by other motives, including what some would consider malign intent. The way to counter this fact, or to counter furtive influence, such as that of the US anti-abortion lobby in Scotland or of the English far-right in Falkirk, is not to pretend it does not exist but to expose and denounce that influence. Of course, being totally transparent on funding also helps, so others can judge for themselves whether they consider motives to be genuine, political or self-serving.

Should misrepresentation prove successful in matters some consider important in building a fair, egalitarian and cohesive society then we all lose.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

Flag up banners

Martin Redfern claims: “As ever more saltires appear on Scottish streets...” (Letters 10 September). Oh really? I spend time in Glasgow and Edinburgh most weeks, drive up to Skye monthly and live in the Stirling area. I have not noticed an increase in saltires appearing in any of those parts of Scotland.

Maybe Mr Redfern’s town of Melrose has become a hotbed of Scottish nationalism in the last few months?

Or maybe it conveniently backed up a rather desperate political point he wished to make?

D Mitchell, Doune, Stirling

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