AS someone who had experience of the value of Special Constables in my native Argyll, I am saddened to witness the demise of the Special Constabulary in Scotland in what can only further weaken the bond between the national police service and local communities ("Police special constable ‘extinction’ fears with almost 1,000 fewer officers than a decade ago", December 24).

The public-spirited local people who through the Special Constabulary aided the regular police in times of emergency and events were not just additional bodies on the ground but a sounding board on what was actually happening within the community. One can't help feeling that the creation of Police Scotland and, arguably, a lessening of local accountability and community contact in respect of the regular force, has had a detrimental effect on the recruitment of "Specials".

It's easy for the Scottish Government to say that it's an operational matter for the Chief Constable but when the fundamentals of the single force are flawed, it must make recruitment harder.

Bob MacDougall, Kippen.

Read more: Alarm as number of Police Scotland special constables drops by 1,000

Adam Smith the egalitiarian

I FIND it highly ironic that in his defence of neoliberalism, Eamonn Butler (Letters, December 24) accuses me of over-emphasising Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments and his virtue ethics to the detriment of Smith’s other work. The reason for my emphasis, as discussed in Neil Mackay’s article (“Why everything you thought you knew about Adam Smith is wrong,” December 17), is that it is central to Smith’s overarching view of how a society based on commerce (Smith's "Commercial Society", the forerunner of modern-day capitalism) can function efficiently and in a manner that is beneficial to all in society rather than the few.

From a Smithian perspective, modern-day capitalism can only be "moral" if it is driven by all of Smith’s moral virtues rather than a narrow focus on self-interest as exemplified by Milton Friedman’s dictum that the sole objective of the modern corporation is to maximise profits, at the expense of, for example, the environment, corrupted moral values and the consequent creation of gross inequalities of wealth and income.

Mr Butler, in a classic distorted neoliberal perspective on Smith, goes on to present free markets, small government, and low taxes as the key elements that drive a nation’s prosperity, with "little else … necessary", despite the remainder of Neil Mackay’s article demonstrating that the pursuit of these policies has led to a form of crony capitalism, rife with market failures and in which monopolies straddle the global economy and gross inequalities prevail.

However, a careful reading of Smith clearly demonstrates that he saw markets as heterogeneous and had to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. For example, he argued that financial markets should be closely regulated, and had his advice on that issue been heeded during the neoliberal period our societies may well have avoided the worst excesses of the financial crisis.

As an egalitarian, Smith would have favoured government intervention to address the consequences of crony capitalism, in the form of progressive wealth and income taxes, and he would have been keen to address the monopoly power of the modern corporation and the underlying divorce of ownership and control of the corporation that is at the heart of many of the issues in society today, including the corruption of moral sentiments.

I am therefore in little doubt, taking the totality of Smith’s work, that for modern capitalism to be moral an individual’s self-interest must be guided by a moral compass based on ethical principles. Smith would have viewed the real tyranny in today’s society as the corruption of his moral sentiments by neoliberal policies and the consequences these have had for inequality, the environment and beyond, rather than a government’s share of the economy.

Ronald MacDonald, Adam Smith Business School, University of Glasgow.

The Herald: Statue of Adam Smith at the University of GlasgowStatue of Adam Smith at the University of Glasgow (Image: Newsquest)

Dictators will love Trump

IN one year and just under one month our biggest ally will swear in a new President. As things stand, it could easily be a man whose adherence to the norms of democracy are limited at best.

He has already threatened retribution/jail time to his political and judicial opponents (along with media outlets who dare question him) which sound more like the rantings of a dictator than a rational person. If, like me, you have often wondered how the population of an apparently civilised 20th century European country could be taken in by a populist maniac, then free lessons are available for us all, across the pond.

However, Vlad, Kim and Xi will be delighted with an isolationist, gullible and self-centred POTUS.

GR Weir, Ochiltree.

Beware the Bullies

I WAS collecting my morning newspaper the other day and when leaving the shop to go to my car a very large dog similar to a XL Bully lunged at me showing its teeth and giving me quite a scare.

Fortunately the young man had the dog under a tight leash and duly apologised for the incident and said the dog was a bit nervous.

The decision by the Scottish Government not to follow England with the muzzling and neutering of such large dogs was ill-advised as these big dogs can inflict terrible wounds with such powerful jaws.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen.

Read more: NHS is in dire straits, but SNP hasn't the courage to face it

My wishes for 2024

MY thoughts have turned to 2024 and what kind of year it might be: better, hopefully, than 2023. However I find it hard to be positive.

On the international front wars continue but, for many, our senses are being gradually anaesthetised by similar pictures nightly. Even worse, our views are becoming media-driven as, for instance, the war in Ukraine reporting has apparently dropped out of fashion. Even our politicians appear to be selective in their views. We are all deeply affected by the horrors of Gaza and call for peace but no one seems to be concerned that it was Hamas that broke the last truce by firing rockets at the Israeli civilians. Similarly, no one seems to condemn Russia for deliberately targeting civilians in Kiev and other cities with drone and rocket attacks in attempting to cut off heating supplies during the winter months, supposedly to lower morale.

Questions are rightly directed at Israel to minimise the loss of innocent lives, but there is no demand that Hamas immediately gives up all hostages (an abhorrent and illegal practice) and stops illegal attempts to bomb civilians in support of their declared aim to wipe out the Jewish race. All seem to have forgotten the absolute horrors of October and the role of Hamas in organising training camps to prepare for the killings and atrocities, including inviting other terrorist groups to join in. Sheltering in tunnels under civilian targets and moving south to compromise designated "safe areas" is despicable and cowardly, only outdone by the arrogance of Hamas leaders living in luxury and security in Qatar and parading out to demand a ceasefire.

My New Year wish will be for leaders who will actively seek to make a just peace where there is war; attempt to arrest the growing gap between excessive riches and poverty; curb the growing influence of gambling in our culture; and tackle the pernicious influence of anti-social media which is allowed to encourage suicide, take bullying into individual homes and rob children of their childhood, turning many into knife-carrying killers and victims of media-induced peer pressure.

James Watson, Dunbar.

And finally...

MY New Year's resolution is to be a lot less patronising.

It means to talk down to you.

John V Lloyd, Inverkeithing, Fife.