Dear Editor
According to the Tories, austerity has ended and, thanks to the imposition over the last eight years of wage freezes and drastic cuts in public services, we are now benefiting! Continue reading Letters: The true cost of capitalism
Tag: letters
Letters: Bake a difference for people with epilepsy
Dear Editor
I am writing to ask your readers to brew up and bake a difference, all to support people with epilepsy. Continue reading Letters: Bake a difference for people with epilepsy
Letters: The madness of nuclear weapons
Dear Editor
When the Americans dropped atomic bombs on Japan in 1945, wiping out cities and thousands and thousands of people in an instant, mankind had reached the possibility of self destruction worldwide.
So far the peoples of the world have managed to restrain the madmen who still advocate the use of nuclear weapons.
These madmen, – for that is what they are – appear quite often on television supporting their use, but going further in advocating their first use.
How and why are they given the opportunity to promote such terrible actions? They really are totally mad.
Just think about it: what are they calling for? Are they really saying it will be in our and others best interests to decimate each other in the most horrible way?
A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens
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
Colin Oliver
Public Affairs Officer
The Stroke Association
Links House
Katherine Byrne
Policy Manager
Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland
Rosebery House
Edinburgh
EH12 5EZ