Sir, – Why does the herring gull enjoy “protected” status? The fact that its numbers have declined in recent years can hardly be sufficient justification.
Or should all species be protected for the sake of it?
We wouldn’t protect the tsetse fly, the anopheles (malarial) mosquito, the parasitic “eyeworm”, Loa loa, or perhaps paid-up members of the Conservative Party.
Though we might spare the last as reminders to us all of the dangers of xenophobic self-delusion.
Some have suggested ridding the country of the entire herring gull species.
But wholesale slaughter is not the answer.
However, if the wretched bird’s protected status was removed it would make it easier for local authorities and householders to do more. For example enabling removal of nests from urban roofs or elsewhere, without jumping through hoops in order to secure licences from bodies that would prefer not to provide them.
Removing protected status would save us some of the grief we currently endure without having to resort to criminality.
For, currently, if you harm a herring gull, you run the risk of being thrown in the chokey.
The herring gull is mind-numbingly cacophonous, an indiscriminate vandaliser of property and causes palpable distress to many.
It confers few benefits on the world at large or humankind specifically.
There is a parliamentary petition calling for its protected status to be removed. Signing it may help bring some sanity back to the management of our relationships with wildlife.
William Millar, Comely Bank, Edinburgh.
Fifth jab will not give immunity
Sir, – An MP appeared on national TV today and told people over 50, who will be offered a fifth Covid jab, to get it as soon as they receive an invitation.
He said it will give immunity. All the jabs we have had do not make us immune, or nobody would have Covid now.
It only gives us protection from the illness being more serious. False statements like this lead the public into a false sense of medical security.
Don McKay, Provost Hogg Court, Torry.
No reward for cutting usage
Sir, – Regulators often seek our views: currently on Land Reform and on the local NHS.
What does my “valued participation” achieve?
Not much, judging by the outcome of energy regulator Ofgem’s consultation last winter about spreading the burden of salvaging the energy market.
Because the energy Standing Charge (SC) is paid at a fixed daily rate by everyone, regardless of income, it is like a “regressive” tax. Ofgem decided a high rate would help a market which even energy companies admit is beyond repair.
I told Ofgem a high SC is unfair. It doesn’t reward anyone having to cut down, yet is used to pay the better-off to scrap gas heaters.
Some years ago my electricity supplier offered a standard tariff without an SC. An incentive to save money, power stations and the planet. Win-win!
Then came Ofgem’s “bonfire of the fixed deals” and that reasoning was toast.
Despite the disincentive, as an electricity-only consumer I have tried to reduce my consumption by legal, if unorthodox, means.
My quarterly bill shows I used 13 kWh units for which I paid £50.16. In effect £3.86 for each unit. Total cost of the SC was nearly 13 times that of the units.
Are Ofgem and the retailers content with the new imbalance between a fixed charge and attempts to use less?
I can only hope my bill is unusual and this time my plea and public pressure about the grotesque unfairness of their tinkering gets to Ofgem.
David Vardy, Tarland, Aboyne.
The true villains of this country
Sir, – Finlay G Mackintosh criticises so-called “Union Barons” who are merely representing their members in trying to obtain a reasonable wage and safe working conditions.
Why doesn’t he vent his spleen on the true villains of this country.
The likes of company directors who, despite already having obscene annual salaries, award themselves annual bonuses which are more than many workers will earn in their lifetime.
Or prima donna footballers whose weekly wage, in some cases, would easily pay the annual salaries of a dozen nurses.
Or companies who make annual profits in the trillions yet do all they can to avoid paying tax.
Or the right-wing media who will forever criticise those workers going on strike for a decent wage but never condemn those I have already mentioned.
Or successive Conservative governments who have no interest in the poor people of this country but are only interested in appeasing their millionaire backers.
As someone clever once said, “There are none so blind as those who will not see”.
W. A. Ross, Broomhill Avenue, Aberdeen.
Had to run the gauntlet in Perth
Sir, – In attending the Conservative Candidate Hustings in Perth last night, we had to run the gauntlet of a baying mob shouting “shame on you Tory scum”.
Would somebody like to explain to me how this behaviour furthers the cause for Scottish independence?
John Diffey, East North Street, Peterhead.
What if the SNP were spat at?
Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon deplores the behaviour of Nationalist supporters against a senior BBC journalist. She does not deplore the same behaviour when directed against ordinary (not nationalist) people going about their lawful business.
I wonder what her and her deputy’s reaction would be if a bunch of unionists threw eggs and spat at SNP members on their way to a meeting?
Of course she always needs to keep the BBC onside in the run-up to IndyRef2 in whatever guise it happens to be.
M. J. Salter, Glassel, Banchory.
SNP in minority government
Sir, – Two letters that were published in Saturday’s P&J caught my amazed attention.
Derrick McClure describes the SNP as having the highest level of electoral support than almost anyone else.
I’m not sure how that explains the fact that 70% of the Scottish electorate did not vote for them at the last local elections.
He also studiously omits the fact that they are a minority government propped up by a group of Marxists calling themselves “Green”.
As for internationally respected and a long record of competence? NO.
With international leaders rushing to avoid her at the COP conference she continues to be an embarrassment to many, with almost every policy announced turning to dust.
However, maybe Mr McClure would join me in celebrating one of their new records.
As of August it has now taken longer to not deliver one ferry than it took to build and deliver the Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier.
In the same edition John Massie gets his voting systems in a kirn. He confirms that in his last paragraph.
The SNP didn’t win the last election. They are, as I stated before, a minority government.
Which, by definition, does not give them a mandate to do anything.
Stewart Wight, Haddo, Aberdeenshire.
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