I must have more than an ounce of sense as I agree with James McEnaney ("Teenagers are going to have sex, so schools must help make sure they are educated about it", The Herald, January 17) that, with reference to sex education in schools, a head in the sand approach is never appropriate.
Why, though, does he believe abstinence-based sex education has failed? He provides no real evidence for this claim.
This approach can include a full and detailed education, and no doubt will explain the possible consequences of being sexually active, and by definition, will have the welfare of young people and their relationships at its heart.
Concerns regarding the safety of children and young people must always be at the core of any programme, and preventing harm to children online and elsewhere will always be of vital importance.
So I'm left scratching my head as to what it is Mr McEnaney is advocating for.
I believe you can have fundamental sex education for young people delivered in an up to date way, with parents and all stakeholders fully informed, whilst at the same time providing clear information on the consequences of being sexually active.
Being honest with young people will never be the wrong thing to do.
I speak as a father, grandfather, and someone who taught in a secondary school for 36 years.
Stephen Cotter, Dumfries.
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Questions over autistic Barbie
Marissa MacWhirter's article ("The autistic Barbie splits opinion, but representation is a good thing", The Herald, January 16) raises a number of interesting and controversial issues in relation to autism. While representation is undoubtedly a good thing in allowing children to feel that they are not alone and that their symptoms (whatever they are) are shared by others, is a new Barbie doll an appropriate vehicle, given the extent to which it creates a desirable – or ideal – model for young girls to follow? With the ever-widening diagnostic criteria for autism and other neurodivergent presentations, does the new Barbie create a trend towards being fashionably autismal, generating further debate and confusion around overdiagnosis?
The concept of neurodivergence is itself particularly fuzzy and obscure – divergence from what? Is there a "norm" or an "average" any more? Aren't we all "neurodivergent" to some degree? Do all the proliferating diagnostic labels have identifiable "neuro" components?
More questions than answers, and I suspect the new Barbie will create more problems than it solves.
Dr Angus Macmillan, Dumfries.
Why the gym is the new pub
Public houses and restaurants across Scotland have been experiencing a sustained decline for much of the past decade. Rising costs –business rates, staffing, and produce – have made operating a licensed venue increasingly stressful and, in many cases, financially unsustainable. For many operators, profitability now depends on charging prices that customers are unwilling to accept, with the notable exception of niche establishments and high-end dining venues, which continue to thrive.
Historically, public houses played a central role in social life. Alongside working men’s clubs, bingo halls and billiard halls, they provided a shared space for conversation, companionship, and community. They were places to meet, to talk, and to maintain social bonds.
In contrast, younger generations no longer depend on such venues in the same way. Meeting new people can be arranged instantly through smartphone apps, and conversation can take place with anyone, anywhere in the world. This naturally leads to the question: what is the purpose of the pub in modern society?
The answer, however, is not that social interaction has disappeared – it has simply relocated. Rather than measuring social decline by the emptiness of local pubs, one only needs to observe the constant activity of a 24/7 gym. As someone who attends the gym regularly, I am continually struck by how busy these spaces are at all times of day, and by the sheer number of young people who use them.
The gym has become both a social environment and a symbol of aspiration. Fitness, health, and self-improvement are now widely seen as desirable – and even fashionable. While it may take a generation or two to fully realise the long-term health benefits of young people choosing weights and cross-trainers over bar stools, this cultural shift may ultimately prove to be a positive one.
None of this is to say that I do not love the pub – I absolutely do. It remains a place of stories, character, and shared experience, and it would be a great loss if it disappeared entirely.
Stuart Hindmarsh, Cambuslang.
Reasons to be cheerful
I am told that today (January 19) is Blue Monday, apparently the most depressing day of the year.
To lift my mood and prevent my slide into the slough of despond I used my afternoon mindfulness session to trawl the memory banks in search of something to be cheerful about I recalled that when Mrs S and I were "stepping out” she invited me to be her “plus one” at the wedding of her guitar teacher at which she was to play a short recital while the bridal party went off to sign the paperwork and take some photographs As she started to play a ray of pale sunlight came through the high stained glass window and lit her up, partly in shadow. A professional photographer couldn’t have set it better.
The babble of the congregation became silent, mesmerised by the music and the visual spectacle... I could have watched her forever.
Since then, much water has passed under many bridges but 40 years, three children, the passing of parents (and dog) and the recent arrival of a grandson later, we still seem to be rubbing along.
It has not always been plain sailing, of course, but overall, the LOLs have exceeded the tears and worries.
No advice or magic formula, just the reciprocal understanding that “I’ll wait for you and if I fall behind you'll wait for me”.
These are "the good old days” for the generation below mine. They will have their own fears for the generation following them but hopefully they too will have accumulated their own store of happy memories to give reassurance that they, like us, tried to live their best lives.
Cheer up.
Keith Swinley, Ayr.
Tour de somewhere
It was good to hear that the Tour de France is to start in Britain in 2027. BBC News at Six announced that the men’s race would start in Scotland and the women’s race would start in Leeds.
Whereabouts in Scotland? Wick? Aberdeen? Campbeltown? We later discover it is to be Edinburgh, so why not say that in the first place? Put it the other way round, I suppose they could have said that the women’s race was to start in England.
Iain Maclean, Bearsden.
Train of thought
Regarding the nine-day closure of the railway line between Haymarket and Dalmeny, a few days ago there was a recorded message broadcast over the Tannoy at Leuchars about this, advising passengers that there would be no services between Haymarket and Inverkeithing. Instead, passengers would be conveyed by a "road train".
Isn't that what most of us call a bus?
Jane Ann Liston, St Andrews.
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