The report by Bill Skelly, HM Inspector of Constabulary, on absences in the police service contains little more than regurgitation of narrowly held opinions, many from them outwith the police service, and cites references from sources as authoritative as Wikipedia (“Police watchdog demands crackdown on absence”, The Herald, February 18).
It lacks any in-depth examination of the reality of sickness in Scotland’s police service. It fails to recognise that police officers are unique as they fund and maintain their own treatment, rehabilitation and convalescent facilities, all to assist in getting back to work at next to zero cost to the force, police authority or taxpayer.
I challenge anyone to read the report and find any evidence to support his main recommendation that a change in regulation is required. It simply doesn’t exist.
The Scottish Police Federation has no tolerance for those who malinger and draw income from the public purse while placing additional burden on their colleagues and depriving the public of their service. That is why we support the use of the sanctions that currently exist. Malingering in the police service is an offence -- and an offence for which you can be dismissed.
It is not complicated, it is not convoluted and, if the processes already in place are not being used, then more than those who malinger have questions to answer and allegations to face. Scotland has real issues and I suggest HMIC would be better employed looking at Scotland’s drink, violence, knife and drugs problems rather than wasting time calling for sledgehammers to crack nuts.
Calum Steele, General Secretary, Scottish Police Federation, 5 Woodside Place, Glasgow.
I completely agree with David Strang, Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police, when he describes what is wrong with our criminal justice system -- but I believe he is totally wrong in his suggestions as to how the system could be improved.
To suggest that the abolition of corporal punishment in our schools has improved academic performance and behaviour is without substance and his observation “very few managers would say they get their best from staff by punishing them” suggests he is confusing friend with enemy.
We do have a real problem with crime that has its roots in a background of deprivation and despair, and this has to be tackled as a priority. This must not, however, be used as an excuse to deny the general public the right to have these individuals removed from society until their behaviour has been modified. There is no evidence to suggest that a more aggressive punitive element in the system would not improve matters, whereas there is overwhelming evidence that the ethos that regards imprisonment as a “last resort” has contributed to the current mess. To use Mr Strang’s own analogy, if you had a bleeding wound, the last thing you would do would be to take the bandage off.
David J Crawford, Glasgow.
Japan has important lessons to teach Scottish business about international commerce
I would like to compliment The Herald and Business Editor Ian McConnell on a useful and relevant series on Japan in the Business section. The articles were fair, balanced, thoughtfully constructed and a far cry from the closed-minded critiques found in publications that engage in Japan-bashing.
The message comes across that, while Japan may be facing various challenges, the fundamentals of its diversified economy remain sound, and that the expression “wasted decade” is a questionable label.
The strength of the yen, while an irritant to exporters, may also be viewed as market confidence in the currency, and de facto in the economy itself. Mr McConnell is correct in drawing attention to the fact Japanese banks avoided over-exposure to the US generated sub-prime market problem.
The Japanese government began to cool off the economy in the late 1980s by deflating land prices, in the view of some, too drastically. Hence deflation still lingers as a shadow in the background. However, the fact remains that the restructuring of the banking system was effected with little external stimulation and completed within the time frame agreed by the government. It should also be remembered that Japan is not a debtor nation.
The importance of ongoing R&D, from which this country could learn, is underlined in the reference to electronics. The Matsushita Gijitsukan, that houses Panasonic brand products as part of the corporate headquarters in Osaka, boasts of 27,000 internationally registered patents. Japan has more than 400,000 researchers working in the private sector.
Finally, the Japan-China relations touched upon in the final article correctly drew attention to the rising level of trade between the two nations. While it may not be popular to say so, China has benefited enormously from Japan’s technology -- for example, in creating its high-speed trains. Japan becoming third behind China is as much a matter of numbers as of economics. Japan may have weaknesses, but so has every economy.
Peremptory dismissal is as unfair as it is unwise. British companies in general and Scottish companies in particular that are looking at the Chinese market should first examine Japan’s experience and then perhaps search for a Japanese partner.
HSBC, in its early days of investment in China, joined forces with two large Japanese banks. There is a lesson to be learned from that alone. One minor point of correction is that Doshisha University main campus is in Kyoto.
Rev Professor Stuart D B Picken, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Chairman, Japan Society of Scotland, 3 Millhill Crescent, Greenloaning, Perthshire.
SPT chairmanship ‘beggars belief’
I read with great surprise your article on SPT in which it was mentioned that Jonathan Findlay, a Glasgow councillor, is to become the new chairman of the transport body. As a member of SPT myself, I can safely say that Councillor Findlay is not even a member of SPT --therefore, his “appointment” as chairman beggars belief . SPT has not yet met to discuss a new chairperson.
Obviously a great deal of wheeling and dealing in Labour circles to minimise their own incompetence is taking place. However, Glasgow City Council has only five members of the 20-member SPT and Stephen Purcell should not be attempting to dictate the decisions of the board.
Councillor William Hendrie, West Dunbartonshire Council, Rosebery Place, Clydebank.
It seems that the only train the now-departed high-living bosses of SPT ran efficiently was the gravy train. With such talents surely they should all have been in the House of Commons.
Iain A D Mann, Glasgow.
On A rough calculation, using his mileage claims and assuming an average of 30mph, David McLachlan would seem to have spent about eight hours per working week behind the wheel over the past three years. What function did he serve at SPT? Was he one of its drivers?
W Graham Stark, Glasgow.
Mourning the death of a true Scottish genius in his chosen field of endeavour
May I congratulate your on your coverage of the story of the untimely death of Scotland’s iconic photographer, Mel Gillies. He was in every sense the professional’s professional in his unstinting quest to achieve the perfect shot -- and probably from the most challenging camera angle.
This in an era when silver halide film was the order of the day and cameras were temperamental in the wrong hands, and most certainly not digital. These were most certainly not “point and press” days.
His artistry was truly amazing for capturing that magical photographic moment, be it his panoramic shots of the Himalayas or, indeed, his recent exhibition at Cottiers Theatre on the magic and magnificence of Venice from his own unique perspective.
He was one of life’s true gentlemen with passion for the great outdoors. We skied together, albeit I drew the line when he combined it with mountaineering. Yes, probably he will be best remembered for the Tennent’s cans and I am not at all surprised they are on show in the People’s Palace and regularly change hands for up to £1500.
What I do take issue with is the Tennent’s statement which said “the brand had moved on considerably since the “Lager lovelies”. From what I can ascertain since the demise of the iconic cans, the brand has shrunk and allowed other foreign players to enter the lager market. Whether this could be put down to a marketing own goal at Tennent’s, I will leave readers (of a certain age) to decide.
After this memorable photographic work, Mel turned his attention to my company and thought the way forward was to produce the shot with our logo projected on to a model’s back. With an industry mired in recession, spiralling inflation and industrial strife all around, we did project a different image.
Mel will be sadly missed. He was a true genius with a camera, no matter the subject matter or assignment. A day in the hills or an evening in his company was such a special moment.
I cannot believe he is suddenly no longer on the planet he so loved to photograph.
John M Watson OBE Chairman, John Watson & Company Limited, Glasgow.
Good for Gok
I would vigorously defend the choice of Gok Wan as a guest on the programme Desert Island Discs. Far from dumbing down, it displays the producer’s ability to embrace current culture.
Those who complain display a narrow-minded form of intellectual snobbery which only acknowledges the worth of their perceived high end choices of music, literature, theatre and so on.
To be interesting is to be interested; those with eclectic minds have, and are, more fun, and those who only embrace only their own narrow choices have been dumbed down by their own hand.
Felicity Thomson, Symington.
System of appointments to public bodies in Scotland is always open to close scrutiny to ensure it is as transparent and fair as possible
To use an old analogy, like the curate’s egg, Ruth Wishart’s column (“We need a culture of original thinking”, The Herald, February 17) was good in parts. However, some of the information was incorrect and this, in turn, led to an ill-informed comment the letters page (February 18).
As Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland, I do not currently regulate appointments to the board of Creative Scotland. The Public Services Reform (Scotland) Bill is making its way through parliament. It has, I understand, reached stage 2. If the Bill succeeds in its current format, appointments to the board will fall under my regulatory remit.
Given that the Bill has not yet passed, I can state categorically that I will have no regulatory oversight of this appointments process. Also, I have not assigned an Ocpas (Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland) Assessor as a member of the selection panel for these appointments. Ms Wishart advises that the system of public appointments I oversee is designed to ensure fairness, transparency and competency, and to screen out “numpties and nepotism”. She goes on to state that these are admirable ambitions, but not necessarily appropriate for every appointment in every case.
I struggle to follow Ms Wishart’s reasoning. If the appointment process used to appoint someone to any board position on a significant public body in Scotland avoided fairness, transparency and competency, and welcomed numpties and nepotism, I would expect, and rightly so, to be deluged with complaints. Neither would I expect the media to be quiet.
The process I regulate is, first and foremost, a Scottish Government appointments process. I set some of the parameters, such as the requirement for fairness and openness, and assign an Ocpas Assessor to oversee the appointment process, but it is run by officials on behalf of the Scottish ministers. I agree wholeheartedly that the process does sometimes appear as though the “administrative tail is wagging the dog of ambition”. I have made it clear to the Scottish Government that my regulation does not preclude the use of a whole range of methods for identifying the best possible candidates for these important roles. I certainly don’t require people to fill in forms and neither do I prevent the use of search consultants.
Quite the contrary, I am actively encouraging the Scottish Government to try more innovative approaches. This is a moot point since, as I don’t regulate appointments to this board, the Scottish Government can be as creative as it wishes with Creative Scotland.
Ocpas Assessors are not my employees. They are independent consultants who ensure proper processes are followed. They have to assess any written applications and also the performance of candidates during interview. They cannot reach a sound judgment about whether the process has been fair without assessing the competence of the candidates. This cannot be achieved unless the Ocpas Assessor is part of the process. If Ocpas Assessors were not there to ensure that competency was competently assessed, would the system “screen out numpties and nepotism”?
I am the final arbiter of whether or not an appointment round has been conducted in accordance with my code of practice. If anyone involved in an appointment process expresses a concern about that process, I investigate the matter. If an Ocpas Assessor proves to have been at fault, then that will be the finding of the investigation and I will act appropriately.
Karen Carlton, Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland, MWB Business Exchange, 9-10 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh.
It’s a strange world of double standards
The US insists Iran should not develop a nuclear energy programme. Then Barack Obama announces the construction of two new reactors. “Ah, but we have to make sure Iran doesn’t make nuclear weapons,” says the man from only country to have dropped atom bombs on civilians.
Then I am informed that Palestinians face drought because the Israeli army demolishes their rain-collecting cisterns. At the same time, Israeli settlements in Palestine are using water taken from Palestinian mountain aquifers. While Israeli swimming pools are full, 90% of tap water in Gaza is unfit for human consumption. When is the UK government ever going to try something positive to get the Israelis out of Palestine?
Thirdly, we are reminded of the real reason for the Falklands War. Margaret Thatcher used jingoism to win an election. However, the ocean floor around the Falklands may be oil-rich and the Argentinians are demanding any ships entering the South Atlantic continental shelf area must have a permit. For the UK to insist that the Falklands are a Crown protectorate makes as much sense as Argentina claiming sovereignty over Arran.
Barry Lees, Greenock.
