Readers’ letters: Burnham needs to look to the Highlands and Islands

This economic vehicle provided a grassroots tool for growth by combining local businesses, local authorities and central government working together and all pulling in the same direction.

One only needs to look at the Shetland islands, Easter Ross and Argyll and the Islands to see evidence of the long lasting benefits.

While the current model has been greatly watered down by our Scottish parliament a rethink of the concept might be no bad thing.

DG McIntyre, Edinburgh

Dividing line

On a map of the world the northern hemisphere begins where the southern hemisphere ends. Why does the newly appointed Prime Minister in England find it so hard to understand that north begins where south ends? The dividing line between north and south of the british isles runs through somewhere close to Berwick on Tweed to somewhere around Ayr. Geographically a significant area of Scotland sits in the southern part of the british mainland but is still far to the north of Burnham's north.

Mr Burnham insults the whole of our nation when he calls his beloved Manchester the north, rubbing it in with his replica of his Downing St front door with “NORTH” emblazoned on it. He further disrespects Scotland when he displays an astounding ignorance of Scottish affairs and tries to superimpose his English agenda onto us. We do not need his mayors, his trident renewal, his nuclear power plants, his increasing military budget and the consequent return of austerity budgets or any of his gimmicks.

It is already easy to see how quickly Mr Burnham will dismiss Scotland when he is forced to court the electorate in London and the far SE of England. The “northern powerhouse” that he is trying to build in his “north” will damage the Scottish economy. I have already seen commentators in the true north of England saying that it will be detrimental to their region.

To paraphrase the Bard (Burns not Shakespeare, Mr Burnham) if ye should want oor gratefu prayer gie us oor independence.

Ni Holmes, St Andrews

Economic illiteracy

Should anyone need any further evidence of the economic illiteracy at the heart of this hopeless SNP administration, it is the report from Tax Policy Associates that the increase to the top rate of income tax to 48p has resulted in a £22 million shortfall in income tax revenues.

Further, we now have six bands of income tax rates in Scotland, double the number of that in England. The SNP have sapped the entrepreneurial spirit out of Scotland and it seems one would waste one’s breath in any attempt to explain the Laffer Curve which suggests that if tax rates are too high, people will work or invest less, which actually lowers total government tax receipts.

But when you have 39 per cent of Scottish adults who do not pay any income tax and only 1.4 per cent of taxpayers pay the highest rate, it seems the SNP simply don’t get or understand the maths. Thank goodness for the Barnett formula… but I guess they wouldn’t understand that either!

Richard Allison, Edinburgh

Taxing problems

Brian Barbour (Letters 28th July) writes well on the negative effect of high taxation. I worked in the music business during the 1970s and remember that creating schemes to minimise tax was the main and quite legal occupation of most accountancy firms at the time.

Unsurprisingly so, as a combination of earned income, investment income, and national insurance contributions, could produce a top tax rate of 102 per cent, which meant that a few people could be paying the Inland Revenue in order to work.

So successful was one scheme, that a pop singer earning a million in a year, could sell his earnings to a public quoted company in exchange for shares that increased in value, and pay low capital gains tax on their profit when sold. As the share price had doubled, and the pop star had also received an equally lowly taxed dividend during the year, he got to keep most of his million.

Needless to say the scheme was banned by the Inland Revenue, for being the device that it clearly was, but not before many had benefitted.

Ireland also attracted high earning authors, actors, artists and musicians, with a flat rate 20 per cent tax for them.

Our Prime minister was only just born in 1970, so let us hope that he reads about what can happen when taxation becomes unbearable. .

Malcolm Parkin, Kinnesswood, Kinross-shire

Appropriate justice

It is not surprising that our so-called “justice” system confuses law-abiding citizens.

A youth aged only 20 had already appeared in court 18 times for 38 previous charges, eight involving possession of weapons, but he was still free to commit even more violent crimes - the abduction and “truly bestial” rape of a child after threatening her with his knife, and seriously wounding one innocent man also with his knife and another man by hammer blows, fracturing his victim’s skull and causing him seizures and brain-bleeding.

While the judge also imposed a lifelong restriction on this criminal, the custodial sentence of a “minimum” of a mere 5 years hardly seems to reflect adequately the gravity of such an appalling catalogue of violent, sexual and other crimes - surely each deserving individual terms of much longer than that, and to be served consecutively, to give a more appropriate “headline” message to other such offenders.

John Birkett, St. Andrews, Fife

On oil and gas fence

I hope that Christine Jardine is not too sore with all her sitting on the fence. “Allow some oil and gas fields, despite raging fires”. (27 July) The Scottish Liberal Democrats were previously vehement that the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields should not be harvested. Now they say that times change and because the conflict in the Gulf closed the Strait of Hormuz and the energy crisis created by Putin's war in Ukraine worsened we should consider our oil and gas supply security and that “previously licenced should go ahead under strict conditions”. Would that be the strict conditions that other countries are not interested in as they Drill, Baby, Drill?

The rest of the world has not stopped their exploration and harvesting of fossil fuels. They have not stopped building coal-fired electricity plants. China is building more coal-fired plants to add to the 1,195 it already has.

Meanwhile “dirty” coal is supplying 40 per cent of the world’s electricity.

There are 1.1 trillion tons of proven coal reserves in the world, enough for 133 years. The proven gas reserves of 1,697 trillion cubic meters are enough for at least 52 years. There are 47 years of proven oil reserves.

Does Christine Jardine and the Scottish Liberal Democrats really think that countries will not harvest this wealth beneath their feet?

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Water carriers

After an appalling series of wild fires in Great Britain and Europe this year and likely to worsen in following years. It would make sense to make water carrying bags for helicopters available when required. How much more water could a Chinook Helicopter carry compared to a normal helicopter? These “bags” could be stored in a small space until required.

Obviously training would be necessary. The anti shooting lobby appear to want “Muirburn restricted” but the fuel load is considerably increased with 36 inches of heather compared to 6 inches.

Lastly, How much worse would it be without the help and knowledge of game keepers, etc, and the use of their specialised equipment, bridges and roadways?

The only good news is that in the burnt areas, ticks will not be a problem.

Andrew Maclean, Ellon

In the bag

Rather than go into the latest diatribe of drivel Stan Grodynski gives us of his “dream” for a utopian sunset to the Union (July 28) might I ask him, with all my heart, to address the complete fiasco this sham of a government has got itself into regarding the most simple of things, the provision of a school bag for all children entering education, no matter financial status or need.

In the name of the wee man, Mary and the wee donkey, is there such a record of utter incompetence anywhere else in the world, where the provision of a school bag takes on the same mantle as providing ferries for the Island communities, and the possible financial outcomes?

So, no more ramblings about seperatism - just tell us how your Lords and Masters cannae even get school bags out without a fiasco.

As your editorial alluded to re communist nations, perhaps brown bags, shorts and shirts, with little bonnets reflecting the days of Stalin, would be the way forward along with the bown bags, for the Nationalist Junta.

It really beggars belief, the greatest collection of illiterate fools to ever be voted into office anywhere in the world.

So, no more ranting about seperatism, just explan away this unbelievable sham of a policy - breath holding not required!

David Millar, Lauder

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