SIR, – Major J.D.M. Crichton Maitland (Letters, July 1) is being unfair to Huntly, criticising the town for not holding an Armed Forces Day.
On July 30, Huntly is hosting an international beating retreat and parade involving pipe bands of Gordon Highlanders-affiliated regiments from around the world as well as regular and local volunteer bands.
There will be arena displays of dancers, music and vintage military equipment and the day will finish with beating retreat in front of the castle and the Gordon Highlanders regimental reunion.
In fact, Huntly could not have done us better and I hope that as many people as possible come and join us.
Major Malcolm Ross,
Gordon Highlanders Association,
St Lukes,
Viewfield Road,
Aberdeen.
SIR, – Your correspondent Major J.D.M. Crichton Maitland correctly stated (Letters, July 1) that Huntly did not mark the recent Armed Forces Day.
I would like to thank the major for giving me the opportunity to point out that Huntly is organising an event later this month to celebrate the town's status as “Home of the Gordon Highlanders”.
The event is part of the Aberdeen City and Shire's North East Clan Fortnight in the Year of Homecoming. It will see members of bands with links to the Gordon Highlanders from South Africa, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada march through the town and beat retreat at Cooper Park.
The Gordon Highlanders Association is organising a members' reunion and we have worked closely with the Gordon Highlanders Museum to make the day a success.
We would like to invite all readers of the Press and Journal, and especially those with a link to the Gordon Highlanders, to attend what will be a spectacular – and authentic – Homecoming event.
The event takes place on the afternoon of Thursday, July 30.
Donald Boyd,
development manager,
Huntly Development Trust,
Huntly Business Centre,
Gordon Street,
Huntly.
SIR, – I hear continually from ill-informed sources about the menace of air-guns.
In Britain, 5million people use airguns. Each year, they fire 1.5billion pellets.
Airguns are used legitimately in target shooting, vermin control and, possibly most important, in training young people.
The misuse of airguns in violence against the person has been falling consistently for the past 25 years and more. There are now fewer airgun crimes than there were in the early 1980s. As part of the general scheme of yob behaviour, airgun misuse has shrunk from one case in 90 to one case in 174.
It seems that politicians in national and local government (Labour and the SNP being the guilty culprits) try to resort to even more frenzied regulation instead of addressing the root causes of social ills.
The command and control method of government with ever more legal restraints should not be forced upon the silent and law-abiding majority.
Neil Anderson,
201 Hardgate,
Aberdeen.
SIR, – Your report (July 1) that the Scottish Parliament’s economy, energy and tourism committee has said that the Beauly-Denny electricity transmission line must go ahead as soon as possible is no surprise since, in its year-long inquiry, it made sure that it took evidence on transmission only from organisations which agreed with this, mainly the power companies themselves.
The committee refused to take evidence on the subject from Sir Donald Miller (former chairman of Scottish Power), Colin Gibson (a previous member of National Grid’s board) and ourselves, the John Muir Trust, all of whom have been extensively involved in examining the case for the line.
The committee system at the Scottish Parliament is supposed to be the safeguard against poor decision-making by the executive arm of government. There is a serious question about whether, in some cases, committee members are mostly following the party whip.
There is no doubt that the public’s interest is not being best served, by either the UK Government or the Scottish Government in the shambles that is our energy policy.
The evidence is growing that the Beauly-Denny line is not needed.
Helen McDade,
head of policy,
John Muir Trust,
Tower House,
Station Road,
Pitlochry.
SIR, – It is a bit rich for Kevin Stewart, deputy leader of Aberdeen City Council, to be writing to Holyrood regarding how all community council finances are audited (the Press and Journal, June 30).
Community councillors are, in the main, public-spirited volunteers with no more than the good of society as their motive for becoming involved.
They bring expertise from the real world, doing what they can to improve their areas.
Compare that to the many politicians whose self interest, greed and incompetence are continually coming to light.
Given the near bankrupt state of Aberdeen City, perhaps councillors should put their own house in order, rather than trying to deflect attention on to others, or they may invoke a rash of good folk writing to Holyrood requesting investigation of them.
G. Craig,
chairman, Queen’s Cross and Harlaw Community Council,
Queens Road,
Aberdeen.