POLITICIANS are forever telling us how prosperous the people of Scotland are thanks to their success in handling the economy. Financial hardship is a thing of the past they tell us repeatedly.
In Edinburgh the charity shop map lists 114 charity shops which amongst them sell virtually every essential personal and household commodity and which do a roaring trade servicing customers who are unable to afford the cost of buying new.
Pawn sh
ops are back, and hard-up citizens sell goods to them in desperation when their weekly income runs out too soon.
Traders who cash Giros and cheques for a commission are on virtually every main street, and a soup kitchen where families and individuals can have a free decent meal once a week are scattered throughout the city, each an irrefutable sign of the financial hardship that is rife today.
A recent survey found that out of Edinburgh's ten largest employers, only one which employed less than 3000 was a manufacturer, the rest being either departments of government or financial institutions.
The hospitality industry employs more in the city than any other, the building of hotels is never-ending, and vast sums of public money are spent here each year on festivals to entertain the city's visitors. It has become obvious that the main objective of the politicians is to turn the city into a rich man's holiday playground at the expense of the people who generate the tax that gives them the money to do it.
Gordon Lothian, Restalrig House, Restalrig Gardens, EdinburghIt's time for tough decisions on energyTHERE are highly polarised arguments about meeting future demand for electricity and people like Sarah Boyack MSP argue that this should be met predominately by renewable sources (Mouthpiece, July 3). Most people, in my view, do not believe that statement. Most renewable technologies including current wind technologies will not provide the capacity to give us a secure and continuous supply of electricity.
We should be engaging with Scottish Coal, ScottishPower, scottish universities, and any other stakeholders, on a clean coal research and development programme in Scotland, on electricity generation, a combination of renewables and large generating plants.
Hard decisions need to be made. Scotland has an opportunity not only to meet its own needs but also as a partner with the UK with the development of the right technologies and skills, we have the potential.
Time is not on our side, energy demand was predicted to double between 2000 and 2050, a 50 per cent increase predicted for Scotland in energy demand, so single solutions are not the answer, we will require energy from a diversity of fuels and renewables and other technologies and we have a contribution also from fossil fuels as part of that diverse energy supply. Act now.
Councillor Peter Boyes, Coalfields Committee, Campaign Scotland, Easthouses Road, DalkeithAt last politicians can see clearlyDAVID CAMERON echoed the words of Barack Obama by calling for absent black fathers to take responsibility for their children since the absence of a male role model leads many young black men to violent lifestyles.
Nearly 60 per cent of black children are in one-parent families.
However Labour ministers were anxious to play down suggestions that this was responsible for the escalating gun and knife crime rates.
The next surprise. A Government committee has said that it was not racist to worry about the impact of immigration.
Dr Phyllis Starkey, MP, recommended "the effect of migration on community cohesion should be central to decisions on migration policy". Too late for that, I would suggest.
The committee bravely pointed out the link between immigration and the rise in car crime, prostitution, benefit fraud, people trafficking, drink-driving and knife crime.
In one week we have two long-overdue truths from politicians, which the public have been saying for years but were accused of racism.
Truthful politicians on immigration issues!
Must go and lie down in a darkened room.
Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow Vital to keep link with ContinentTHE news that the European Commission could give a 30 per cent subsidy to the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry has thrown a much-needed lifeline to any potential new operators (News, July 14).
I am a little surprised that Superfast, who say they are pulling out because the route is not financially viable, didn't know about it!
When I invited the then Transport Commissioner, Jaques Barrot, over in May he was impressed by our rail, road, sea and air links. It was therefore a crushing blow to learn that our one major sea-link to Continental Europe was about to end. It is of major importance to Scotland's future economic growth, both for trade and for tourism, that we keep this link to our European neighbours open for business.
Struan Stevenson MEP, Brussels The full article contains 814 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
