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Readers’ letters: Seeing through the smokescreen of new rules

As of today, homes across Scotland are required to have an interlinked smoke alarm system in place.
As of today, homes across Scotland are required to have an interlinked smoke alarm system in place.

Sir, – I refer to your article “Concern over homes with no smoke alarms”.

The new legislation that is due to come in on February 1 2022, whereby smoke alarms and heat sensors need to be fitted in various rooms to comply, typifies for me the SNP approach to government, or should I say non-government!

As I understand it from the government quote “the new rules allow flexibility for homeowners unable to install alarms by February 1. No one will be criminalised if they need more time and there are no penalties for non-compliance”.

So, what’s the point?

It also leaves more questions unanswered than answered.

Is it only homeowners who have to do it?

Will councils have fitted them in all their rental properties?

If you do not do it by February 1, will it invalidate your insurance?

What about the poor people who are staring down the barrel of a huge increase in fuel bills? They have to stump up another £220!

If ever there was a time for the SNP (for once) to admit that they have come up with a policy that is wholly unworkable, unwelcome and too expensive and rescind it, it is now. They would be better served spending more time on Scotland’s drug deaths, a national scandal, than this nonsense.

I just installed new smoke alarms and CO2 alarms last year and they now have to have a sealed battery – a welcome step forward.

Trust Scots to be responsible and stop legislating them into the naughty corner.

Please!

James Walker, Union Grove, Aberdeen.

Scots ‘doomed’ by SNP tunnel vision

Sir, – I refer to Grant Frazer’s comments, whinging about “British and English nationalism”.

I think he is conflating unionism with nationalism. The SNP is the only mainstream party in the UK with the unequivocal adjective “national” in its title.

Mr Frazer’s take is a fabricated moniker used by SNP zealots, seeking to deflect from their own nationalist modus operandi of undermining democracy using political subterfuge.

This is clearly seen in the party line refusal to accept and respect the outcome of “decisive, fair and democratic” referendums. Mr Frazer, like his Dad’s Army namesake, infers “we’re doomed” with “the disaster of Brexit” while totally ignoring the mega disaster that “Scexit” would bring.

I voted to Remain in 2016 and would have preferred that result, but the difference is that I respect the Leave outcome of the UK vote, which of course Mr Frazer and his zealot nationalist supporters ignore and decry, just as they did the 2014 independence referendum. I, like many Scots, object strongly to those SNP separatists hijacking my Remain vote to support their own tunnel vision nationalist agenda.

William Morgan, Midstocket, Aberdeen.

Use Number 10 to sort out Scotland

Sir, – Some people just can’t let go of the indy dummy.

The latest is Kier Starmer with his Commission on the Future of the UK, aka devo-max, also advocated by some SNP luminaries.

Scotland is leaking freeport jobs to England, education is tanking, councils wilting and the SNP Greens are sucking the life, good humour and ambition out of it.

How about devo-min? Have an election, pick the best 59 MPs out of 188 in Holyrood and Westminster, beef up the Scottish office and give them the job of using the “levers” and clout with Number 10 to sort the place out.

And replace Holyrood with 12 regional councils.

Allan Sutherland, Willow Row, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire.