Sir, – Reading the article “Power line still raises questions – 15 years on” reminded me of a suggestion I made to Fergus Ewing many years back which he booted into touch as joined-up thinking wasn’t the government thing then.
Some things never change but I felt then that it was a rare opportunity to hit two targets with one idea but unfortunately that would have involved more than one department working on the idea which was a bit of a no-no.
However, on reading John Ross’s piece, I still think that it was an opportunity that was missed, not to combine the interests of energy transmission and rail transport into a joint scheme to electrify the Perth to Inverness railway line and at the same time also carry the vital upgraded electricity distribution lines on the railway overhead gantries.
Yes, I appreciate that the infrastructure would require to be more robust but that could have been designed into the installation at its inception and not been a costly add-on as was the case with restructuring thousands of these huge pylons.
Think of all the environmental benefits that would have accrued as a result of doing this as well as increased travel efficiencies. It would have also finished in time for the Glasgow COP summit.
It’s never too late to run with this. It just needs someone capable of thinking out of the box to take it on and probably not a politician.
C A Smith, Upper Garmouth, Fochabers.
Covid restrictions should be removed
Sir, – As we peer over the parapet to observe the retreat of Covid-19 to merge with its fellow coronavirus strains into what we refer to as “colds”, it is interesting to observe the different approach taken by the governments of the four home nations in the return to more normal life.
Never in peacetime have governments had so much power over freedoms of the population and, remember, power if unchecked can become addictive.
So accustomed have our leaders become to imposing restrictions that many I fear are still in place long after the need for their imposition has receded.
Not unexpectedly, the PM has made the major move towards normality by announcing that all restrictions will be removed in England by the end of February if cases remain as they are. Not so here in Scotland where a much more cautious path is being followed.
With so much emphasis on controlling the virus, the other gangsters – cancer, heart disease etc – are still in town, quietly and unnoticed spreading their havoc.
For every life saved from the virus by restrictions, these same restrictions mean an unknown number are missing early and important diagnosis of potentially life-threatening conditions and are a major factor in the explosion of mental health disorders in our youngsters.
Is the PM’s announcement brave or stupid? Only time will tell, but we must rid ourselves of the fear of the virus and any of its future variants, and there will be many. Much of the population has been vaccinated so even if infection occurs the risk of hospitalisation is much reduced.
Now is the time to let freedoms return and concentrate on problems other than Covid, future energy supply being a prime example.
Ivan W Reid, Kirkburn, Laurencekirk.
Industry backers are going nowhere
Sir, – When the oil industry is under threat, it is heartening to see the folk of Aberdeen doing their best to support it by keeping their car engines running at the kerbside.
Drivers employed by the council and the utilities really do good work here, and a special shout-out to the driver of the X7 bus who kept his engine running for a full nine minutes while at the bus stance in Stonehaven on Wednesday.
Just as well that Rule 123 of the Highway Code does not say they must not do this, but hang on… it does!
Andrew Maywood, Oakhill Road, Aberdeen.