Sir, – As the pound and the economy slide into a winter of discontent, just maybe the men in suits have rescued the Tories!
In stark contrast to the UK’s disastrous mini-budget, the Republic of Ireland’s budget package did not offer massive tax cuts. Instead it is tackling the cost-of-living crisis by increasing welfare and pensions along with increased subsidies on energy bills and childcare. This is being funded by a tax collection from thousands of foreign multinational companies based in Ireland.
In truth, while pensioners in Ireland get one of the best deals in Europe, Scottish and indeed UK pensioners get one of the worst. Ireland again demonstrates that independent European nations, the same size as richly endowed Scotland, have more that a happy and successful future.
Grant Frazer, Cruachan, Newtonmore.
Truss clash with Bank is disaster
Sir, – Currently the world economic situation is in a complicated and precarious state with rising inflation in most parts of the world because of the Covid pandemic further worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
To slow inflation contractionary, monetary policy is required.
The difficulty is that if this is done with too heavy a hand it could cause a recession, with all its consequences.
The global complexity is such that the overall situation is also affected by other economies and currencies. Other countries also have central banks like the Federal Reserve for the USA which is in a very dominant position.
For the UK we are reliant on the Bank of England. All banks use monetary policy operations to maintain price stability with an ideal inflation rate of 2%.
Once inflation sets in a universal demand for pay rises becomes the expectation. However, this also increases the likelihood of higher inflation which can become endemic with a downward spiral as a result.
The new government of Truss has inherited a very difficult position made worse by mediocre growth achieved over the previous 12 years.
However, their growth remedy by tax-cutting has not been fully explained or properly set out. Instead, with only half a budget and no independent check by the Office for Budget Responsibility, her government is effectively working at cross purposes to the Bank of England.
This has turned into a disaster. I am not convinced that Starmer would do any better. We need a better solution now.
David Philip, Knockhall Way, Newburgh.
NC500 has led to mess and chaos
Sir, – It’s easy to understand the frustration, resentment and anger being felt by folk who live in the north and west whose way of life has been hugely affected by the influx of vast numbers of tourists on the NC500 route (Press and Journal, September 30).
Many lay blame for this at the door of NC500 Limited, and certainly it’s hard to see this as anything but a lucrative business opportunity exploiting the area’s remoteness and natural beauty.
Clearly no thought was given to, nor was there interest in, the volume of traffic that would be drawn to the area, motorhomes being a particular problem.
Nor was consideration given to a road system incapable of dealing with such traffic and groaning under it. Nor was there overnight parking provision nor anything resembling adequate toilet facilities.
Locals speak of mega congestion and the area being trashed by litter and human waste.
In short this is a crime against a very beautiful part of the world. It’s too late to undo the harm that’s been done, but surely in beholding what NC500 Limited have brought about and the chaos that has ensued, it must surely dawn on the authorities that this whole mess needs regulating, needs a serious rethink and sorting out.
Keith Fernie, Drakies Avenue, Inverness.
SNP fails to answer economic question
Sir, – Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison tells us that now is indeed the time to hold a referendum. (Stifles yawn.) She makes some elementary errors.
First, using the present UK Government’s problems and unpopularity as reasons to break up a country forever is the opposite of sensible. Second, we are back to the tired old “levers”. Ms Robison talks about the need “to make our own decisions”.
There are already decisions that the Sturgeon regime could have taken but hasn’t – on, critically, the poverty-related attainment gap in education. The SNP has done nothing about that and recently consigned it to the “too difficult” box.
Third, Ms Robison treats us to the usual SNP delusion: “We’d be able to borrow like other countries are doing.” How often do SNP members and leaders need to be told that no one would lend to a country – other than at Wonga rates – which had no plan for its own currency, central bank and lender of last resort?
Can Ms Robison name the institution that would act as Scotland’s lender of last resort in the event of secession? This question is perhaps the thorniest for the SNP, whether it chose to adopt sterlingisation or a new currency. No one has been able to suggest what the answer would be.
Jill Stephenson, Glenlockhart Valley, Edinburgh.
New kids on block hand out sweeties
Sir, – It must have looked like manna from heaven when new kids on the block Truss and Kwarteng got their hands on the keys to the school tuck shop and offered to hand out the best sweeties to their rich chums.
Their Scottish Tory counterparts started to cry, complaining that they should get the same but head prefect Sturgeon and deputy Swinney said: “No chance, we’re having none of that nonsense here.”
So for poor old Andrew Dingwall-Fordyce to claim (Letters, October 3) that this bourach was a “robust Westminster budget” looks indefensible now as the bad kids got caught and will have to pay penance.
Peter E Smith, Aigas, Beauly.
Community ignored
Sir, – The good folk of Bucksburn have had years of traffic disruption and extensive house building to saturation levels, particularly with the Mugiemoss and Stoneywood developments carried out without any alternative road options.
The new road is still under construction years late after most of the houses have been built and occupied.
We now have another development of 1570 houses proposed for the Greenferns Landward development at a time when portacabins are being installed at Bucksburn Academy to cope with the excessive intake of pupils.
Before building more houses, some sensible consideration should be given to creating a new road from Inverurie Road to take the pressure off Kepplehills Drive, otherwise there will be another massive congestion problem in the area.
It seems that the Scottish local planning system is not fit for purpose as consultation with the people in the area is either ignored or overturned when applications are referred to Edinburgh for appeal.
Community input and preference to planning applications is a complete and utter waste of time as the developers are given priority over community needs every time.
Dennis Forbes Grattan, Bucksburn.
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