The energy policies of Germany help explain why it has "run out of steam" and is becoming the sick man of Europe with a stagnant economy.
To some extent this is due to switching from cheap Russian oil and gas to more expensive sources from the USA, to the delight of US energy firms and Washington. But the energy malaise goes deeper.
Berlin closed down its coal-fired and nuclear power stations, aiming to replace these with the so-called clean energy sources of wind and sun.
The wind doth not always blow nor doth the sun always shine and "alternative" energy additionally has difficult issues with power storage. These (very costly) "battery farms" are full of lithium cobalt, arsenic and other items which are extracted at great environmental cost and leave problems in the disposal of toxins and carcinogens, problems never mentioned by the Green eco-pixies.
The outcome for Germany? Enormous problems of power generation and transmission which have led to the "solution" of importing power from its neighbours Poland and France. Ironically, this is mainly nuclear power – of which especially France has abundant and instantly boostable sources. From all this come greatly increased costs of power and a decline in German economic competitiveness (worsened by imposing sanctions of Russia, which has hit Germany hard with the loss of its main export market. Russia just buys its kitchens elsewhere).
Euripides said that "whom the gods wish to destroy they first make mad". Scotland shut down its last coal-fired power station at Longannet and is preparing to close its last nuclear power station at Torness. In addition, it is preparing an energy "transition" by turning the North Sea oil and gas industry from a source of energy to a source of materials for scrapyard recycling. All this in the fairytale belief that "alternative" sources will be sufficient and reliable enough – and cheap enough – to power the economy for the future. In fact it will lead to another German-type energy crisis.
The water and windmill approach to power generation was left behind at the Industrial Revolution, to the enormous benefit of humanity.
The world needs more power, not less to combat poverty illness and inequality. Nuclear is the best long-term option and is currently undergoing a wordwide revival. Thankfully.
Ian R Mitchell, Glasgow.
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College must work with SSPCA
I refer to Gaby McKay's article "SSPCA staff euthanised animals in breach of rules for over a year" (The Herald, July 18). A number of years ago a badly injured fox found its way into my garden. I assume it had been struck by a vehicle but there was no way of telling. Anyway it was in severe pain and distress and I had no means of dealing with it personally.
Fortunately the SSPCA was able to send a member of staff within a reasonable period of time. After inspection, she was satisfied that the fox was beyond help and humanely euthanised it there and then. I believed then it was a blessing for the fox and it certainly was a great relief for myself who was also distressed by the fox’s obvious injuries and pain. I was greatly pleased that such a service existed. However, the thrust of your article suggests that the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has put a spanner in the works to prevent such a service from being provided in such a straightforward and speedy manner.
It is clear that the RCVS committee recognised its decision could cause "practical difficulties". However, there is no indication that any attempt has been made by the RCVS to find a solution to the problem. Surely the RCVS has all the knowledge and science to overcome such difficulties in collaboration with the SSPCA? Invoking the 1966 Veterinary Surgeon’s Act legislation appears to have the effect of making it a binary issue and leaves the SSPCA with a legal problem as distinct from having the ability to manage the treatment of sick, injured and distressed animals in a competent and efficient manner. The article makes no reference to the SSPCA abusing the use of controlled drugs which one might have thought would have been a factor for the issue to arise.
The service I experienced from the SSPCA those years ago was commendable and compassionate. I dread to think how much longer distressed animals will have to suffer as a result of the RCVS’s actions. Far better it works with the SSPCA to find a practical solution.
John Walls, Glasgow.
Singularly inappropriate
I would go further than Marion Donnachie (Letters, July 21), and argue that it is grammatically incorrect to use “they, them, their” when referring to any individual, trans or otherwise. The practice of using “they” in an indefinite construction such as “Nobody would think of doing that unless they were stupid” is long established in English and perfectly acceptable; but when we come across illiteracies like the one I recently found on a motor insurance claim form “Does the driver think they were to blame?”, it is time to draw the line.
In Swedish, besides the pronouns “han” (he) and “hon” (she) there is the recently-introduced “hen”, a pronoun used either to avoid specifying the sex of the referent or to refer to a person who does not self-identify as either male or female. It should not be beyond the range of human ingenuity to devise a pronoun for English which fulfils that function without the absurdity of making a plurality out of a single individual.
Derrick McClure, Aberdeen.
• The use of "they" as a singular indefinite pronoun (Letters, July 18, 19 & 21) has been with us for a long time. The Oxford Dictionary notes its use in 1375 and it appeared in Wycliffe's translation of the Bible. For ages, at least two guides to academic writing recommended it if avoiding the use of a pronoun is awkward. Conveniently, in the context of the current debate in the Letters Pages, Shakespeare used it in Much Ado About Nothing.
Gilbert MacKay, Newton Mearns.
Why Glasgow is unbeatable
Your columnists and correspondents can say what they like about Glasgow, its condition and many multi-faceted problems. The whiff of a fish supper from the Blue Lagoon as you exit Central Station at Gordon Street is an experience no other European, or in fact world city, has to offer. Away with negativity.
Brian Harvey, Hamilton.
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