Sir, – I agree with Dennis Grattan that more money should be directed to waste disposal bins that are not big enough to hold the waste deposited, attracting birds and vermin.
The money Aberdeen Council are spending on the Union Street clean-up is a waste.
There are no more big stores to shop in, just pubs, bookmakers and charity shops.
Union Street looks more like a disused cowboy movie set. All we need is the tumbleweed blowing down the street.
Don McKay, Provost Hogg Court, Aberdeen.
Norwegians have shown us the way
Sir, – I am always puzzled by the attitude of the Scottish Greens to further developments of such fields as Cambo, since the Norwegian Greens seem to have a more co-operative attitude to the Barents Sea gas which is piped ashore in vast quantities.
Carbon capture is an integral part of the development, and this facilitates the use of carbon dioxide to enhance oil and gas recovery or storage, having a carbon capture storage capacity of some 2,400 years.
In 2003 the Norwegians produced a white paper on domestic use of natural gas (the domestic power being mainly hydro) with the government committing itself to carbon capture technology as part of their strategy for building gas-fired power plants which will meet worldwide climate obligations.
It would appear the Holyrood Greens are now only a protest party who are bereft of ideas or technology in this instance and are in their current roll as a crutch for an equally bereft SNP Cabinet and camp followers.
Presumably they forget that most of the world’s commodities such as the chairs they sit on or the plastic boxes in their fridges are all oil derivatives. By all means cut out motive fuels as a polluter, which, by the way will never come to fruition by 2030, as the infrastructure for electric vehicles will never be in place thanks to another broken promise by the SNP.
Alexander Sutherland, Hilton Drive, Aberdeen.
Sturgeon must show credentials
Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon has said she won’t hold indyref2 while NHS Scotland is under “acute pressure”, a subtle shift from “while there’s a pandemic on”.
Has she read the Survation poll showing 57% back Remain and is looking for a way out?
The “acute pressure” can easily outlast Covid so it could be the “get out of indyref2 jail” card she needs. Even better, she says global warming is the biggest danger, and who wants to discuss independence when the world’s about to end?
Her date for achieving net-zero is 2045. So how about giving us all peace and waiting till then? Or maybe her focusing on fixing Scotand’s disgrace, education, in the next few years and gaining some credentials for running an independent country?
Allan Sutherland, Willow Row, Stonehaven.
How can ministers master new roles?
Sir, – Boris has made a reshuffle of his top government posts. Why is it not essential to have any qualifications in the area into which the new Cabinet minister is appointed?
It looks to me that it is the top civil servants that are the experts. So to promote someone into a job they know little about is to have them promoted into a level of incompetence.
Perhaps this is a good way to describe politicians.
No other sector in society promotes people to top jobs without them having a proven record in that or related sectors.
So should we get rid of politicians and replace them with skilled civil servants?
Dr Don Carney, Westhill, Aberdeenshire.
Patronising Conservatives
Sir, – Typical condescending Tory views from Ian Lakin, “Small price to pay for better care”
Mr Lakin assumes that to afford the proposed national insurance rises imposed by Westminster, everyone earning £10k per year merely has to cut down their fags, those on £20k a year cut down on their drinking, and those in the real fortunate position to earn £30k a year, have so much disposal income they can simply cut down on sandwiches!
Unbelievably patronising.
Douglas Black, Kingsford, Alford.