Readers' Letters: Party must fight for a fairer, greener future for Scotland

I strongly urge you party members to rally behind the amendment aimed at empowering our MSPs to negotiate a budget that prioritises local councils and the essential services they provide. This isn’t just about addressing immediate financial concerns; it’s about standing up for the future we believe in - one that values both people and the planet.

Local authorities are under immense pressure, and it’s tough for our Green councillors to keep things running smoothly with budgets being slashed left and right. It’s true, we need more funding from the Labour UK Government to support these crucial services and show our solidarity with those on the front lines, but there are red lines we can draw here and now.

The ongoing lack of progress on Council Tax reform is extremely frustrating. The SNP’s failure to deliver on promised changes has led to a breakdown of trust, not just with us, but with local councils who have been waiting far too long for real solutions. We cannot again support a freeze that continues to squeeze our communities financially.

The amendment to this motion calls for progressive tax reforms, such as property and wealth taxes, to help fund public services. We need to commit to voting against any cuts to local government spending and only back a budget that gives councils the real funding they so desperately need.

Let’s come together and make it crystal clear: we stand up for our communities and will push for the resources they deserve. Supporting this amendment is a crucial step in showing that the Scottish Green Party is serious about making positive change happen.

Let’s unite and fight for a fairer, greener future for all of Scotland.!

Louise Lindsay, Scottish Green Party Member Glasgow Branch

Be Three, Be Free!

Alexander McKay (Letters October 25) makes an apparently logical deduction that devolution is not working for Scotland within Broken Brexit Britain but arrives at a seemingly illogical conclusion of reverting to an “updated” pre-devolution “United Kingdom”.

Devolution is also not working for Wales where public services are in a significantly poorer state than those of Scotland nor, outside of the south east, for most of England where people are suffering a similar plight to those living in Wales. The logical conclusion therefore is not to open the door for the “Reform” promoted by Nigel Farage which will polarise society further and accelerate the despicably increasing UK ‘wealth gap’ but for fundamental constitutional reform to be adopted, either in the form of federalism as advocated by Gordon Brown, or in the form of self-determination as advocated by supporters of Scottish Independence.

Instead of burying his head in the sand by attempting to perpetuate the democratic, economic and social ‘bourach’ that is ‘BBB’ Mr McKay should promote ‘B3’ that would free Scotland and Wales, as well as England, to determine their own futures appropriate to the aspirations of each of Britain’s three nations. Be Three, Be Free!

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

A lot of hot air

Ed Milliband our new UK energy minister is now set to up the ante on onshore wind turbines and one assumes the insurance ancillary battery standby units to keep us warm in winter when winds fail.

For those landowners where they are located, wind turbines are a source of income that far exceeds any other income they might expect from their land. For example, it appears that up to £40,000 each year can be expected for each 3Mgw turbine built on their land. Not forgetting of course that all of these turbines require good road infrastructure to allow turbines to get on to site and of course these remain for the benefit of said land owners who, in a lot of cases own the marginal land and hill tops where the turbines are best located.

So the landowner collects and so do local habitations for the inconvenience and possible noise pollution, however they can only expect £5,000 annually for each Mgw installed locally!

In addition we still have to recompense energy suppliers for when they can’t earn when either the wind speed is too low or the grid system cannot cope with the energy loads, and on it goes.

Of course, of all of these costs none are borne by energy suppliers these are all passed on to consumers in the form of 8 to 9 per cent addition to our energy bills.

To add insult to injury to our pockets the vast majority of profits earned disappear off to benefit other countries through their pension and wealth funds.

So next time Mr Milliband pops up to extol the benefits of inward investment in our green energy bonanza please remember that this benefits very few of the population as a whole.

One does wonder though that if this green infrastructure is to benefit us all why do we not pay the landowner the going price of the land and give the new access roads to the land owner rather than this extraordinary annual payment to energy companies that just finds its way back to the consumer to pay.

Just saying.

T Lewis, Coylton, Ayrshire

Antibiotic action

Dr Amy Jackson claims in her letter (23 October 2024) that the UK has low farm antibiotic use by international standards, “irrespective of the system in which the animals are raised”. However, the level of antibiotic use is clearly related to farming practices and systems. The UK pig industry still uses 4.5 times more antibiotics per pig than the Swedish pig industry does, because pigs in the UK are farmed more intensively than in Sweden. Antibiotic use can be far lower still in organic farming.

Dr Jackson is right that supermarket antibiotics policies have contributed to welcome reductions in UK farm antibiotic use, but far greater reductions are still needed and achievable. Since May of this year, it has been illegal to use antibiotics to compensate for poor hygiene and inadequate farming practices, but our research found that supermarket supply chains are not yet compliant with this legislation. Furthermore, supermarket antibiotics policies are generally not being applied to branded foods, which can include imported meat, fish, dairy and eggs.

For the sake of both animal and human health, supermarkets must now take strong and urgent action to improve animal welfare, stop their suppliers using antibiotics to prop up poor farming practices, and ensure these policies are enforced throughout their full supply chains.

Cóilín Nunan, Policy and Science Manager at the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics

Safety first

I agree entirely with my namesake ( KW McKay, 25 October) and the views expressed in his letter. As someone if not quite past my sell-by date, pretty close to it, may I say I would welcome the additional cognitive and ability tests proposed for drivers in their 70s and 80s. I am sure the infrastructure needed could be relatively quickly in place.

It should now be a matter at the top of the agenda for those involved with making vitally needed changes to the law on these matters. Of course, any changes must be implemented at UK level, so much the better for the numbers of lives that could be saved.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Magic money

Our new Chancellor is proving to be quite the magician. First she magics up a £22 billion black hole with which to blame the Tories. Now she is magicking the debt rules to find no less than £50bn to ensure that her government looks good. I hope she proves to be just as able as Paul Daniels, though I suspect she may prove to be more like Tommy Cooper – just not as funny.

Ken Currie, Edinburgh

Contented kingdoms

Charles III has become a favourite target for Ni Holmes (Letters, 25 October).

We’re told that our sovereign’s “inherited privilege that sets him apart from the entire population of this country has no place in a 21st century democracy.”

How annoying it must be that nine other Western European states are also constitutional monarchies, just like the United Kingdom.

Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Spain and Monaco are all thriving and stable 21st century democracies. Every single one of them has a higher life expectancy than Scotland under the republican SNP.

Ironically, the first three countries on this list are frequently hailed by Scottish separatists as models for the utopia they wish us to become.

Martin O’Gorman, Edinburgh

A road too far?

Edinburgh District Council's war on cars continues. Not satisfied with its onerous LEZ restrictions it seems the council wants to go further and totally ban all diesel and petrol cars from some areas too. It appears that in Scotland the ruling authorities want you to be able to pick your gender from a vast array of "alternatives" but not your choice of transport. Since when have politicians been given such sweeping powers in an ostensibly free and democratic society? Why don't the council put this idea to a local vote of those affected and resign if it does not pass. With power comes responsibility.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

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