Sir, – I was surprised at Maggie Chapman’s opposition to the A96 upgrade as commented in The Business supplement of the P&J, December 23.
My question to Ms Chapman and the other members of the SNP/Green alliance is simple – will electric cars not also require a modern road infrastructure?
Surely the more efficient and timely manner that electric vehicles operate, the less environmental impact.
Maybe the current coalition running Scotland wants us to return to the era of the horse and cart, however, that is not without its own environmental challenges either.
Can we have a grown-up discussion in Scotland, with all parties involved, on how we transition out of fossil fuels and still manage to get from Aberdeen to Inverness in less than two hours?
John Godsman, Kirktown of Fetteresso, Stonehaven.
Crossing land with milk and honey
Sir, – Chris Maclennan’s article (P&J December 27) on the Russian-born British engineer Barbara Moore reminds me of the nutrition she took to achieve this walk.
It was milk and honey. In the 1960s I watched and read the reports of Ms Moore on her daily advancement to her final destination.
Having achieved this route she went on to cross America from east to west.
Michael Baird, Dornoch Road, Bonar Bridge.
Green MSP ignores multiple emails
Sir, – I read with interest the article on Ariane Burgess MSP (P&J December 26).
I was particularly drawn to your quote from Ariane where she said: “Now, in my role as an MSP, I can’t do that alone. If people are bothered about something I need to know this is an issue that really matters to people”.
As one of her constituents in Highlands and Islands I have been trying to engage with her through emails after reading her comments to the P&J in your article “Communities risk being ‘hollowed out’ by short term lets, warns Highlands MSP” of September 27.
Despite writing to Ms Burgess three times since then, she has still not responded to me on the issues I raised over the definition of short-term lets and how the proposed legislation will be the cause of “hollowing out” of Highland communities rather than what she believes will be the effect of the short-term lets legislation.
It would appear that Ms Burgess says one thing but does the opposite. I am very concerned over the environment and the issues facing the Highlands. However, with this behaviour, I will not be voting Green.
Gordon Bulloch, Grantown on Spey.
Selfish letter just a stream of errors
Sir, – Ms Rennie’s letter (December 27) requires correction in almost every part but let’s just focus on a couple of important errors.
Firstly, sovereign debt does not have to be repaid like household debt and is an essential component of the functioning of a modern capitalist economy. Without it, our pension funds and savings portfolios would collapse. Every sovereign country’s economy has greatly increased debt during Covid and it is only passed to future taxpayers to repay as a political choice. See “austerity”.
Secondly, regarding the spurious “missing £580m”, this was indeed unspent but carried forward to next year, due in large degree to a thing called Covid affecting the late receipt of funds and understandable delays in capital spend projects.
I won’t bother to try to correct her selfish thoughts on elimination of state support for prescriptions, school meals etc because they are opinions and not very popular ones in Scotland overall, as per reporting on other pages that the Tories face “wipeout” in Scotland.
Peter E Smith, Aigas, Beauly.