I fully echo the views expressed by your columnist Mark Smith (“Squirrels condemned to suffer cruellest of deaths”, The Herald, May 20) about the cruel and painful deaths being inflicted on our beloved grey squirrels, a native breed for at least 120 years, by Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
The action and the issues it raises begs the question: how long must an animal live in this country before being accepted as part of our wonderful and diverse fauna?
There are several other dimensions to this most misguided of policies; one of which relates to its effect on our own young.
For many children, across Central Scotland, a grey squirrel is the only squirrel they are ever likely to see in the wild.
On family and school outings, they can be delighted by such sightings, as they feed the squirrels or watch them playing amongst the trees. These experiences draw them closer to nature and hopefully make them more respectful and aware of the wonders of the natural world.
There is good scientific evidence that young people who show violence and cruelty to animals subsequently exhibit the same behavioural patterns towards their fellow human beings.
What messages, therefore, are we sending out to our young when adults are trying to wipe out a whole species by shooting and bludgeoning to death lactating grey squirrels? The consequence of baby squirrels dying a slow, horrific death from starvation cannot have any positive effect on a child’s psyche.
I am led to believe that a squirrelpox vaccine is now available and this could be given to safely-trapped red squirrels, thereby building up their herd immunity to the disease. Whilst this may take some time, is it not preferable to the barbaric, bloodthirsty policy that is being pursued at present?
For my part, having been a member of the Scottish Wildlife Trust for over 30 years, I shall now be cancelling my membership.
Margaret Melville,
Fife.
Mark Smith questions the need to control the grey squirrel population, but the hard fact is that if we do not control grey squirrels we will lose the red squirrel.
Invasive non-native species are one of the biggest threats to biodiversity throughout the world and sadly we have our share, be they mink, Japanese knot weed or the grey squirrels.
It is incorrect of Mr Smith to say that the primary justification for undertaking grey squirrel control is based on an aim to prevent red squirrels from suffering a painful death from the squirrelpox virus.
While we do indeed hope that red squirrels will be spared this suffering, we believe that the primary aim is to secure sustainable populations of red squirrels in Scotland.
This necessitates the targeted control of grey squirrels, primarily focused on dispersal routes of greys into the Highlands and to stem the flow of squirrelpox being carried from Cumbria into Scotland.
In areas with squirrelpox the rate of the decline in red squirrel population is multiplied by 20.
The control of grey squirrels is one of the harsh realities of conservation management which unfortunately must be pursued if we are to save our native red squirrel.
Simon Milne ,
Chief Executive, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Cramond House, 3 Kirk Cramond,
Edinburgh
Study of ancient txt
“TXT SPK” might not be as modern as we think (Letters, May 19).
The habit of dropping out vowels in order to facilitate message-writing could go back around 5,000 years.
Writing on a wet clay tablet with a piece of cut reed was just as laborious as using a mobile phone nowadays for the same purpose. The people who were deciphering these ancient tablets found that the language used did not seem to have any vowels.
Since a spoken language has to have vowels, the obvious answer was that the scribes of those days dropped out the vowels, on the basis that the message would still be understood by the recipient, who would in any case be another scribe and thus familiar with this practice.
So txt spk does indeed go back a long way!
George Bryson,
South Lanarkshire.
Anyone who has ever visited the city of Norwich, or cringed at the antics of Radio Norwich star Alan Partridge, will realise that the true decoding of the acronym NORWICH is:
Name One Reason Why I Came Here.
Norman Wilson,
Glasgow.
Time Scotland ditched Home Reports
An Englishman’s home is his castle, or so it is said. Sadly, these castles have been a little more difficult and expensive to sell these last few years because of the late Labour Government’s imposition of the compulsory Home Information Pack into the house sales process.
Fortunately, commonsense has broken out in England and one of the first acts of the new Tory Liberal coalition is to dump the hated packs, to the great relief of property professionals, buyers and sellers alike. Of course this decision applies only in England in Wales and we Scots have to suffer on.
In Scotland Home Reports were imposed with a zeal which overtook reason and evidence.Politicians chose to ignore advice from about 95% of all property professionals who argued firmly against Home Reports. Excepted from this group were surveyors who realised they stood to make a killing from these reports, and that is what they have been doing these last 18 months or so.
However, most of the rest of us, have been suffering because of this ill thought out legislation. The cost of selling has gone up, Home Reports are hated by most sellers because of their cost, distrusted by most buyers because the sellers produce them, and are frequently also not accepted by many lenders. The legislation has caused multiple surveys to return when that problem had long been solved by the unanimous adoption of the practice of offering “subject to survey”. Worst of all, some houses simply do not sell quickly and sellers decide to stay put. The Home Reports in these cases have simply been a waste of money. Concluding contracts has become slow and uncertain and the valuations in the reports themselves are often wildly out of date by the time a contract is concluded.
Our house selling system is more expensive and less certain than it ever was in the old system. Then the buyer instructed one survey from a surveyor approved by his or her lender at the time a deal was about to be done.
The old Scottish system was quick easy and relatively cheap -- and well understood by all -- and simply better all round for buyers, sellers and lenders. But this system has been wrecked by Home Reports.
Is it too much too hope for that commonsense will break out in Scotland too?
Are any politicians or consumer groups honest enough to admit they got this one wrong? Might some brave politicians unite in the spirit of the “new politics” and consign this damaging legislation to the bin?
David Borrowman,
Bathgate.
Solution to the West Lothian Question is for Scotland to have full fiscal autonomy
The problem of MPs from Scottish constituencies voting on England-only legislation -- the notorious West Lothian Question -- is now to be considered by a special commission set up by the coalition government (“Coalition slated for ‘papering over the cracks’”, The Herald, May 21).
This has been a sore point with the Conservatives since devolution as they watched a large block of Scottish Labour MPs providing the government majority to push through legislation applying only to England. SNP MPs abstained from voting on such bills except where there were indirect consequences for Scotland.
Perhaps we should stop referring to this as the West Lothian Question, and instead call it the English Parliament Question, for that is what it boils down to. Probably 75% of Westminster legislation now applies to England only, on such matters as education, health, justice and policing, local authorities, etc., all of which are devolved. It seems only right that these decisions should be taken only by those representing English voters, in effect an English Parliament, leaving the full UK Parliament to deal with the economy, taxation, foreign affairs and defence which relate to the whole United Kingdom.
At first glance that seems the obvious solution, but it is more complicated than that. As long as the Barnett Formula or something like it exists to decide on the annual block grant allocation to the Holyrood Parliament, there are knock-on consequentials for Scotland in Westminster legislation that allocates increased (or decreased) funding to English education, health services, etc. Scottish MPs would have every right to take part in the debates and votes on such matters.
The long-term solution is for Scotland to have full fiscal autonomy, raise our own taxes and pay for our own public services. The limited Calman Commission proposals for devolved tax powers, if they are implemented, will be a small step in that direction but too little and perhaps too late.
The next few years will be ones of severe economic stress for the UK with deep cuts in public services and tax increases. Scotland must of course bear its fair share of such pain, but as long as we are dependent on an annual handout from the UK Treasury there will continue to be endless disputes and strife between Edinburgh and London.
Iain A D Mann,
Glasgow.
Oxbridge connections disavow new politics
Should we be concerned at the extensive influence of Oxbridge men (and one woman) ruling Britain? (Donald R Buchanan, Letters, May 21). We should not be surprised at the considerable Conservative cabinet team from Oxbridge: David Cameron, George Osborne, Michael Gove (Edinburgh-born, Aberdeen-educated, ex-President of Oxford Union), Theresa May, William Hague, Ken Clark, Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Grieve, Andrew Mitchell, Oliver Letwin, Francis Maude, David Willetts, Philip Hammond and Owen Paterson.
All five of the LibDems in cabinet are also Oxbridge: Nick Clegg, Chris Hulme, Vince Cable, David Laws and Edinburgh-born, Lochaber-educated, Danny Alexander. Now we discover that five of the six candidates for leader of the Labour Party are also Oxbridge: David Miliband, Ed Miliband, Ed Balls, and Diane Abbott, but John McDonnell went to Birbeck.
Some of my best friends went to Oxbridge, but in all this talk of new politics, it seems like the old political power systems are very much de rigueur. It is therefore, not so surprising that we have a coalition government, when so many share the same intellectual culture within a common academic environment.
Thom Cross,
Carluke.
Saltire Prize is giving Scotland the chance to be a world leader in renewables technology
With reference to your report (“£34,000 air bill for green prize judges bill”, The Herald, May 20), the £10 million Saltire Prize is Scotland’s energy challenge to the world which will unlock Scotland’s marine renewable energy potential in tidal and wave power for global benefit.
The Saltire Prize Challenge Committee and Technical Advisory Boards bring together experts in science, marine energy and experience of delivering
global innovation prizes. Members give their time and expertise for no charge whatever.
The first meeting of the Challenge Committee took place in Washington at the invitation of the National Geographic Society, one of the world’s largest scientific and educational organisations. As a result of that meeting we are partnered in the Saltire Prize by National Geographic, showcasing Scotland and giving us unique access to the 360 million people around the world who use National Geographic’s world-wide media and television output.
By any standard access to that informed audience is extremely valuable, especially as we are able to position Scotland as a leading location for wave and tidal energy development with such discerning and well-connected people.
This is now even more important and significant, given that just this week a report has estimated the value of Scotland’s offshore energy generation at an enormous £14 billion by 2050 -- equivalent to £2,700 for every man, woman, and child in Scotland -- and the Saltire Prize is enabling Scotland to realise the multi-billion pound opportunity of becoming the world leader in marine renewables technology.
This is all achievable, for working with the Crown Estate, we are already seeing plans for some 11GW of offshore wind, wave and tidal energy to be developed -- enough to power Scotland twice over.
Jim Mather, MSP,
Scottish Government Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh.
The critics of the expenses of the judges for the Saltire prize are small minded.
The £34,000 flight bill for the judges is peanuts compared with the potential world benefits of getting substantial amounts of energy from the world’s oceans. And Scotland could be a world leader.
Kerr MacGregor,
Midlothian.
Kirk is seeking to manipulate members
You report that a strong commendation of the effect of a gay ministry was made at the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly (“Controversial gay minister has raised church atendance 5%”, The Herald, May 21). This raises important issues.
Since the General Assembly last year called for a moratorium on public discussion on the issue until the Special Commission on same-sex relationships reports next year, it would appear that the Kirk’s establishment is seeking to manipulate the attitude of members. We are informed of a modest increase in membership in one congregation, but there is no mention of the many around the country who have left the Kirk as a result of the decision of last year’s Assembly.
Rev. Bill Wallace,
Banchory.
Alasdair H Macinnes (Letters, May 20) writes that “Some Church of Scotland congregations in Lewis are content to have presenters lead the praise” . May I point out that the person who leads the praise in this kind of ecclesiastical gathering is not a “presenter”, but a “precentor” -- as was my own great-grandfather.
Rev C.Brian Ross,
Motherwell.
