ANENT the Thomas Cook affair, you quote Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour’s shadow business secretary, as saying that the Government faces “a £600 million bill to repatriate UK holidaymakers” (“Travellers ‘held hostage’ over Thomas Cook cash crisis”, The Herald, September 23).

Hang on; there are “as many as 150,000 UK travellers stranded”, so that works out at £4,000 per head. Are they being flown back First Class? And, of course, a large percentage of those holidaymakers, I suspect the majority, will be on package holidays and will be ATOL protected.

I can still remember Diane Abbott’s car crash interview just before the 2017 General Election, when she claimed that an extra 10,000 police officers would cost £30 each per annum; or, when challenged, £8,000 per annum.

I’ll say this for Gordon Brown, when he was Chancellor he was spot on with his numbers. The clique currently running the Labour Party I wouldn’t trust to go for the messages, never mind to have stewardship of the country’s finances. Oh how far has a once-mighty party fallen.

Doug Maughan, Dunblane.

JEREMY Corbyn will lose Labour the election. The UK or an independent Scotland will not vote for the introduction of a Stalinist state under Labour.

Bill Eadie,

Giffnock.

IN his letter today (September 24) concerning post-independence catastrophes Ian Lakin forgot to mention the plague of frogs.

John Jamieson, Ayr.

Stroke of fortune

I AM writing to you on behalf of The Stroke Association to let your readers know about important changes in the delivery of stroke care in Dundee – my home town.

Previously if someone had had a stroke they would have gone straight to their nearest hospital. Under the new plans, Ninewells Hospital in Dundee is going to become a "centre of excellence" serving Tayside including Perth and Angus. Stroke experts will be on hand any time of the day or night to ensure they get a specialist assessment and effective start to their treatment.

For the past year I have played a character called Logan Roy in the HBO TV drama Succession. Logan is many things, a media mogul, a father, a husband, and a bully. Although he lives in New York, like me he was born in Dundee. He is also a stroke survivor.

Viewers watch how Logan’s life changes overnight. From this incredibly powerful uber-boss, he becomes a person struggling to walk and talk – even put on his socks. Despite his vast wealth, Logan discovers success does not make him immune from this devastating illness.

It’s not just stressed tycoons who have stroke, anyone can have a stroke. It is also the leading cause of complex adult disability.

So when the Stroke Association asked me to help them spread the word about the changes to stroke services in Dundee, I was more than happy to get on board and hope this approach will be replicated elsewhere in Scotland.

Brian Cox, c/o Stroke Association, Edinburgh EH6.

Recycling confusion

I LIVE in North Ayrshire and from any reports I read they are at the top end of the recycling charts. Where I begin to doubt figures however is when I realise that placings can be swayed by sending refuse down south, in North Ayrshires case I believe it to be Wales (“Less than half of our rubbish is recycled in Scotland”, The Herald, September 23).

Our council does check the bins because I once had a bin uncollected as I had incorrectly placed two plastic coat hangers, last minute at the top. I later called the council to see if they could do another uplift as I had removed the items. The operatives were taking care to check contents but had I not had the hangers at the top, the bin would have passed muster as being uncontaminated, so how do staff monitor contents without the power of X- ray vision?. I also used the opportunity to ask if Tetra Pak items were acceptable as in our list of recyclables it allows drink cartons. I am still awaiting a reply but have since found from other sources that they are not, so they can now be added to the confusing list of items that should not be available if they cannot be recycled.

George Dale, Beith.