AS the General Election campaign draws to a close, I cannot be the only person in the country who is completely fed-up with endless televised debates.
Above all, there is something completely absurd about such debates when all (or any) of the participants are not actually standing as candidates in the election in question. This was most notably the case in the preposterous "Scottish Leaders"debates where MSPs have debated issues which are reserved for MPs to decide on at Westminster. We can only wonder whether we will have a studio full of MPs debating devolved issues in the run-up to the next Holyrood elections.
It remains to be seen whether viewers have an appetite for such nonsense, but it is clear that the various broadcasters have the resources for these televised rammies featuring the same old faces in love with the sound of their own voices.
Surely these resources would be better used for debates on specific subjects such as that on Channel 4 regarding climate change. Other subjects could include the economy, foreign affairs, health and welfare. These could then feature the respective spokespersons of the different parties. The public would then have a better idea for what (and for whom) they are voting.
Peter A Russell, Glasgow G13.
Pension pledge needed
WHOEVER wins the election to commit to sorting out the iniquities of Section 75 of the Pensions Acts of 1995 and 2004.
The unintended consequences of this legislation and failures by the trustees of the Plumbing Pension Scheme have left my wife Jenny and I facing imminent financial ruin with a £1.2 million S75 bill.
This is a fate which is also shared by other retired plumbing employers, and which awaits many others, who will trigger S75 by retiring, ceasing trading, or trying to sell their business.
Like these other employers, we have paid all the pension contributions properly due to the scheme over the years and it cannot have been Parliament’s intent to bankrupt us through no fault of our own, when this legislation was changed in 2004.
Our MP in the last Parliament. Drew Hendry, has supported our case, as has his colleague Alan Brown who introduced the Multi-Employer Pension Schemes Bill during the previous parliamentary session. Baroness Ros Altmann has also been very supportive, as has PEAG, the Plumbing Employers Action Group.
I am but one of hundreds of plumbing employers across the UK who are facing ruin unless changes are enacted as soon as Parliament reconvenes.
I would appeal to all political party leaders to commit to bringing Mr Brown’s bill back before Christmas, and to fast-track its progress through Parliament.
Murray and Jenny Menzies, Inverness.
The last verse
AND so the end is near
And we must face the Polling Station
Before we place our cross
We should consider our poor nation
For we might think the one we’ve picked
To be the one with all the answers
But still a doubt persists
What if they’re like the other chancers?
Alastair Patrick, Paisley.
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