Letters Page

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UK’s debt-driven culture

SIR, – Your correspondent J.W. Cradock (Letters, December 1) made very valid observations on personal finances and spending and I would like to offer a view on the point which he thought he was missing.

The country should be spending only that which it earns. We have long since lost the real wealth creators of heavy industry. We have become a service industry-orientated economy which spends the wealth which others have created.

But we are not creating anything much and to allow the service industry to flourish, we have all been encouraged to borrow to spend.

It was a marvellous policy which allowed government to claim that the country was in robust financial health and able to weather any storm – until, that is, the present storm broke and exposed the folly of a debt-driven culture.

Debt has taken the country to its knees and we are supposed to believe more debt will be our salvation. That seems like a vicious circle and takes us back to Mr Cradock’s observation. It is completely crazy.

Richard Skene,

2 Roundhillock Cottages,

Inverugie, Peterhead.

Causes of current financial crisis

SIR, – It would appear that the financial crisis in the UK was caused by three factors: incompetent senior bank staff who will still be rewarded and given a large pension, inadequate control by the Financial Services Authority, and people buying houses and other items which they could not pay for.

Some of us live within our means and save for items we require. We also save for a rainy day, but we will be the ones to suffer.

Perhaps one way of making our message clear to the banks would be to withdraw our savings, which will get a miserable rate of interest, anyway, and deposit them in a safety deposit box in the same bank.

E. Brumby,

141 Morriston Road,

Elgin.

AWPR threat to low-carbon firm

SIR, – Further to your many stories about the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR), and in particular your piece (November 21) regarding Burnorrachie organic farm, I would like to express my distress at the possible demise of this long-established, low-carbon enterprise.

Every week, these people deliver fresh local vegetables to me and many of my neighbours. Because of this, I find my needs met by our excellent local shop at Auchenblae, with the occasional trip to our nearest Co-op at Laurencekirk or Stonehaven.

In a time when the topic of carbon emissions is on the lips of every politician, it seems foolhardy to wreck a sustainable enterprise like Burnorrachie. It ticks every box regarding current government advice and its status in Scotland's organic farming has been won by the hard work of a committed family for 20 years.

Is it all to be jeopardised for a bypass which will encourage more driving and less use of public transport?

And, by the amount of housing proposals cropping up around the proposed new road, the bypass will encourage more commuting and thus fill up the road space until we are as we were before.

Aberdeen has shown great initiative recently in the conversion of city sites into compact innovative housing, and there are still many places where further conversions could be made. Would this not make more sense, given the current financial and environmental situations?

April Pressley,

Templehill,

Auchenblae.

Glass attacks in bars

SIR, – I refer to your story (November 27) headed “Victim of nightclub violence fears he may never see again”.

Yet again, someone has been assaulted with a glass in a pub – in this case, a nightclub.

This poor chap, having lost the sight of his other eye, must have been in distress.

When is the government or our local councillors going to act on this?

One suggestion would be for all publicans to replace glass with plastic.

It would work out cheaper for us, the taxpayers, and more people would be able to go home in peace and safety, having full use of their eyes.

Gordon S. Dawson,

23 Ronaldsay Road,

Aberdeen.

English patients not mentioned

SIR, – Visiting my local hospital recently, I was interested in a notice fastened to the receptionist’s desk.

Headed ethnic origins, this was a long list of different nationalities covering just about the whole world’s population.

Although there was UK Scottish, UK Welsh and UK Irish, there was no UK English. Despite the number of English settled in this part of the world, they seem to have been ignored.

I was born in Northern Ireland and usually refer to myself as Irish, although many of my fellow-countrymen would not agree.

I have spent many years in England, Wales and overseas, but does my last 40-odd years in Scotland make me a Scot?

If asked, I call myself British, which in my opinion covers any resident of the UK.

On inquiry, I was told that this missive came from Grampian Health Board. What is the reason for these instructions?

Has some pen-pusher in the health board decided that patients will be treated according to their racial origins? It’s a pity they forgot about the English.

Jim Hughes, 89 Springfield Road,

New Elgin.