Time to call a halt to fat cat excesses

Dear Editor

On 15th August, Channel 4 television reported on the salaries of company chiefs. It was staggering to hear how many millions of pounds are paid every year.

In one example, an individual was paid well over £4 million. It would take an average worker 195 years to match it. This was just one case of hundreds occurring regularly.

This money or wealth was created by the labour of workers and their families. This system is being justified as being right: it cannot be so.

Two people on the programme said they supported the payments and that they should continue.

The fairness, the justification, the morality of this system of wealth distribution must be changed. The sooner the better.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Murky side of Fringe is no laughing matter

Dear Editor

As we enter September and local residents begin to feel comfortable venturing back into Edinburgh’s city centre, it seems an appropriate time to reflect on some of the lesser publicised issues of the many festivals hosted during August by the Scottish capital.

Whilst many celebrated the wealth of incredible domestic and international talents on show at The Fringe and the Edinburgh International Festival, record ticket sales for a sixth successive year, and an unprecedented number of visitors, the exploitative practices of many employers and local landlords were once again hidden in plain sight.

As noted during the Scottish Socialist Party’s fantastic Wheel of Misfortune event (Saturday 25th August 2018), staff at several festival venues earned mere pennies per hour, whilst year-round tenants faced being turfed out of their homes in favour of more lucrative profits to be made thanks to the largely unregulated official festival partner AirBnB.

Whilst there is much to enjoy for those able to afford tickets to witness the musical, comedic, and literary talents brought to our city, should it be permitted to take priority over local communities?

Thanks to pivotal work from not only the Scottish Socialist Party, but also the Fair Fringe, and Living Rent Campaign, worker exploitation, intimidating workplace practices – such as replacing paid posts with ‘volunteers’ (thus avoiding worker rights) – and the disgraceful treatment of many year-round tenants are rapidly coming to light.

Luke Campbell (by email)

Letters: Whaling memorial for Leith Links?

Dear Editor

I was re-running some old photographs of Leith Harbour in South Georgia in my head. Most of the pictures were of sailors having fun sledging, but there was one with a view out over the fiord and you could make out the superstructure of two catchers tied up at the dock.

I remember dad telling me that the catchers has their own dock, and how a lot of attention was given over to their servicing during the off-season. In the picture they looked small, around eighty feet or so and in remarkably good condition considering that whaling ended for the Scottish company Salvesen so many years ago.

Driving flat out into a storm chasing down a whale in such a small boat must have been quite a ride, not to say dangerous, although much more so for the whale.

Maybe they should bring one of these catchers back to Edinburgh and park it in the Meadows of Leith Links as a reminder of when men fished for whales.

Sadly whaling still goes on, when will we ever learn?

Walter Hamilton

by email

Letters: Immigrants are PEOPLE

Dear Editor

The word ‘immigrant’ is used freely but seldom in a good way. What is missing is the understanding that they are people, who for various reasons can no longer exist of live in their own country whether through war, economic squalor or changes in climate, making it impossible to survive.

They are asking for our support in their desperation to live.

Many people ‘walk by on the other side of the road’ but fortunately those who care are in the majority, willing to help but frustrated by those in power who see this human disaster only in terms of numbers, not women, children and men.

The extremes of indifference exhibited on the border of Mexico and America shows the depths to which some people in power are prepared to go, condemning vulnerable people for having to migrate just to exist.

The causes and events leading to this situation must be the target, not people.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Paying a heavy price for bankers greed

Dear Editor

The financial collapse of the banking industry in 2008 was not caused by working people but by greedy financial investors and institutions eager to amass fortunes at the expense of everyone and anything.

Working people everywhere took the full force of these actions and are still paying the price in a lower standard of living and decimated public services.

There was, particularly from 2010, a growing understanding that things had to change : the domination by financial interests and banks was no longer seen as wanted or needed – and certainly not not to be trusted. People were rightly calling for control over speculators and more public control over essential services.

Political danger signals began to flash in ruling circles: these expressions of people’s control must be diverted, and sustained campaigns were conducted to this effect – firstly against the unemployed, then in turn the disabled and people on benefits. Vulnerable sections of society were blamed for all the troubles, but these campaigns backfired as society, to their great credit, opposed them.

Other diversions had to be implemented. Unable to place the blame on it’s own people, the focus was shifted to blaming others – particularly the European Union and immigrants. Shift the blame to them and all will be well, conveniently forgetting the banking disaster of 2008.

It is unfortunate that people anxious for changes were headed off in 2010 – 2016 and by misinformation throughout the EU referendum period for which the people of the UK have once again had to pay a heavy price in the hopes and aspirations of millions – particularly the younger generations.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Mr President defined?

Dear Editor

Definitions from the Oxford Dictionary:

TRUMP A blast of wind from a trumpet; proclaim loudly

TRUMPERY

Unsound reasoning
Thing of no value
Tawdry and worthless
Showy but worthless
Trashy

Other definitions:

Egoist: the practice of talking about oneself

Self conceit

Dangerous to world peace

Callous bstrd

A.Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Are you affected by high blood pressure? Respond to Scotland’s inquiry

Dear Editor

Are you living with high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, or do you care for someone who is? Are you a health professional working in this field? If so, The Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Heart Disease and Stroke in the Scottish Parliament wants to hear from you.

The CPG is holding an inquiry into the prevention, detection, treatment and management of high blood pressure in Scotland.

The inquiry will gather information from people living with high blood pressure, those who care for someone with the condition, and clinicians and organisations with an interest in high blood pressure services.

A report of the findings will be published in January 2019 and will make clear recommendations to the Scottish Government.

If you live in Scotland and have ever been told that you have high blood pressure (even if you don’t need to take medication to manage this) you can share your views through answering the questions in the survey at bhf.org.uk/hbpinquiry

You can also share your views there if you are a clinician or work for an organisation with an interest in hypertension services in Scotland.

Yours sincerely,

Kylie Strachan

Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer

British Heart Foundation Scotland

The Cube

43a Leith Street

Edinburgh EH1 3AT

Colin Oliver

Public Affairs Officer

The Stroke Association

Links House

15 Links Place

Edinburgh

EH6 7EZ

Katherine Byrne

Policy Manager

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland

Rosebery House

9 Haymarket Terrace

Edinburgh
EH12 5EZ

Letters: An old soldier remembers The People’s Day

Dear Editor

8th May 1945

After nearly six years of war (3rd September 1939 to 8th May 1945) the people of the UK were able in their millions to celebrate peace. They danced in the streets day and night, organised street parties for all children, rustling up food from their restricted rations to give them a good feed.

What a fantastic spirit there was, not only of relief from war but of great hopes for the future. May 8th 1945, we said, would never be forgotten.

In recent years, 2017 and 2018 and before, I listened hopefully to all the television channels to hear a mention of VE Day 8th May 1945 … but there was not one word; it had been completely ignored.

It cannot be that all television stations and newspapers suffered complete memory loss together. It can only be the result of a deliberate decision to ignore or suppress any reference to May 8th 1945. Shame on them!

8th May 1945 was The People’s Day: this may be the reason.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Letters: Grants available for farming and community projects

Sir,

The ongoing effects of weather, bureaucracy and concern for the future continue to put our countryside under pressure, with few avenues to turn to for support. This can have dramatic consequences for the rural economy and the people who live and work there.

The Prince’s Countryside Fund is committed to supporting community led projects, that will reinvigorate and sustain farming networks and the countryside by providing services and amenities through its grant programme.

Open for applications until June 14^th 2018, grants are available for up to £50,000. If you are involved in a community run or farming support project, and think that your organisation may benefit – or if you know someone else who might – please get in touch straight away by visiting www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/grants.

The Fund has supported a diverse range of projects delivered locally such as a community transport app in Argyll and projects on Barra, Orkney, and Shetland. We are proud to have distributed over £9 million since 2010 to more than 250 projects led by these grassroots organisations.

We believe it is crucial that we help rural areas during these times of change to retain a thriving countryside and encourage a sustainable farming sector in the UK, and we would really encourage people to apply for our funding.

Claire Saunders, Director, The Prince’s Countryside Fund

137 Shepherdess Walk, London, N1 7RQ

Letters: All in this together? Don’t believe the lies!

Dear Editor

The misplaced faith expressed by the people of the UK in 2010, believing the financial disaster caused by the banking industry would be dealt with by the Conservatives and their Liberal allies in a fair way, saying that “we are all in this together.”

In a typically British way, the government was given a chance to ‘do the right thing’ but we know, to our cost, they didn’t. Instead, they embarked on a systematic policy of wage-cutting and drastic cuts in both local and national public services for eight years – and they have said cuts will continue for many years to come.

People have learned a hard lesson in thinking that Conservatives will be fair and treat all people equally. They have failed on all counts: they are not competent, they are not fair and, above all, they seem not to care.

Their main political purpose is to maintain the system of ownership and control by the rich, for the rich.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens