Sir, – For once I agree with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on the introduction of vaccination passports for nightclubs and large gatherings of people in Scotland – but it should be extended to all licensed premises.
This would make the entertainment and licensed trade business so much safer for people and would encourage the remaining 450,000 younger people in Scotland to get their jabs and make the whole of Scotland a safer place against the dreaded ever- increasing Covid-19 virus.
Dennis Forbes Grattan, Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen.
Tiny majority all we need in indyref
Sir, – It would seem to me the unionist camp is demonstrating a degree of confusion, maybe even panic. William Morgan (Letters, September 1) accuses me of not understanding the difference between a poll and a vote – believe me, I do. He then says the SNP and presumably the Greens and independence supporters from the other parties, of which there are quite a few, want to use a lower threshold for an independence referendum than the one they use for agreeing their own internal constitutional changes. Well, of course because that is the convention. Public referenda have been based on thresholds agreed by parliaments, internal party vote thresholds are agreed by members. Easy really. As to Richard Marsh’s point (also Letters, September 1) that “massive constitutional change requires massive electoral support” may I gently remind him that the biggest constitutional change imposed on Scotland in recent times – namely Brexit – was won on a UK-wide vote by a tiny margin of 52% to 48%? If a simple majority was good enough to drag Scotland out of the EU against its will then it will be more than adequate for achieving independence.
Dick Winchester, Old Rayne, Aberdeenshire
Fossil fuels must stay in ground
Sir, – Scottish Water is warning of extremely low levels in reservoirs, saying that some parts of Scotland are experiencing their second driest summer in 160 years. And this week OGUK is promoting the continued extraction and burning of fossil fuels for the benefit of investors, employees and contractors. This situation cannot continue. Burning fossil fuels is the most important driver of ever-worsening climate
change and while Holyrood and Westminster stress the seriousness of the climate
crisis, it seems that we will be extracting oil and gas from the North Sea until it is dry. There is much talk of a managed transition to sustainable energy but precious little action. What is needed is a national conversation led by the Scottish and UK governments and involving the energy industries, unions, scientists, economists and activists. The key question to ask in this conversation would be: “What kind of world do
we want to pass on to our children in, say, 20 years time?” There would be many voices in this conversation but everyone deserves to be heard. Perhaps we should invite our children as well?
Jeff Rogers, Waters of Feugh, Banchory.