Sir, – Our dad, Bill Diack, died at Balnagask House on January 26, aged 98. He had spent the previous three or so years at Fairley Den Sheltered Housing complex in Bucksburn.
He could not have had better care anywhere. His needs were met with great kindness and compassion by all staff in both places.
The staff went the extra mile every time, and we will be forever grateful to all of them.
The citizens of Aberdeen are very lucky to have such staff looking after them in their hour of need.
Bill Diack, Middleton Circle, Aberdeen.
‘Cheese Wifie’ Liz Truss no ‘Iron Lady’
Sir, – As hopeful successors begin to position themselves around No 10, Liz Truss is clearly on a mission to project herself as the second “Iron Lady”.
Unfortunately, she is indelibly etched in the minds of most of the Scottish electorate as the first “Cheese Wifie”.
Rob Merson, St Mary’s Drive, Ellon.
Defenceless indy Scotland is a fact
Sir, – I always receive a flurry of colourful anonymous letters whenever you are kind enough to publish a letter from me in support of the union.
At least Ken Reid (Letters, February 9) was good enough to put his name to his opinion that I was guilty of writing “just another scare story we have heard before” and that “we would build a more secure country out of the UK”.
Two fundamental things are required for any country’s security – a strong economy and strong defences.
In their 2014 independence prospectus “Scotland’s Future” the SNP confidently asserted Scotland’s deficit would be as low as 1.6% of GDP by 2018.
Today, it is 22.4% of GDP, which is more than £36 billion. This means any effective army, air force or navy is completely unaffordable, so out of the UK and out of Nato Scotland would be, and remain, utterly defenceless.
Mr Reid, this is not a scare story – it is a fact
Dr Richard Marsh, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire.
Freeports decision a total turnaround
Sir, – So Scotland is to get two “Green Freeports”, a complete turnaround from a few months ago when Ivan McKee clearly stated that Scotland would never accept them.
Step up Kate Forbes who clearly understands the benefits to Scotland, and with some minor tweaking (and £52 million) all of a sudden they are acceptable.
Of course, the Greens are all in a tizzy, claiming freeports are hotbeds of tax avoidance and criminality (the Greens are misnamed in my view – they are clearly Reds under a different name).
Perhaps Ms Forbes noticed the successful wooing of businesses by Teesside, which would be in direct competition to Scotland.
It now remains to be seen where the two freeports will be – short odds on one being the Clyde, methinks.
MJ Salter, Banchory.