Sir – As someone who proudly worked for the NHS for more than 30 years, I never envisaged the day when as a disabled octogenarian living alone, I would be in fear of becoming ill, with any medical assistance seemingly in the lap of the gods.
I’ve got an electronic necklace to cry for help, if anyone is listening.
The broadcast media and newspapers are full of horror stories of poor folk writhing in agony as they await the arrival of an ambulance, which is probably stuck in a queue at an A&E department with their patient still on board.
Neighbours and friends provide little reassurance, one whose 90-year-old sister waited nearly 24 hours for an ambulance to take her from her care home to hospital with suspected renal failure, only to find she had mistakenly been given someone else’s results and her bed had been allocated to someone else.
Or a friend who waited six hours for his ambulance then received a call three hours after he had been picked up saying sorry there was still not a vehicle available.
There’s even anxious folk in pain being advised not to go to A&E. What on earth is going on?
No doubt at the SNP conference speeches will be made to wild applause that although improvement is needed we are still so much better than England, the only statistic that seems to be important.
Figures will continue to be collected on how many are being seen within the four-hour benchmark in A&E. And “Hospital A” saw 66.3% this month – a promising improvement from 66.1% on last month but still far short of the, in my view, unachievable 95%.
I know well enough that the views of old folk these days are considered irrelevant and things must alter in the name of progress, but I am not alone in thinking far too many don’t know what they are doing and others are attempting to be what they are not.
In the meantime, I look at my list of contact numbers. In pre-pandemic years this was a source of comfort knowing assistance would soon arrive, but now, well who knows.
Almost time for bed. Is the stomach pain from eating too many plums, or if not is it 111 or 999? Help!
Ivan W Reid, Kirkburn, Laurencekirk.
Aberdeen FC on road to nowhere
Sir, – The appalling away record of Aberdeen FC under the current well-backed manager continues unabated.
Jim Goodwin selected and bought most of the team that were thrashed by Dundee United. We do not expect miracles but Richardson and Stewart, to name but two, are no better than those who played under Mr Glass.
Goodwin has had long enough to form a decent team but sadly it appears to be a long way off.
Bob Mackay, Silverburn Road, Aberdeen.
Goodwin not up to managing Dons
Sir, – What excuse will Jim Goodwin come up with this time after an inept, lacklustre and embarrassing display against last week’s bottom club Dundee United.
It’s the fault of his players, his team and his tactics. Despite the Dons no longer being recognised as a big club and despite some encouraging displays, it is my firm belief the job is too big for Goodwin who has been backed well by the board.
It’s not good enough, especially with such a large travelling support. Pathetic.
Alan Joiner, Skerry Drive, Peterhead.
World needs fossil fuels to prosper
Sir, – After COP26 in Glasgow, countries were asked to submit stronger plans to reduce emissions by 2030 ahead of COP27 in Egypt, to ensure global warming was kept below 2C and nearer 1.5C.
Only 23 countries out of nearly 200 had submitted improved emission reduction targets before the deadline. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has the world rushing to secure supplies of coal and other fossil fuels. Panicking, the green apostles say that coal will only be burned in the short term. Yes, that will be right.
Germany is taking 27 coal-fired plants out of mothballs and China is building another 60 coal-fired plants to add to the 1,110 it already has. At COP26, China and India pushed negotiators to dilute a resolution to accelerate the “phase-out” of unabated coal power to a much weaker pledge to “phase-down” the use of this fuel.
In 2021, China’s power generation from coal and gas remained at 71%. Countries have long realised that net-zero is a pipe dream, and that renewables are unreliables, and they need dependable fossil fuels to drive their economies.
Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow.
Stone of Destiny has many copies
Sir, – Danny Grant (P&J October 8) refers to a conversation with Kay Matheson and speculates that it was not the real Stone of Destiny that was returned to Arbroath Abbey.
According to Glasgow folklore, the stone lay in Bertie Gray’s sculpture yard in the centre of Glasgow while the search for it continued. The stone was repaired at this time, and it is also said that copies were made. John MacEvoy’s cheerful folk song The Wee Magic Stane suggests that so many were made that “So if ever ye come on a stane wi a ring, Jist sit yersel doon and appoint yersel King”.
Other theories abound as to what the current stone is – or is not – and doubts have been expressed about its authenticity for at least 200 years. Given that the monks of Scone knew Edward was on his way north in 1296, it is unlikely that they would have left such a precious artefact lying about for the taking, and on a visit to Scone one of the guides suggested to me that what was taken was a cover for a well – which would account for the rings.
Scotland’s first inspector of ancient monuments James Richardson noted that the early chroniclers described the stone as being of a hard material and elaborately carved and decorated. He also pointed out all the extremely detailed great seals of the early Scots Kings prior to 1297 show a much larger carved stone of a height to sit on and hollowed slightly on top. None of this fits with the block of soft Scone sandstone currently under the ancient coronation chair in Westminster.
Some years ago, I attended a lecture at Aberdeen University on a few of Scotland’s most treasured possessions. One speaker had studied the stone of Scone in great detail and provided the following information. The stone had indeed been quarried locally: it was heavily worn on one side by the passage of many feet over time: it was almost certainly the base for a Roman statue. So, was this a valued artefact or simply a handy lump of stone to be palmed off on an invader?
The current stone may have become hallowed by the posteriors of English – and from 1603 British – monarchs but it is almost certainly not the real deal.
Colin D Young, Newtonhill, Kincardineshire.
PM Truss spot-on over Sturgeon
Sir, – Well, at least Liz Truss got one thing right, Nicola Sturgeon is indeed an absolute attention seeker.
I’m no big fan of the Conservatives but here in Aberdeenshire I’ve voted for them and the Lib Dems in all 10 elections since 2007 to keep out the SNP.
I don’t “hate” or “despise” them but the hypocrisy, pretend socialism, incompetence, obsession with the break-up of the UK, and lies about costs and cuts from their leaders fill me with contempt and anger – and exasperation with the pro-UK parties.
Allan Sutherland, Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Westminster has failed us on energy
Sir, – There has been a lot in the press lately about industrial wind turbines.
However, a growing number of folk are beginning to understand the real truth behind the faux green money spinners.
They are realising that electricity prices were rising before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and it’s because the government has over-deployed on weather-dependent energy and not enough on our own reliable generation that’s left us exposed to market volatility and overseas conflicts.
Today I spoke to an electrical engineer who left his last company after having to work on wind developments. He was completely disapproving of the adverse impacts on the environment, and the cost and unreliability of wind turbines.
He said something that I thought was so sensible that policymakers should seriously consider doing the maths on it.
If only the eye-watering sums of money in subsidies, constraints, 24/7 back-up etc handed over to the wind industry by the government but paid by us consumers, was spent on the homes the wind developers purport to supply with electricity, then those homes could be insulated, have replacement windows and doors and their own micro-generation in communities and on their own homes.
Who would win?
The consumer, with lower bills and home-produced electricity– and most definitely the environment and wildlife.
Local citizens would also save thousands of their own pounds spent employing experts to help them fight monster turbines and years of stress the process entails.
The local authorities and residents are having to deal with thousands of pages of wind applications on a regular basis, and possible public inquiries are massively expensive and uses scant council resources.
The Scottish government would no longer have to appoint and pay staff to consider these applications on appeal after objections by statutory consultees or hold expensive public inquiries – another huge money saving.
The losers would be the ruthless wind multinationals who would have to find another cash cow to milk.
Lyndsey Ward, Torgormack, Beauly.
Credit to stranger who got me home
Sir, – I want to thank a most kind Aberdonian who, on Sunday evening, trusted me with his credit card to obtain enough fuel for me to make it to the next service station. I was on my way back to Edinburgh, having visited family in Newmachar, and hadn’t been able to top up on the way up (nothing north of Stracathro on the A90 nor Aberdeen peripheral route to Newmachar).
I was desperate as my fuel gauge was at zero. I had drawn into the Dyce ASDA fuel station, relieved, only to find it would only accept cards and not Google Pay via mobile.
Stuck, I approached the customer next to me and explained my plight. Without hesitation, he loaded his card for me to take what I needed to get going, and despite my promise to repay him, he declined.
Stan – I asked for his name – you are testimony to kindness and trust. Thank you, and I promise to pass this generous gesture on.
Paul Sizeland, Inveralmond Drive, Edinburgh.
Filmhouse part of city’s culture scene
Sir, – The Save the Belmont Cinema campaign shows the passion for independent and world cinema in the north-east. Losing the Belmont is not an option at all, as 22 years ago it established itself as the go-to venue for the true lover of film.
It’s part of Aberdeen’s cultural heritage and been a wonderful host venue to local festivals including Look Again.
Without independent filmhouses there’s no place for aspiring filmmakers to learn from their heroes and watch reissues in the manner intended by their directors.
The Belmont has punched above its weight thanks to the staff who made any visit a pleasure. At present Aberdeen is significantly bereft of culture without its Belmont. Equally, the Edinburgh Film Festival and the Filmhouse must not disappear either as there’s a need for all our homegrown talent to show their work in their surroundings.
Ian Beattie, Baker Street, Aberdeen.
Disaster looms at heart of city
Sir, – As a committed reader of the EE, is it just me or are any other readers getting totally sick of the daily diet of plans, artist’s impressions and vested interests quoting only the financial benefits that architects will acrue from a plan going ahead.
It’s obvious to me that the long-term aim is to destroy the daytime economy and replace it with a total night-time economy.
Has anyone looked at the disaster unfolding at UTG? Go and have a look.
Do we really want the same senior council officials to be in charge of city regeneration? I for one don’t want them anywhere near it.
How can we contemplate financial help for the new football stadium while pleading poverty over the non-funding of the gritting of pavements over the city putting the elderly in danger.
James Noel, Leggart Terrace, Aberdeen.
Conversation