Letters 2023 - underlining indicates deletion by editor; square brackets indicate insertion.
To Edinburgh Evening News (24 Sep 23)
Dennis McKay (Letters, 23 September) included 'atomic' energy among those energy sources whose use 'adds extra heat to the Earth'.
In fact radioactive elements already add heat, so much so that without them the temperature of the Earth would be much lower and tectonic plate activity would probably not occur. Gathering uranium to process it for use as a fuel, merely moves heat generating elements from one place to another with no overall change to their heat effect. The use of nuclear energy does release heat, but it's heat that would otherwise be released naturally.
Dennis McKay (Letters, 23 September) included 'atomic' energy among those energy sources whose use 'adds extra heat to the Earth'.
In fact radioactive elements already add heat, so much so that without them the temperature of the Earth would be much lower and tectonic plate activity would probably not occur. Gathering uranium to process it for use as a fuel, merely moves heat generating elements from one place to another with no overall change to their heat effect. The use of nuclear energy does release heat, but it's heat that would otherwise be released naturally.
To Sunday Times Scotland (11 Sep 23)
Barbara Reay (Letters, 10 September) claimed that Jesus' doctrine was 'love for God and our neighbour'. In fact those are the first two commandments of Mosaic Law, which Jesus endorsed. His message (not a doctrine), to Jews alone, was 'Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' (Matt 3:2). For him the 'good life' was shortly to come, in the Kingdom of Heaven here on a reconstructed Earth. It has no relevance today.
Barbara Reay (Letters, 10 September) claimed that Jesus' doctrine was 'love for God and our neighbour'. In fact those are the first two commandments of Mosaic Law, which Jesus endorsed. His message (not a doctrine), to Jews alone, was 'Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.' (Matt 3:2). For him the 'good life' was shortly to come, in the Kingdom of Heaven here on a reconstructed Earth. It has no relevance today.
To The Scotsman (8 Sep 23)
I regularly chide The Scotsman for its failure to recognise that a temperature can't be hot/warm/cold/etc. This is a category mistake or category error: a semantic or ontological error in which things belonging to a particular category are presented as if they belong to a different category or where a property is ascribed to a thing that could not possibly have that property.
As a temperature is not a physical object it can't have a temperature yet all journalists seem to ignore this fact and treat it as if it were. One journalist recently even referred to a thermometer (sic) soaring (well it could if one threw it). That's a different category mistake because it confuses temperature with thermometer and implies wrongly that a thermometer can have a temperature.
Unfortunately my strictures on this matter have no effect. Am I wasting my time?
I regularly chide The Scotsman for its failure to recognise that a temperature can't be hot/warm/cold/etc. This is a category mistake or category error: a semantic or ontological error in which things belonging to a particular category are presented as if they belong to a different category or where a property is ascribed to a thing that could not possibly have that property.
As a temperature is not a physical object it can't have a temperature yet all journalists seem to ignore this fact and treat it as if it were. One journalist recently even referred to a thermometer (sic) soaring (well it could if one threw it). That's a different category mistake because it confuses temperature with thermometer and implies wrongly that a thermometer can have a temperature.
Unfortunately my strictures on this matter have no effect. Am I wasting my time?
To Edinburgh Evening News (5 Sep 23) published 7 Sep 23
There's nothing 'blue' about a supermoon (your report on 5 September).
The phrase 'once in a blue moon', meaning a very rare event arose from the fact that very occasionally the Moon, also the Sun, can look blue. This is always due to dust or smoke particles in the atmosphere filtering out longer wavelengths and leaving the shorter (blue) ones.
This phenomenon was observed from Scotland and the North of England in September 1950, as reported in The Scotsman. It was caused by forest fires in Canada and I'm surprised that the recent fires there have not reproduced the phenomenon.
The recent notion that it applies to the second full moon in a month, a much less rare event, is a mistake and should be discouraged.
There's nothing 'blue' about a supermoon (your report on 5 September).
The phrase 'once in a blue moon', meaning a very rare event arose from the fact that very occasionally the Moon, also the Sun, can look blue. This is always due to dust or smoke particles in the atmosphere filtering out longer wavelengths and leaving the shorter (blue) ones.
This phenomenon was observed from Scotland and the North of England in September 1950, as reported in The Scotsman. It was caused by forest fires in Canada and I'm surprised that the recent fires there have not reproduced the phenomenon.
The recent notion that it applies to the second full moon in a month, a much less rare event, is a mistake and should be discouraged.
To The Scotsman (4 Sep 23) published 5 Sep 23
The phrase 'once in a blue moon', meaning a very rare event (your report on 1 September), arose from the fact that very occasionally the Moon, also the Sun, can look blue. This is always due to dust or smoke particles in the atmosphere filtering out longer wavelengths and leaving the shorter (blue) ones.
This phenomenon was observed from Scotland and the North of England in September 1950, as reported in The Scotsman. It was caused by forest fires in Canada and I'm surprised that the recent fires there have not reproduced the phenomenon.
The recent notion that it applies to the second full moon in a month, a much less rare event, is a mistake and should be discouraged.
The phrase 'once in a blue moon', meaning a very rare event (your report on 1 September), arose from the fact that very occasionally the Moon, also the Sun, can look blue. This is always due to dust or smoke particles in the atmosphere filtering out longer wavelengths and leaving the shorter (blue) ones.
This phenomenon was observed from Scotland and the North of England in September 1950, as reported in The Scotsman. It was caused by forest fires in Canada and I'm surprised that the recent fires there have not reproduced the phenomenon.
The recent notion that it applies to the second full moon in a month, a much less rare event, is a mistake and should be discouraged.
To Scottish Daily Mail (4 Sep 23) published 5 Sep 23
Chie Kelly's story and pics (1 September) is an interesting example of curious wake effects (not Nessie). The water would have been dead calm and elsewhere there would have been a boat movement that created the wake which, once it reached Dores, started to ground and show itself. The wake wasn't caused by Nessie; the wave seen was caused by the wake.
The same applies to Antoinette Tricker's story (4 September). Seismic effects are rare on Loch Ness and would not produce the phenomenon she reports.
Chie Kelly's story and pics (1 September) is an interesting example of curious wake effects (not Nessie). The water would have been dead calm and elsewhere there would have been a boat movement that created the wake which, once it reached Dores, started to ground and show itself. The wake wasn't caused by Nessie; the wave seen was caused by the wake.
The same applies to Antoinette Tricker's story (4 September). Seismic effects are rare on Loch Ness and would not produce the phenomenon she reports.
To The Scotsman (2 Sep 23) published 4 Sep 23
Colin McAllister (Letters, 1 September) claims that the best explanation for reports of Nessie is sightings of the prow of a scuttled Viking galley.
This was the belief of [Beverley] Halstead et al who wrote to Nature about it in January 1976 (they included the idea that it was the steering rudder). There is no independent archaeological evidence for this idea and there has been no expedition to lift such a valuable artefact. The idea was rightly demolished by Sir Peter Scott in the same article.
Most reports are due to the waves created by boat wakes on a calm surface.
Colin McAllister (Letters, 1 September) claims that the best explanation for reports of Nessie is sightings of the prow of a scuttled Viking galley.
This was the belief of [Beverley] Halstead et al who wrote to Nature about it in January 1976 (they included the idea that it was the steering rudder). There is no independent archaeological evidence for this idea and there has been no expedition to lift such a valuable artefact. The idea was rightly demolished by Sir Peter Scott in the same article.
Most reports are due to the waves created by boat wakes on a calm surface.
To The Scotsman (30 Aug 23) published 31 Aug 23
Using hydrophones, a sort of passive sonar, in a lake[loch] is a fool's errand as it will pick up as lot of noise from traffic on the lake[loch] (Nessie hunters hear 'four distinctive noises', 28 August).
As for never being tried before, hydrophones have been deployed by several different teams from 1970 onwards. They will not detect Nessie as she does not exist. Apart from a few hoaxes, reports are all misperceptions of one sort or another, notably boat wakes.
Using hydrophones, a sort of passive sonar, in a lake[loch] is a fool's errand as it will pick up as lot of noise from traffic on the lake[loch] (Nessie hunters hear 'four distinctive noises', 28 August).
As for never being tried before, hydrophones have been deployed by several different teams from 1970 onwards. They will not detect Nessie as she does not exist. Apart from a few hoaxes, reports are all misperceptions of one sort or another, notably boat wakes.
To The Scotsman (27 Aug 23) published 29 Aug 23
Dr Rupert Read ('It's time for Scotland to get real on scale of climate crisis', 26 August) wonders how much chaos will be left to future generations and that we need an answer.
In his book Our Final Warning, Six Degrees of Climate Emergency (2020, but there are many editions some with different titles), Mark Lynas laid out the worldwide consequences of various degrees of warming. He predicts a 2 degree C rise by early 2030s with the Arctic Ocean free of ice, 3 deg by 2050, 4 deg by 2075 and 5-6 deg by the end of the 21st century with a 50 per cent chance of a 1 metre rise in sea level. A 1 degree rise was achieved in 2015.
All scenarios are chaotic and bad for us and the global environment. By 2030 we will be back in the Pliocene which ended 11,700 years ago.
However the UK is a bit player in global warming, albeit feeling its effects. It may escape the worst of the hothouse for a while due to changes in ocean circulation. That's no consolation as the severe effects elsewhere will change wildlife and human migration patterns. Who is going to stop this chaos?
Dr Rupert Read ('It's time for Scotland to get real on scale of climate crisis', 26 August) wonders how much chaos will be left to future generations and that we need an answer.
In his book Our Final Warning, Six Degrees of Climate Emergency (2020, but there are many editions some with different titles), Mark Lynas laid out the worldwide consequences of various degrees of warming. He predicts a 2 degree C rise by early 2030s with the Arctic Ocean free of ice, 3 deg by 2050, 4 deg by 2075 and 5-6 deg by the end of the 21st century with a 50 per cent chance of a 1 metre rise in sea level. A 1 degree rise was achieved in 2015.
All scenarios are chaotic and bad for us and the global environment. By 2030 we will be back in the Pliocene which ended 11,700 years ago.
However the UK is a bit player in global warming, albeit feeling its effects. It may escape the worst of the hothouse for a while due to changes in ocean circulation. That's no consolation as the severe effects elsewhere will change wildlife and human migration patterns. Who is going to stop this chaos?
To The Scotsman (22 Aug 23) published 24 Aug 23
You report that Calvanist MSP Kate Forbes claimed that 'Behaviour has never changed as a result of being preached at' ('Urban environmentalists rile Forbes', 22 August).
That must come as a surprise to every Christian preacher; their purpose is to 'preach the Gospel' (Mk 16:15) so as to change people's behaviour, i.e. from from unbelief to belief. In fact the Christian Church could not have grown without preaching. John Calvin was a preacher and founder of the sect to which Ms Forbes belongs via her membership of the Free Church of Scotland.
You report that Calvanist MSP Kate Forbes claimed that 'Behaviour has never changed as a result of being preached at' ('Urban environmentalists rile Forbes', 22 August).
That must come as a surprise to every Christian preacher; their purpose is to 'preach the Gospel' (Mk 16:15) so as to change people's behaviour, i.e. from from unbelief to belief. In fact the Christian Church could not have grown without preaching. John Calvin was a preacher and founder of the sect to which Ms Forbes belongs via her membership of the Free Church of Scotland.
To The Scotsman (17 Aug 23) published 19 Aug 23
I have already caught a dose of 'doomism' ('Humanity is failing to face up to the climate change threat', 16 August). In fact I think it's chronic, or will be until someone sees sense and calls on geoengineering to save us. We can all see where 'business as usual' is leading us: to becoming a hothouse planet with large areas uninhabitable (pace wildfires, floods, storms and rising sea level and ocean acidification).
Ian Johnson thinks that a dose of doomism will stir the world 'into real action'. I fear that it won't or not until world leaders recognise that the measures they have been trying to introduce are failing to work. The CO2 level continues its relentless rise as people refuse to give up their love of plentiful energy. Not just individuals; whole countries, e.g. China, actually are actually increasing their greenhouse gas emissions by building coal-fired power stations. The need for electricity trumps green policies.
The only solution is some form of geoengineering to shade part of the planet so reducing the temperature.
I have already caught a dose of 'doomism' ('Humanity is failing to face up to the climate change threat', 16 August). In fact I think it's chronic, or will be until someone sees sense and calls on geoengineering to save us. We can all see where 'business as usual' is leading us: to becoming a hothouse planet with large areas uninhabitable (pace wildfires, floods, storms and rising sea level and ocean acidification).
Ian Johnson thinks that a dose of doomism will stir the world 'into real action'. I fear that it won't or not until world leaders recognise that the measures they have been trying to introduce are failing to work. The CO2 level continues its relentless rise as people refuse to give up their love of plentiful energy. Not just individuals; whole countries, e.g. China, actually are actually increasing their greenhouse gas emissions by building coal-fired power stations. The need for electricity trumps green policies.
The only solution is some form of geoengineering to shade part of the planet so reducing the temperature.
To The Scotsman (10 Aug 23) published 11Aug 23
Clearly William Loneskie (Letters, 9 September) does not understand the significance of a 1[C]deg Celsius rise in the average global temperature since 1990.
The global temperature has remained constant for thousands of years, varying only slightly due to changes in the Earth's orbit. However the burning of fossil fuels that has given us the things we now value in modern civilisation has added so much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere that the global temperature is rising. Worse it will go on rising unless drastic action is taken.
If average global temperatures reach 1.5 degC above pre-industrial levels, we can expect the Arctic ocean to have one ice-free summer every 100 years. But if warming rises to 2C, ice-free summers in the Arctic could happen every 10 years.
Already the effects of this slight warming (heat waves, flooding, wild fires, etc) are showing themselves. This is not alarmism; it's plain facts. Civilisation is at stake.
Clearly William Loneskie (Letters, 9 September) does not understand the significance of a 1[C]deg Celsius rise in the average global temperature since 1990.
The global temperature has remained constant for thousands of years, varying only slightly due to changes in the Earth's orbit. However the burning of fossil fuels that has given us the things we now value in modern civilisation has added so much greenhouse gas to the atmosphere that the global temperature is rising. Worse it will go on rising unless drastic action is taken.
If average global temperatures reach 1.5 degC above pre-industrial levels, we can expect the Arctic ocean to have one ice-free summer every 100 years. But if warming rises to 2C, ice-free summers in the Arctic could happen every 10 years.
Already the effects of this slight warming (heat waves, flooding, wild fires, etc) are showing themselves. This is not alarmism; it's plain facts. Civilisation is at stake.
To The Sunday Times (7 Aug 23) not published
The House of Lords has to go in its present gross form but a revising chamber is still needed (Letters, 6 August).
The Irish and the Dutch seem to have got it right with Senates that are actually modelled on the House of Lords.
They are not directly elected but consist of a mixture of members chosen by various methods with political parties in proportion. They can delay laws with which they disagree rather than veto them outright but they can also introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Irish Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
The House of Lords has to go in its present gross form but a revising chamber is still needed (Letters, 6 August).
The Irish and the Dutch seem to have got it right with Senates that are actually modelled on the House of Lords.
They are not directly elected but consist of a mixture of members chosen by various methods with political parties in proportion. They can delay laws with which they disagree rather than veto them outright but they can also introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Irish Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
To The Sunday Times (7 Aug 23) not published
I know that Rod Liddle (Comment, 6 August) was making a light-hearted point re 'authenticity casting' but the Manhattan project was not trying to 'split the atom' (that had been done by Ernest Rutherford in 1917). Oppenheimer's team was trying to create a bomb from Plutonium.
I know that Rod Liddle (Comment, 6 August) was making a light-hearted point re 'authenticity casting' but the Manhattan project was not trying to 'split the atom' (that had been done by Ernest Rutherford in 1917). Oppenheimer's team was trying to create a bomb from Plutonium.
To The Scotsman (1 Aug 2023) published 4 Aug 23
Clark Cross (Letter, 31 July) asks how to identify natural CO2 from that produced by mankind.
CO2 doesn't come with markers as to where it originated but one can tell how much of the CO2 in the atmosphere is anthropogenic. A value of 280 ppm (parts per million) is chosen as a representation of pre-industrial air as it is close to the average CO2 measure and dated with high time resolution between 1000 and 1800 in an ice core from Antarctica.
Since 1958 the atmospheric CO2 level has been monitored constantly on top of Mauna Loa in Hawaii. This shows that the CO2 level has risen steadily and now stands at 420 ppm (this is measured at a height of 3200 m away from industrial areas so the level may be higher at ground level in developed countries).
Consequently we can state that all that increase is man-made and that mankind has produced half as much CO2 as was produced naturally.
The last time global CO2 levels were consistently at or above 400 ppm was around 4 million years ago during the Pliocene Era. The world was about 3C warmer and sea levels were higher than today. That’s a ‘warning from history’.
Clark Cross (Letter, 31 July) asks how to identify natural CO2 from that produced by mankind.
CO2 doesn't come with markers as to where it originated but one can tell how much of the CO2 in the atmosphere is anthropogenic. A value of 280 ppm (parts per million) is chosen as a representation of pre-industrial air as it is close to the average CO2 measure and dated with high time resolution between 1000 and 1800 in an ice core from Antarctica.
Since 1958 the atmospheric CO2 level has been monitored constantly on top of Mauna Loa in Hawaii. This shows that the CO2 level has risen steadily and now stands at 420 ppm (this is measured at a height of 3200 m away from industrial areas so the level may be higher at ground level in developed countries).
Consequently we can state that all that increase is man-made and that mankind has produced half as much CO2 as was produced naturally.
The last time global CO2 levels were consistently at or above 400 ppm was around 4 million years ago during the Pliocene Era. The world was about 3C warmer and sea levels were higher than today. That’s a ‘warning from history’.
To The Scotsman (30 Jul 2023) published 1 Aug 2023
David Morris (Letters, 29 July) is right that the use of regenerative braking (sic) will reduce pollution from brake particles but disc brakes still have to be used. However, air pollution also comes from tyre wear, road surface wear and resuspension of road dust during on-road vehicle usage, all of which will be a function, inter alia, of the vehicle weight. So EVs with batteries, being heavier that petrol cars, will cause more pollution from non-braking factors.
David Morris (Letters, 29 July) is right that the use of regenerative braking (sic) will reduce pollution from brake particles but disc brakes still have to be used. However, air pollution also comes from tyre wear, road surface wear and resuspension of road dust during on-road vehicle usage, all of which will be a function, inter alia, of the vehicle weight. So EVs with batteries, being heavier that petrol cars, will cause more pollution from non-braking factors.
To The Sunday Times (24 Jul 2023) not published
Alex Bell is to be congratulated for his analysis of the global warming problem (Comment on 23 July). He is spot on: the planet will survive, but mankind may not. What's missing is any suggestion of what can be done about it. The answer is geoengineering (shading) to counteract the unwitting engineering that results in the release of huge amounts of greenhouse gases that will stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. We can fix this if we have the will..
Alex Bell is to be congratulated for his analysis of the global warming problem (Comment on 23 July). He is spot on: the planet will survive, but mankind may not. What's missing is any suggestion of what can be done about it. The answer is geoengineering (shading) to counteract the unwitting engineering that results in the release of huge amounts of greenhouse gases that will stay in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. We can fix this if we have the will..
To Edinburgh Evening News (21 Jul 2023) not published?
The huts shown in your News story on 20 July are not Nissen huts, which are formed of corrugated steel sheet in an arch. They were designed in the First World War by engineer Peter Norman Nissen.
Those shown look like they are constructed of prefabricated timber panels with a bituminous felt roof. So if Oldhamstocks Community Association apply to demolish 'Nissen' huts, it will surely be invalid. One cannot demolish something that does not exist.
The huts shown in your News story on 20 July are not Nissen huts, which are formed of corrugated steel sheet in an arch. They were designed in the First World War by engineer Peter Norman Nissen.
Those shown look like they are constructed of prefabricated timber panels with a bituminous felt roof. So if Oldhamstocks Community Association apply to demolish 'Nissen' huts, it will surely be invalid. One cannot demolish something that does not exist.
To The Scotsman (18 Jul 2023) published 20 Jul 2023
Geoff Moore (Letter, 17 July) asks if natural climate change has 'disappeared'. No, it hasn't; it can't. Earth's climate has always varied for various reasons, but mainly due to variations in the Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun. Sometimes this has made the planet hotter and sometimes colder. We are presently in an interglacial period, i.e. we are in an ice age but where ice sheets have retreated. In fact, if we hadn't interfered with the climate with man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the planet would have cooled with an increase in ice sheets. We have stopped that but are now heading for hothouse Earth.
Geoff Moore (Letter, 17 July) asks if natural climate change has 'disappeared'. No, it hasn't; it can't. Earth's climate has always varied for various reasons, but mainly due to variations in the Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun. Sometimes this has made the planet hotter and sometimes colder. We are presently in an interglacial period, i.e. we are in an ice age but where ice sheets have retreated. In fact, if we hadn't interfered with the climate with man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the planet would have cooled with an increase in ice sheets. We have stopped that but are now heading for hothouse Earth.
To Scotland on Sunday (17 Jul 2023)
Bob MacDougall calls for a fair and just system to finance local authorities (Letter, 16 July).
A 'fair and just system' has been available since the 19th century. It's called Land Value Taxation (LVT), a tax on land only, ignoring any buildings on it. Former Green MSP Andy Wightman campaigned for it but it's not clear that the Green Party still advocate it. Labour has a campaign group for it but again no outright commitment and there is a non-party campaign group in Westminster.
LVTs are generally favoured by economists as they do not cause economic inefficiency and reduce inequality. They are also progressive because land ownership is correlated with wealth and income. LVT is described as "the perfect tax" and the economic efficiency of a land value tax has been accepted since the eighteenth century. Economists since Adam Smith advocated this tax because it does not hurt economic activity, and encourages development without subsidies.
Land value taxation is currently implemented throughout Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It has also been applied to a lesser extent in parts of Australia, Mexico and in Pennsylvania (USA).
Bob MacDougall calls for a fair and just system to finance local authorities (Letter, 16 July).
A 'fair and just system' has been available since the 19th century. It's called Land Value Taxation (LVT), a tax on land only, ignoring any buildings on it. Former Green MSP Andy Wightman campaigned for it but it's not clear that the Green Party still advocate it. Labour has a campaign group for it but again no outright commitment and there is a non-party campaign group in Westminster.
LVTs are generally favoured by economists as they do not cause economic inefficiency and reduce inequality. They are also progressive because land ownership is correlated with wealth and income. LVT is described as "the perfect tax" and the economic efficiency of a land value tax has been accepted since the eighteenth century. Economists since Adam Smith advocated this tax because it does not hurt economic activity, and encourages development without subsidies.
Land value taxation is currently implemented throughout Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It has also been applied to a lesser extent in parts of Australia, Mexico and in Pennsylvania (USA).
To The Scotsman (11 Jul 2023) not published
You suggest that more could be done to alert drivers to the danger of a bridge lower than the height of their vehicle (Leader, 10 July).
However, it seems that however much warning is given, some drivers are blind to the danger. The only way to stop the strikes and the disruption they cause is a physical barrier: an automatic arm that comes down to block their route when a scanner detects that the vehicle is too high. A 'bridge gate' in fact. That doesn't seem too difficult to implement.
You suggest that more could be done to alert drivers to the danger of a bridge lower than the height of their vehicle (Leader, 10 July).
However, it seems that however much warning is given, some drivers are blind to the danger. The only way to stop the strikes and the disruption they cause is a physical barrier: an automatic arm that comes down to block their route when a scanner detects that the vehicle is too high. A 'bridge gate' in fact. That doesn't seem too difficult to implement.
To The Sunday Times (10 Jul 2023) not published
Ed Conway ('Our race to embrace electric cars has let China speed to the front of the grid', 9 July) claimed that wind power has 'accelerated the deindustrialisation of Britain.' Unfortunately it has led to the industrialisation of the landscape.
Ed Conway ('Our race to embrace electric cars has let China speed to the front of the grid', 9 July) claimed that wind power has 'accelerated the deindustrialisation of Britain.' Unfortunately it has led to the industrialisation of the landscape.
To The Scotsman (7 Jul 2023) not published
Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research in Germany says that we need to stop global warming ‘fast’ (‘Entire planet sweltering in hottest days’, Education, 6 July).
Because all the various attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are having little or no effect, he is right. The evidence is on a TV screens every day. Chaotic weather patterns all round the world: ice loss, rising sea level, droughts, floods and heat waves.
The atmospheric CO2 level continues to rise and it will go on rising because few people or countries are prepared to sacrifice their way of life. The situation will continue to get worse and the world will gradually turn into an uninhabitable hothouse.
There is only one practical (‘fast’) remedy: shade the planet to bring the temperature down. It's called geoengineering and several methods have been suggested.
A shield in space, chemicals distributed in the stratosphere or enhancing the reflectivity of clouds, the last the idea of Prof Stephen Salter of Edinburgh University. Something like this has to be done to save civilisation, probably humanity.
Some scientists argue that such geoengineering should not be deployed because it could have deleterious effects worldwide (don’t we already have such effects?). In fact studies have shown that the effects would generally be beneficially, stabilising the climate.
Such a measure would not bring the CO2 level down but it would give use more time to work on that problem.
Stefan Rahmstorf of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research in Germany says that we need to stop global warming ‘fast’ (‘Entire planet sweltering in hottest days’, Education, 6 July).
Because all the various attempts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are having little or no effect, he is right. The evidence is on a TV screens every day. Chaotic weather patterns all round the world: ice loss, rising sea level, droughts, floods and heat waves.
The atmospheric CO2 level continues to rise and it will go on rising because few people or countries are prepared to sacrifice their way of life. The situation will continue to get worse and the world will gradually turn into an uninhabitable hothouse.
There is only one practical (‘fast’) remedy: shade the planet to bring the temperature down. It's called geoengineering and several methods have been suggested.
A shield in space, chemicals distributed in the stratosphere or enhancing the reflectivity of clouds, the last the idea of Prof Stephen Salter of Edinburgh University. Something like this has to be done to save civilisation, probably humanity.
Some scientists argue that such geoengineering should not be deployed because it could have deleterious effects worldwide (don’t we already have such effects?). In fact studies have shown that the effects would generally be beneficially, stabilising the climate.
Such a measure would not bring the CO2 level down but it would give use more time to work on that problem.
To The Scotsman (5 Jul 2023) published 7 Jul 2023
The 'radical reform' of the Council tax ('Council tax hikes 'a sticking plaster measure' when radical reform needed', 4 July) has been waiting patiently since the 19th century for someone in the UK to show the courage to adopt it. It's called Land Value Taxation (LVT), a tax on land only, ignoring any buildings on it. Former Green MSP Andy Wightman campaigned for it but it's not clear that the Green Party still advocate it. Labour has a campaign group for it but again no outright commitment and there is a non-party campaign group in Westminster.
LVTs are generally favoured by economists as they do not cause economic inefficiency and reduce inequality. They are also progressive because land ownership is correlated with wealth and income. LVT is described as "the perfect tax" and the economic efficiency of a land value tax has been accepted since the eighteenth century. Economists since Adam Smith advocated this tax because it does not hurt economic activity, and encourages development without subsidies.
Land value taxation is currently implemented throughout Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It has also been applied to a lesser extent in parts of Australia, Mexico and in Pennsylvania (USA).
Scotland could adopt it tomorrow if the will were there.
The 'radical reform' of the Council tax ('Council tax hikes 'a sticking plaster measure' when radical reform needed', 4 July) has been waiting patiently since the 19th century for someone in the UK to show the courage to adopt it. It's called Land Value Taxation (LVT), a tax on land only, ignoring any buildings on it. Former Green MSP Andy Wightman campaigned for it but it's not clear that the Green Party still advocate it. Labour has a campaign group for it but again no outright commitment and there is a non-party campaign group in Westminster.
LVTs are generally favoured by economists as they do not cause economic inefficiency and reduce inequality. They are also progressive because land ownership is correlated with wealth and income. LVT is described as "the perfect tax" and the economic efficiency of a land value tax has been accepted since the eighteenth century. Economists since Adam Smith advocated this tax because it does not hurt economic activity, and encourages development without subsidies.
Land value taxation is currently implemented throughout Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan. It has also been applied to a lesser extent in parts of Australia, Mexico and in Pennsylvania (USA).
Scotland could adopt it tomorrow if the will were there.
To The Times (27 Jun 2023) not published
You note that renewable energy has failed to curb the world's reliance on fossil fuels ('World struggles to kick the fossil fuel habit', 26 June). Unsurprising since carbon cuts alone won't be enough to reverse catastrophic climate change. The measures introduced so far, none at all in some countries, will have very little effect. CO2 emissions are barely affected and continue to rise, even accelerating. This is doomsday unless something drastic is done.
To get the temperature down there's only one practical method and that is to shade the planet, sending enough solar radiation back where it came. We need to get the temperature down now to calm the climate, allowing us more time to deal with carbon releases.
Several geoengineering methods have been proposed. A clever method has been proposed by (Prof) Stephen Salter of the University of Edinburgh. His 'marine cloud brightening' uses Earth's own cloud system by creating brighter clouds over oceans. This would be deployed first, and perhaps only, in the Arctic to refreeze the Arctic Ocean. That alone may be enough to halt global warming and even bring the global temperature down. This idea has been endorsed by the Centre for Climate Repair in Cambridge. Let's get on with it before civilization collapses.
You note that renewable energy has failed to curb the world's reliance on fossil fuels ('World struggles to kick the fossil fuel habit', 26 June). Unsurprising since carbon cuts alone won't be enough to reverse catastrophic climate change. The measures introduced so far, none at all in some countries, will have very little effect. CO2 emissions are barely affected and continue to rise, even accelerating. This is doomsday unless something drastic is done.
To get the temperature down there's only one practical method and that is to shade the planet, sending enough solar radiation back where it came. We need to get the temperature down now to calm the climate, allowing us more time to deal with carbon releases.
Several geoengineering methods have been proposed. A clever method has been proposed by (Prof) Stephen Salter of the University of Edinburgh. His 'marine cloud brightening' uses Earth's own cloud system by creating brighter clouds over oceans. This would be deployed first, and perhaps only, in the Arctic to refreeze the Arctic Ocean. That alone may be enough to halt global warming and even bring the global temperature down. This idea has been endorsed by the Centre for Climate Repair in Cambridge. Let's get on with it before civilization collapses.
To The Times (25 Jun 2023) not published
You report that the late Queen awarded a medal, thanking the recipient as 'Queen of England' ('Who really foiled Anne kidnap', 24 June). Surely she would never have made that mistake; she was keenly aware that she was the Queen of the United Kingdom. The last 'Queen of England' was Elizabeth I.
You report that the late Queen awarded a medal, thanking the recipient as 'Queen of England' ('Who really foiled Anne kidnap', 24 June). Surely she would never have made that mistake; she was keenly aware that she was the Queen of the United Kingdom. The last 'Queen of England' was Elizabeth I.
To The Times (25 Jun 2023) not published
Tijs Broeke (Letters, 24 June) suggests replacing the Lords by a senate like that in the Netherlands which is elected indirectly. There is another example in Ireland where its senate, modelled on the Lords, is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Just like the Lords, its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright, but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Irish Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account. So scrap the Lords and establish a British Senate and locate it in York.
Tijs Broeke (Letters, 24 June) suggests replacing the Lords by a senate like that in the Netherlands which is elected indirectly. There is another example in Ireland where its senate, modelled on the Lords, is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Just like the Lords, its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright, but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Irish Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account. So scrap the Lords and establish a British Senate and locate it in York.
To Edinburgh Evening News (24 Jun 2023)
You report that the occupants the Titan submersible died after a 'catastrophic loss of pressure' (News, 23 June). That's a garbled interpretation of Josh Payne's report which states correctly that what happened was a 'catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber', creating an implosion. Poor headline writing
You report that the occupants the Titan submersible died after a 'catastrophic loss of pressure' (News, 23 June). That's a garbled interpretation of Josh Payne's report which states correctly that what happened was a 'catastrophic loss of the pressure chamber', creating an implosion. Poor headline writing
To The Times (22 Jun 2023) not published
The Lords has to go but the replacements suggested, e.g. by Sir Tim Waterhouse (Letters, 22 June), look complicated and unworkable. An upper chamber needs experienced members, not just party hacks.
The Irish seem to have got it right with a Senate that is actually modelled on the House of Lords.
It is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Just like the Lords,m its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
The Lords has to go but the replacements suggested, e.g. by Sir Tim Waterhouse (Letters, 22 June), look complicated and unworkable. An upper chamber needs experienced members, not just party hacks.
The Irish seem to have got it right with a Senate that is actually modelled on the House of Lords.
It is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Just like the Lords,m its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
To The Sunday Times (19 Jun 2023) published 25 Jun 20203
Referenda on constitutional matters should not be decided on a 50%+1 majority; they need a two-thirds majority (common in most organisations). On that basis, Brexit may have failed (Cameron was foolish not to do that). Any future Scexit should have the same majority.
Referenda on constitutional matters should not be decided on a 50%+1 majority; they need a two-thirds majority (common in most organisations). On that basis, Brexit may have failed (Cameron was foolish not to do that). Any future Scexit should have the same majority.
To The Times (15 Jun 2023) not published
Apart from its existence, the size of the House of Lords is objectionable, as is the habit of retiring Prime Ministers sending their chums there. It should be abolished and all titles cancelled. Labour should grasp the nettle.
If a revising chamber is needed, and I think it is, an obvious replacement would be a senate, as in Ireland. It would make more sense that Gordon Brown's proposal. It should be located in York.
The Irish Senate is loosely modelled on the House of Lords, being not directly elected but consisting of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
Apart from its existence, the size of the House of Lords is objectionable, as is the habit of retiring Prime Ministers sending their chums there. It should be abolished and all titles cancelled. Labour should grasp the nettle.
If a revising chamber is needed, and I think it is, an obvious replacement would be a senate, as in Ireland. It would make more sense that Gordon Brown's proposal. It should be located in York.
The Irish Senate is loosely modelled on the House of Lords, being not directly elected but consisting of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
To The Times (13 Jun 2023) not published
Apart from its existence, the size of the House of Lords is objectionable, as is the habit of retiring Prime Ministers sending their chums there. It should be abolished and all titles cancelled. Labour should grasp the nettle.
If a revising chamber is needed, and I think it is, an obvious replacement would be a senate, as in Ireland. It would make more sense that Gordon Brown's proposal.
The Irish Senate is loosely modelled on the House of Lords, being not directly elected but consisting of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
Apart from its existence, the size of the House of Lords is objectionable, as is the habit of retiring Prime Ministers sending their chums there. It should be abolished and all titles cancelled. Labour should grasp the nettle.
If a revising chamber is needed, and I think it is, an obvious replacement would be a senate, as in Ireland. It would make more sense that Gordon Brown's proposal.
The Irish Senate is loosely modelled on the House of Lords, being not directly elected but consisting of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
To New Scientist (12 Jun 2023) published 24 Jun 2023
You say that carbon cuts alone won't be enough to reverse catastrophic climate change (10 June). I think that's correct [agree] The measures introduced so far, none at all in some countries, will have very little effect. CO2 emissions are barely affected and continue to rise, even accelerating. This is doomsday unless something drastic is done.
Fiddling with carbon capture is never going to hack it. We don't have time for such tinkering, even if it would have any effect, which I doubt. To get the temperature down there's only one practical method and that is to shade the planet, sending enough solar radiation back where it came [into space].
You will know that several geoengineering methods have been proposed. Strangely some scientists oppose such methods, believing that they take the pressure off carbon reduction and may have undesirable results. We're heading for undesirable results anyway; carbon reduction should proceed in tandem. There's no time to prevaricate. We need to get the temperature down now to calm the climate, allowing us more time to deal with carbon releases.
One clever method has been proposed by (Prof) Stephen Salter of [at] the University of Edinburgh. His 'marine cloud brightening' uses Earth's own cloud system by creating brighter clouds over oceans. This would be deployed first, and perhaps only, in the Arctic to refreeze the Arctic Ocean. That alone may be enough to halt global warming and even bring the global temperature down. This idea has been endorsed by the Centre for Climate Repair in Cambridge. You need to publish it for consultation and action by the appropriate world authority--presumably the UN. Let's get on with it.
You say that carbon cuts alone won't be enough to reverse catastrophic climate change (10 June). I think that's correct [agree] The measures introduced so far, none at all in some countries, will have very little effect. CO2 emissions are barely affected and continue to rise, even accelerating. This is doomsday unless something drastic is done.
Fiddling with carbon capture is never going to hack it. We don't have time for such tinkering, even if it would have any effect, which I doubt. To get the temperature down there's only one practical method and that is to shade the planet, sending enough solar radiation back where it came [into space].
You will know that several geoengineering methods have been proposed. Strangely some scientists oppose such methods, believing that they take the pressure off carbon reduction and may have undesirable results. We're heading for undesirable results anyway; carbon reduction should proceed in tandem. There's no time to prevaricate. We need to get the temperature down now to calm the climate, allowing us more time to deal with carbon releases.
One clever method has been proposed by (Prof) Stephen Salter of [at] the University of Edinburgh. His 'marine cloud brightening' uses Earth's own cloud system by creating brighter clouds over oceans. This would be deployed first, and perhaps only, in the Arctic to refreeze the Arctic Ocean. That alone may be enough to halt global warming and even bring the global temperature down. This idea has been endorsed by the Centre for Climate Repair in Cambridge. You need to publish it for consultation and action by the appropriate world authority--presumably the UN. Let's get on with it.
To The Times (8 Jun 2023) not published
You describe the water draining from the Kakhovka dam as 'billions of gallons' (World, p26 yesterday)! The UK is formally a metric country and we don't even use 'gallons' for vehicle fuel. So why use an out-of-date measurement?
You describe the water draining from the Kakhovka dam as 'billions of gallons' (World, p26 yesterday)! The UK is formally a metric country and we don't even use 'gallons' for vehicle fuel. So why use an out-of-date measurement?
To The Times (4 June 2023) not published
You describe a case where a father was not invited to a wedding because of his drinking ('I knew Dad had been drinking all day' (News, 3 June).
When my wife and I got married we did invite her alcoholic father, but the reception was dry (no alcohol, just soft drinks). He didn't seem to mind and nor did anyone else.
You describe a case where a father was not invited to a wedding because of his drinking ('I knew Dad had been drinking all day' (News, 3 June).
When my wife and I got married we did invite her alcoholic father, but the reception was dry (no alcohol, just soft drinks). He didn't seem to mind and nor did anyone else.
To The Times (2 June 2023) not published
Lord Lee of Trafford's suggested reform of the HoL (Letter 2 June) would be met by adopting the way in which the Irish Senate is organised. That would also provide what the Lords' speaker wants: 'more experts and fewer silent voices' (News, 27 May). Modelled loosely on the House of Lords, It is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
It has 60 members, 43 of whom are elected from five special (vocational) panels of nominees. Others are nominated by various interested parties, 11 by the Taoiseach. The result is an upper house where no party has an absolute majority.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
Lord Lee of Trafford's suggested reform of the HoL (Letter 2 June) would be met by adopting the way in which the Irish Senate is organised. That would also provide what the Lords' speaker wants: 'more experts and fewer silent voices' (News, 27 May). Modelled loosely on the House of Lords, It is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
It has 60 members, 43 of whom are elected from five special (vocational) panels of nominees. Others are nominated by various interested parties, 11 by the Taoiseach. The result is an upper house where no party has an absolute majority.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
To The Sunday Times (29 May 2023) not published
'Giga' mean a 'billion', not a 'thousand' and because a GW is a power unit (energy per unit of time), a 'gigawatt per hour' is nonsense. '12GHh' (a gigawatt for 12 hours) is an expression of energy, not power.
'Giga' mean a 'billion', not a 'thousand' and because a GW is a power unit (energy per unit of time), a 'gigawatt per hour' is nonsense. '12GHh' (a gigawatt for 12 hours) is an expression of energy, not power.
To The Times (28 May 2023) not published
Reform of the Lords could adopt the way in which the Irish Senate is organised. That would provide what the Lords' speaker want: 'more experts and fewer silent voices' (News, 27 May). Modelled loosely on the House of Lords, It is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
It has 60 members, 43 of which are elected from five special (vocational) panels of nominees. Others are nominated by various interested parties, 11 by the Taoiseach. The result is an upper house where no party has an absolute majority.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
Reform of the Lords could adopt the way in which the Irish Senate is organised. That would provide what the Lords' speaker want: 'more experts and fewer silent voices' (News, 27 May). Modelled loosely on the House of Lords, It is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by various methods. Its powers are much weaker than those of the Dáil and it can only delay laws with which it disagrees, rather than veto them outright but it can introduce new legislation.
It has 60 members, 43 of which are elected from five special (vocational) panels of nominees. Others are nominated by various interested parties, 11 by the Taoiseach. The result is an upper house where no party has an absolute majority.
A proposal to abolish the Senate to save money and produce leaner government went to a referendum on 2013, but was narrowly lost. Supporters wanted it retained and reformed, saying it played an essential role in holding governments to account.
To The Scotsman (27 May 2023)
Is it likely that members of the emergency services and the military come from a section of the community that contains more that usual the number of bigots? If so then some research is needed. However I think it more likely that they represent a typical cross-section of society and that, as you point out, racism and sexism are alarmingly widespread' ('Police should not be opposed to prejudice', 27 May).
The culprits are mostly men who, when acquiring a degree of authority, think that allows them to let their prejudices loose. However, bigots are surely a minority. So why has the Chief Constable of Police Scotland declared the whole force guilty? 'Institutional' is capable of various interpretations but might just mean that there has been no effort to root out prejudice or allow whistle-blowers to register their views without repercussions. That has to change, with restructuring to establish special investigators with powers to expel offenders.
Is it likely that members of the emergency services and the military come from a section of the community that contains more that usual the number of bigots? If so then some research is needed. However I think it more likely that they represent a typical cross-section of society and that, as you point out, racism and sexism are alarmingly widespread' ('Police should not be opposed to prejudice', 27 May).
The culprits are mostly men who, when acquiring a degree of authority, think that allows them to let their prejudices loose. However, bigots are surely a minority. So why has the Chief Constable of Police Scotland declared the whole force guilty? 'Institutional' is capable of various interpretations but might just mean that there has been no effort to root out prejudice or allow whistle-blowers to register their views without repercussions. That has to change, with restructuring to establish special investigators with powers to expel offenders.
To Edinburgh Evening News (21 May 2023) published 25 May 2023
Re the 'assassins teapot (20 May), I always thought the way people sharing drinks could avoid poisoning was to tip the contents of one glass into the other and back again, so if it's poisoned the poisoners themselves would be poisoned. It was a deterrent and also proof of friendship. In fact I think it's the reason that we now touch glasses.
Re the 'assassins teapot (20 May), I always thought the way people sharing drinks could avoid poisoning was to tip the contents of one glass into the other and back again, so if it's poisoned the poisoners themselves would be poisoned. It was a deterrent and also proof of friendship. In fact I think it's the reason that we now touch glasses.
To The Scotsman (19 May 2023) published in the Edinburgh Evening News on 22 May 2023.
There can be no doubt that the atmosphere is warming, that the cause is man-made greenhouse gas emissions and that attempts to stop the warming or even slow the rise in temperature have failed.
The evidence is on a TV screens every day. Chaotic weather patterns all round the world: ice loss, rising sea level, droughts, floods and heat waves.
The atmospheric CO2 level continues to rise and it will go on rising because few people or countries are prepared to sacrifice their way of life. While some countries continue to build coal-fired power stations, what use is phasing them out here? In fact, the UK's contribution to global warming is so small that nothing this country does can make any material difference. Let us not damage our own economy in a futile bid to change the climate when other countries do nothing.
The situation will continue to get worse and the world will gradually turn into an uninhabitable hothouse.
There is only one practical remedy: shade the planet to bring the temperature down. It's called geoengineering and several methods have been suggested.
A shield in space, chemicals distributed in the stratosphere or enhancing the reflectivity of clouds, the last the idea of Prof Stephen Salter of Edinburgh University. Something like this has to be done to save civilisation, probably humanity.
Some scientists argue that such geoengineering should not be deployed because it could have deleterious effects worldwide (don’t we already have such effects?). In fact studies have shown that the effects would generally be beneficially, stabilising the climate.
Such a measure would not would bring the CO2 level down but it would give use more time to work on that problem.
There can be no doubt that the atmosphere is warming, that the cause is man-made greenhouse gas emissions and that attempts to stop the warming or even slow the rise in temperature have failed.
The evidence is on a TV screens every day. Chaotic weather patterns all round the world: ice loss, rising sea level, droughts, floods and heat waves.
The atmospheric CO2 level continues to rise and it will go on rising because few people or countries are prepared to sacrifice their way of life. While some countries continue to build coal-fired power stations, what use is phasing them out here? In fact, the UK's contribution to global warming is so small that nothing this country does can make any material difference. Let us not damage our own economy in a futile bid to change the climate when other countries do nothing.
The situation will continue to get worse and the world will gradually turn into an uninhabitable hothouse.
There is only one practical remedy: shade the planet to bring the temperature down. It's called geoengineering and several methods have been suggested.
A shield in space, chemicals distributed in the stratosphere or enhancing the reflectivity of clouds, the last the idea of Prof Stephen Salter of Edinburgh University. Something like this has to be done to save civilisation, probably humanity.
Some scientists argue that such geoengineering should not be deployed because it could have deleterious effects worldwide (don’t we already have such effects?). In fact studies have shown that the effects would generally be beneficially, stabilising the climate.
Such a measure would not would bring the CO2 level down but it would give use more time to work on that problem.
To The Scotsman (17 May 2023) not published
Alasdair Raffe (Letter, 16 May) is not helping everyone to understand the history of the country in which we live. It is true that the 1707 Treaty referred to a new 'United Kingdom' but the name of the new kingdom was 'Great Britain' (word 'United' not used). In other words, the Treaty did not create, as he appeared to allege, the 'United Kingdom' we have now.
Alasdair Raffe (Letter, 16 May) is not helping everyone to understand the history of the country in which we live. It is true that the 1707 Treaty referred to a new 'United Kingdom' but the name of the new kingdom was 'Great Britain' (word 'United' not used). In other words, the Treaty did not create, as he appeared to allege, the 'United Kingdom' we have now.
To The Sunday Times (15 May 2023) not published
Gillian Bowditch claims ('Scapegoating Cherry reeks of tribalism, 14 May) that Ms Cherry is 'the independent MP for Edinburgh South West. She is actually an SNP MP. Is that what Bowditch meant?
Gillian Bowditch claims ('Scapegoating Cherry reeks of tribalism, 14 May) that Ms Cherry is 'the independent MP for Edinburgh South West. She is actually an SNP MP. Is that what Bowditch meant?
To Scotland on Sunday (15 May 2023) published in the Edinburgh Evening News on 16 May 2023 and again on 27 May!; published unedited in Scotland on Sunday on 21 May 2023.
You report that Sir Keir Starmer says that voting reform is not one of his priorities (14 May). That's a pity as it should be his top priority. With LibDem support he has the chance to do away with our deeply unfair first-past-the post system. It is the reason that the SNP, unfairly, takes so many Westminster seats in Scotland. PR would probably keep the Tories out of power in Westminster for ever and mean coalitions in which Labour would surely take part. the Single Transferable Vote system is already used for all elections in Northern Ireland and local authority elections in Scotland. It's used for all elections in Eire and should be used for the Scottish Parliament elections.
You report that Sir Keir Starmer says that voting reform is not one of his priorities (14 May). That's a pity as it should be his top priority. With LibDem support he has the chance to do away with our deeply unfair first-past-the post system. It is the reason that the SNP, unfairly, takes so many Westminster seats in Scotland. PR would probably keep the Tories out of power in Westminster for ever and mean coalitions in which Labour would surely take part. the Single Transferable Vote system is already used for all elections in Northern Ireland and local authority elections in Scotland. It's used for all elections in Eire and should be used for the Scottish Parliament elections.
To The Scotsman (12 May 2023)
It is reported that the Prince of Wales declared that he knew that his grandmother (Queen Elizabeth) is 'keeping an eye on us', presumably from heaven.
It's bad enough that so many people believe that their 'dear departed' are watching from heaven but worse that the royal family indulge in this superstition. Do they really believe it? Don't they know that there is nothing 'up there' but space? People do not survive death. It brings oblivion.
It was not even Jesus' belief. To him heaven was the abode of God and his angels. The dead did not go there; they went either to Abraham's Bosom or hell (see Luke 16:21-23).
It is reported that the Prince of Wales declared that he knew that his grandmother (Queen Elizabeth) is 'keeping an eye on us', presumably from heaven.
It's bad enough that so many people believe that their 'dear departed' are watching from heaven but worse that the royal family indulge in this superstition. Do they really believe it? Don't they know that there is nothing 'up there' but space? People do not survive death. It brings oblivion.
It was not even Jesus' belief. To him heaven was the abode of God and his angels. The dead did not go there; they went either to Abraham's Bosom or hell (see Luke 16:21-23).
To The Sunday Times (8 May 2023) not published
Most commentators on the water industry seem not to know that, in Scotland, water is under the control of Scottish Water, a statutory corporation, accountable to the public thought the Scottish Government, which owns it. This is how water and sewerage should be controlled in England and Wales.
Most commentators on the water industry seem not to know that, in Scotland, water is under the control of Scottish Water, a statutory corporation, accountable to the public thought the Scottish Government, which owns it. This is how water and sewerage should be controlled in England and Wales.
To The Scotsman (7 May 2023) published 11 May 2023
One would assume that a historian would not make a major historical mistake ('Why monarchs do not need to be crowned in Scotland', 6 May).
However, Alastair Raffe unaccountably claimed that the 'United Kingdom' was created in 1707. Surely he knows that the Treaty of Union in 1707 created 'Great Britain' (GB), meaning 'greater Britain', and that the UK was not created until 1800, when GB was joined to the Kingdom of Ireland. It is to the latter two kingdoms that the 'Union' refers.
One would assume that a historian would not make a major historical mistake ('Why monarchs do not need to be crowned in Scotland', 6 May).
However, Alastair Raffe unaccountably claimed that the 'United Kingdom' was created in 1707. Surely he knows that the Treaty of Union in 1707 created 'Great Britain' (GB), meaning 'greater Britain', and that the UK was not created until 1800, when GB was joined to the Kingdom of Ireland. It is to the latter two kingdoms that the 'Union' refers.
To The Scotsman (5 May 2023)
Gavin Mathews of Solas thinks that lacking integrity is a 'sin' ('The proliferation of "gates" suggests integrity's in short supply - but there is hope', Friends of the Scotsman, 4 May).
A lack of moral principles is certainly deplorable but it is only a 'sin' if it transgresses divine law (the Ten Commandments perhaps). How much does ancient Jewish law apply in modern society? How much of Jesus' two commandments (they also applied only to Jews)?
Solas see all modern life, good or bad, through an inappropriate and outdated Biblical lens. They live in a fantasy world hoping for salvation from their imaginary God. It will never come and they should stop looking for it.
Gavin Mathews of Solas thinks that lacking integrity is a 'sin' ('The proliferation of "gates" suggests integrity's in short supply - but there is hope', Friends of the Scotsman, 4 May).
A lack of moral principles is certainly deplorable but it is only a 'sin' if it transgresses divine law (the Ten Commandments perhaps). How much does ancient Jewish law apply in modern society? How much of Jesus' two commandments (they also applied only to Jews)?
Solas see all modern life, good or bad, through an inappropriate and outdated Biblical lens. They live in a fantasy world hoping for salvation from their imaginary God. It will never come and they should stop looking for it.
To The Edinburgh Evening News (4 May 2023) published 9 May 2023
I have monitored and commented on UFO reports for 36 years and never heard of Edinburgh being a UFO 'hotspot' ('Capital is UK city with "most UFO sightings[News], 3 May). I see that this claim comes from National Geographic, not an organisation I would credit with knowing much about the subject. What questions did they ask? Obviously it was just to promote their forthcoming documentary on the subject, exploiting peoples naive beliefs in aliens. Don't waste time watching it.
UFO reports have nothing to do with extraterrestrial life, for which at present there is no evidence. Nor have they anything to do with government projects (pace the deluded Nick Pope).
Reports are mainly due to misidentification of natural objects like stars or aircraft. Sometimes they are due to sight of unusual atmospheric phenomena. I have never found a report that I could not explain, given adequate data to work on.
I have monitored and commented on UFO reports for 36 years and never heard of Edinburgh being a UFO 'hotspot' ('Capital is UK city with "most UFO sightings[News], 3 May). I see that this claim comes from National Geographic, not an organisation I would credit with knowing much about the subject. What questions did they ask? Obviously it was just to promote their forthcoming documentary on the subject, exploiting peoples naive beliefs in aliens. Don't waste time watching it.
UFO reports have nothing to do with extraterrestrial life, for which at present there is no evidence. Nor have they anything to do with government projects (pace the deluded Nick Pope).
Reports are mainly due to misidentification of natural objects like stars or aircraft. Sometimes they are due to sight of unusual atmospheric phenomena. I have never found a report that I could not explain, given adequate data to work on.
To The Scotsman (3 May 2023) published 5 May 2023
Is Barry Turner (Letters, 2 May) implying that the elected (non-executive) presidents of say Germany or Eire cannot fulfil the seven state functions he lists. I think they would reject that idea.
Better a temporary elected head of state, put there by the electorate, than a permanent unelected monarch who inherits the job with neither qualifications nor popular support. Why should one family rule the otherwise democratic UK by some 'divine right'?
Is Barry Turner (Letters, 2 May) implying that the elected (non-executive) presidents of say Germany or Eire cannot fulfil the seven state functions he lists. I think they would reject that idea.
Better a temporary elected head of state, put there by the electorate, than a permanent unelected monarch who inherits the job with neither qualifications nor popular support. Why should one family rule the otherwise democratic UK by some 'divine right'?
To Edinburgh Evening News (1 May 2023) published 3 May 2023
Several times I have explained the cause of damp houses/flats (manifested by black mould) and the remedy. However your report (29 April) indicates that the City of Edinburgh Council is still struggling to understand the issue. I look forward to seeing what their proposed 'whole house retrofit' actually does to address this particular problem. It will be expensive in any event.
Several times I have explained the cause of damp houses/flats (manifested by black mould) and the remedy. However your report (29 April) indicates that the City of Edinburgh Council is still struggling to understand the issue. I look forward to seeing what their proposed 'whole house retrofit' actually does to address this particular problem. It will be expensive in any event.
To The Sunday Times (1 May 2023) not published
Allie Chong (Letter, 30 April) should be aware that not all houses are designed by architects. Individual houses may be but volume house builders tend to employ only 'architectural draughtsmen' to design as instructed and get local authority approval. Since 'architect' is a legally-protected term, no one should be using it if in fact an architect has not been involved.
Allie Chong (Letter, 30 April) should be aware that not all houses are designed by architects. Individual houses may be but volume house builders tend to employ only 'architectural draughtsmen' to design as instructed and get local authority approval. Since 'architect' is a legally-protected term, no one should be using it if in fact an architect has not been involved.
To The Scotsman (28 Apr 2023) published 29 Apr 2023
Branislav Sudjic (Letters, 28 April) suggests reverting to the proven/not proven verdict as it is 'less stressful' for complainers. A not-guilty verdict implies that the complainer is lying. That's a good point.
Two years ago I asked if Scotland wanted to be just a clone of England or does it want to keep its justice system independent and distinct. As some have pointed out, no one except the accused knows whether or not they are guilty. Sometimes not even the accused.
Consequently the old Scottish system of proven/not proven was philosophically correct. To get a conviction, the prosecution has to prove its case. Lawyers seem to lean towards returning to it. That at least would show that Scotland is not just a copy of England and can be more rational in its verdicts.
The public should get used to what the verdicts actually mean. So keep 'not proven', add 'proven' and dump the guilty/not guilty verdicts.
Branislav Sudjic (Letters, 28 April) suggests reverting to the proven/not proven verdict as it is 'less stressful' for complainers. A not-guilty verdict implies that the complainer is lying. That's a good point.
Two years ago I asked if Scotland wanted to be just a clone of England or does it want to keep its justice system independent and distinct. As some have pointed out, no one except the accused knows whether or not they are guilty. Sometimes not even the accused.
Consequently the old Scottish system of proven/not proven was philosophically correct. To get a conviction, the prosecution has to prove its case. Lawyers seem to lean towards returning to it. That at least would show that Scotland is not just a copy of England and can be more rational in its verdicts.
The public should get used to what the verdicts actually mean. So keep 'not proven', add 'proven' and dump the guilty/not guilty verdicts.
To The Scotsman (24 Apr 2023) published 26 Apr 2023
Surely environmentally [we] have the wrong target in their [our] sights[?] . Those who drill for and extract fossil fuels do not cause global warming. Hydrocarbons are a valuable resource and feed stock for many useful products. Greenhouse gases are only produced by burning such fuels and then only if the CO2 produced is not captured and stored somehow.
The target should be the burners of fossil fuels. Stop the burning and the oil companies operations will decline, as they already are (your report [Scotsman] 24 April)..
Surely environmentally [we] have the wrong target in their [our] sights[?] . Those who drill for and extract fossil fuels do not cause global warming. Hydrocarbons are a valuable resource and feed stock for many useful products. Greenhouse gases are only produced by burning such fuels and then only if the CO2 produced is not captured and stored somehow.
The target should be the burners of fossil fuels. Stop the burning and the oil companies operations will decline, as they already are (your report [Scotsman] 24 April)..
To The Scotsman (20 Apr 2023) published 21 Apr 2023, headed ['Religion should have no place at Coronation']
The religious pomp and ceremony planned for the Coronation on 6 May is bad enough (your report, 19 April), but now we hear that 'Two shards of the True Cross' (is there a 'False One [Cross]'?) will be carried in the Cross of Wales that will lead the coronation procession [Scotsman, 19 April]. The shards have been given to the King by Pope Francis.,
Can he spare them or has he got a lot of them? John Calvin pointed out that if all the extant fragments of the True Cross were put together they would fill a large ship, an objection regarded as invalid by some Roman Catholic theologians who claimed that the blood of Christ gave to the True Cross a kind of material indestructibility, so that it could be divided indefinitely without being diminished. Such beliefs resulted in the multiplication of relics of the True Cross wherever Christianity expanded in the medieval world, and fragments were deposited in most of the great cities and in a great many abbeys. Reliquaries designed to hold the fragments likewise multiplied, and some precious objects of this kind survive.
Tradition has it that fragments were found by St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 326. The idea that any part of Jesus' cross would be found 293 years after use is of course ludicrous. It's a triumph of superstition over common sense and only adds to the inappropriate religious aspects of the coronation. A secular UK would have neither a monarch nor religious interference in state affairs.
The religious pomp and ceremony planned for the Coronation on 6 May is bad enough (your report, 19 April), but now we hear that 'Two shards of the True Cross' (is there a 'False One [Cross]'?) will be carried in the Cross of Wales that will lead the coronation procession [Scotsman, 19 April]. The shards have been given to the King by Pope Francis.,
Can he spare them or has he got a lot of them? John Calvin pointed out that if all the extant fragments of the True Cross were put together they would fill a large ship, an objection regarded as invalid by some Roman Catholic theologians who claimed that the blood of Christ gave to the True Cross a kind of material indestructibility, so that it could be divided indefinitely without being diminished. Such beliefs resulted in the multiplication of relics of the True Cross wherever Christianity expanded in the medieval world, and fragments were deposited in most of the great cities and in a great many abbeys. Reliquaries designed to hold the fragments likewise multiplied, and some precious objects of this kind survive.
Tradition has it that fragments were found by St Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land about 326. The idea that any part of Jesus' cross would be found 293 years after use is of course ludicrous. It's a triumph of superstition over common sense and only adds to the inappropriate religious aspects of the coronation. A secular UK would have neither a monarch nor religious interference in state affairs.
To Edinburgh Evening News (13 Apr 2023) published 15 Apr 2023
Jane Drysdale (Letter, 12 April) asks why we need a bottle return scheme (surely it's not just for bottles) when the council picks them up, etc.
Bottles and cans thrown away (I regularly find them when walking) are not picked up by anyone except dedicated litter collectors. A DRS would surely deter careless chucking of such containers and help to clean up the environment.
Jane Drysdale (Letter, 12 April) asks why we need a bottle return scheme (surely it's not just for bottles) when the council picks them up, etc.
Bottles and cans thrown away (I regularly find them when walking) are not picked up by anyone except dedicated litter collectors. A DRS would surely deter careless chucking of such containers and help to clean up the environment.
To The Scotsman (9 Apr 2023) not published
Those who believe that Jesus was resurrected should look at John 21:20, where Peter asked the figure he took for Jesus (it was actually an old shepherd) 'Who betrayed you?' Evidently this was the first time the opportunity had arisen to ask this question, evidence that the earlier reports of a resurrected Jesus are false. The account of Jesus appearing to the disciples and eating was invented to counter Docetism, the belief that Jesus was a spirit being who only seemed human. The report of Jesus being seen on the road to Emmaus is clearly a case of mistaken identity. There is no good evidence that Jesus was seen after his body was put in the tomb where he then lay dead or dying from a spear wound. That's why he had to be removed; a dead Messiah was no use to Joseph and Nicodemus or to their fellow Nazarenes.
The last chapter of John's Gospel was evidently complied by John's followers after he died in Ephesus. That caused uproar because John has mistakenly thought that Jesus would return before he died. That chapter, broadly based on the lakeside incident, was an attempt to explain the inexplicable.
Jesus died 1990 years ago in Jerusalem and those who look for his return are gravely mistaken. They should abandon superstition and face the real world.
Those who believe that Jesus was resurrected should look at John 21:20, where Peter asked the figure he took for Jesus (it was actually an old shepherd) 'Who betrayed you?' Evidently this was the first time the opportunity had arisen to ask this question, evidence that the earlier reports of a resurrected Jesus are false. The account of Jesus appearing to the disciples and eating was invented to counter Docetism, the belief that Jesus was a spirit being who only seemed human. The report of Jesus being seen on the road to Emmaus is clearly a case of mistaken identity. There is no good evidence that Jesus was seen after his body was put in the tomb where he then lay dead or dying from a spear wound. That's why he had to be removed; a dead Messiah was no use to Joseph and Nicodemus or to their fellow Nazarenes.
The last chapter of John's Gospel was evidently complied by John's followers after he died in Ephesus. That caused uproar because John has mistakenly thought that Jesus would return before he died. That chapter, broadly based on the lakeside incident, was an attempt to explain the inexplicable.
Jesus died 1990 years ago in Jerusalem and those who look for his return are gravely mistaken. They should abandon superstition and face the real world.
To The Scotsman (6 Apr 2023) published 7 Apr 2023
Murdo Fraser ('This Easter, be grateful for religious freedom we enjoy in this country', [Scotsman,]5 April) wished all readers a peaceful and Joyous Easter 'celebration of our risen Lord'.
He seems to have forgotten that, according to last year's Scottish census, only 37 per cent of the population is Christian, while almost 60 per cent have no religion. For the latter, Christ is not their 'Lord' and most probably don't believe that Jesus 'rose from the dead'. They know it's impossible.
Mr Fraser, who writes as if he were a Christian, addresses a minority constituency and misjudges public opinion. Even then many Christians do not accept Jesus' divinity or resurrection. In any case, the evidence for the latter is questionable. Jesus' message of repentance was contingent on his expectation of the imminent and magical arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, when everything and everybody would be changed. In this he was mistaken and the Kingdom did not appear. Later, Christianity mistook Jesus' intention, encouraging a belief in a divine and mythical Christ.
Murdo Fraser ('This Easter, be grateful for religious freedom we enjoy in this country', [Scotsman,]5 April) wished all readers a peaceful and Joyous Easter 'celebration of our risen Lord'.
He seems to have forgotten that, according to last year's Scottish census, only 37 per cent of the population is Christian, while almost 60 per cent have no religion. For the latter, Christ is not their 'Lord' and most probably don't believe that Jesus 'rose from the dead'. They know it's impossible.
Mr Fraser, who writes as if he were a Christian, addresses a minority constituency and misjudges public opinion. Even then many Christians do not accept Jesus' divinity or resurrection. In any case, the evidence for the latter is questionable. Jesus' message of repentance was contingent on his expectation of the imminent and magical arrival of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth, when everything and everybody would be changed. In this he was mistaken and the Kingdom did not appear. Later, Christianity mistook Jesus' intention, encouraging a belief in a divine and mythical Christ.
To The Scotsman (4 Apr 2023) published 5 Apr 2023
Faith groups who oppose the ban on conversion therapy need to be sure that their argument holds water. Prof David Galloway of the Lennox Evangelical Church in Dumbarton claims that we should live in the way Christ taught us (your report 3 April).
In fact there is no gospel record of Jesus giving advice on sexuality, except to say that the resurrected are sexless like angels (Mk. 12:25). His only injunction on behaviour was to love God and obey his commandments. Of the Ten Commandments only one deals with marriage in so far was it prohibits adultery.
One needs to consider that these commandments derive from a primitive Jewish society which was ignorant of the sexual variations now known to us. Modern Christians seem to forget this and that Jesus, as a Jew, was giving advice only to his fellow Jews.
They should also consider Jesus' own sexuality. In his Gospel, John makes it clear that Jesus loved him. Five times, in his Gospel, he refers to the disciple 'whom Jesus loved' (himself). Jesus allowed John, the youngest disciple, to rest his head on Jesus at meal times and we do not know if there was further intimacy. As Jesus himself exhibited a homosexual tendency, Christians should be wary of condemning it and should welcome a ban on conversion therapy.
To Edinburgh Evening News (2 Apr 2023) published 4 Apr 2023
Incorrigible Leah Gunn Barrett (LGB) persists with the false idea that Scotland is some sort of 'colony' of Westminster, which is not a country (Letters 1 April). She reinforces this idea with a claim, inappropriately, of the UK 'hegemony'. The SNP would appear to prefer to be a 'colony' of the European Union.
It suits the independence movement to peddle this nonsensical myth, in spite of the fact that Scotland is as embedded in the UK state as England. The whole idea is misconceived and irrational. Peace and prosperity does not lie in splitting states into ever smaller parts; it lies in merging states together for mutual defence and trade. The union of Scotland and England in 1709 was a great step forward, even though many Scots did not think so at the time. It has proved beneficial for 314 years. In any case, undoing the Treaty of Union is a matter for the whole UK, not just Scotland.
LGN refers to Westminster controlling energy policy. In fact the Scottish Government 'de facto' controls energy supply because it controls planning. That's the reason it refuses, irrationally, to allow the construction of any new nuclear power stations this side of the border.
Faith groups who oppose the ban on conversion therapy need to be sure that their argument holds water. Prof David Galloway of the Lennox Evangelical Church in Dumbarton claims that we should live in the way Christ taught us (your report 3 April).
In fact there is no gospel record of Jesus giving advice on sexuality, except to say that the resurrected are sexless like angels (Mk. 12:25). His only injunction on behaviour was to love God and obey his commandments. Of the Ten Commandments only one deals with marriage in so far was it prohibits adultery.
One needs to consider that these commandments derive from a primitive Jewish society which was ignorant of the sexual variations now known to us. Modern Christians seem to forget this and that Jesus, as a Jew, was giving advice only to his fellow Jews.
They should also consider Jesus' own sexuality. In his Gospel, John makes it clear that Jesus loved him. Five times, in his Gospel, he refers to the disciple 'whom Jesus loved' (himself). Jesus allowed John, the youngest disciple, to rest his head on Jesus at meal times and we do not know if there was further intimacy. As Jesus himself exhibited a homosexual tendency, Christians should be wary of condemning it and should welcome a ban on conversion therapy.
To Edinburgh Evening News (2 Apr 2023) published 4 Apr 2023
Incorrigible Leah Gunn Barrett (LGB) persists with the false idea that Scotland is some sort of 'colony' of Westminster, which is not a country (Letters 1 April). She reinforces this idea with a claim, inappropriately, of the UK 'hegemony'. The SNP would appear to prefer to be a 'colony' of the European Union.
It suits the independence movement to peddle this nonsensical myth, in spite of the fact that Scotland is as embedded in the UK state as England. The whole idea is misconceived and irrational. Peace and prosperity does not lie in splitting states into ever smaller parts; it lies in merging states together for mutual defence and trade. The union of Scotland and England in 1709 was a great step forward, even though many Scots did not think so at the time. It has proved beneficial for 314 years. In any case, undoing the Treaty of Union is a matter for the whole UK, not just Scotland.
LGN refers to Westminster controlling energy policy. In fact the Scottish Government 'de facto' controls energy supply because it controls planning. That's the reason it refuses, irrationally, to allow the construction of any new nuclear power stations this side of the border.
To The Scotsman (1 Apr 2023) published 3 Apr 2023
Incorrigible Leah Gunn Barrett (LGB) persists with the false idea that Scotland is some sort of 'colony' of Westminster, which is not a country (Letters 31 March). She reinforces this idea with a claim, inappropriately, of the UK 'hegemony'. The SNP would appear to prefer to be a 'colony' of the European Union.
It suits the independence movement to peddle this nonsensical myth, in spite of the fact that Scotland is as embedded in the UK state as England. The whole idea is misconceived and irrational. Peace and prosperity does not lie in splitting states into ever smaller parts; it lies in merging states together for mutual defence and trade. The union of Scotland and England in 1709[7] was a great step forward, even though many Scots did not think so at the time. It has proved beneficial for 314[6] years. In any case, undoing the Treaty of Union is a matter for the whole UK, not just Scotland.
LGN refers to Westminster controlling energy policy. In fact the Scottish Government 'de facto' controls energy supply because it controls planning. That's the reason it refuses, irrationally, to allow the construction of any new nuclear power stations this side of the b[B]order.
Incorrigible Leah Gunn Barrett (LGB) persists with the false idea that Scotland is some sort of 'colony' of Westminster, which is not a country (Letters 31 March). She reinforces this idea with a claim, inappropriately, of the UK 'hegemony'. The SNP would appear to prefer to be a 'colony' of the European Union.
It suits the independence movement to peddle this nonsensical myth, in spite of the fact that Scotland is as embedded in the UK state as England. The whole idea is misconceived and irrational. Peace and prosperity does not lie in splitting states into ever smaller parts; it lies in merging states together for mutual defence and trade. The union of Scotland and England in 1709[7] was a great step forward, even though many Scots did not think so at the time. It has proved beneficial for 314[6] years. In any case, undoing the Treaty of Union is a matter for the whole UK, not just Scotland.
LGN refers to Westminster controlling energy policy. In fact the Scottish Government 'de facto' controls energy supply because it controls planning. That's the reason it refuses, irrationally, to allow the construction of any new nuclear power stations this side of the b[B]order.
To The Edinburgh Evening News (11 Mar 2023) published 14 Mar 2023
Leah Gunn Barrett (Letter, 10 March) claimed that Scotland has no legal obligation to pay any of the UK debt and that the government has agreed. The matter is more complicated than she allows.
The government White Paper issued in 2014 argues that the Scottish Government will not take legal ownership of this debt. Instead it will make payments to the UK government to meet the servicing costs of Scotland’s agreed share of the debt (~£132bn). These costs could amount to £4bn/year.
However, it's not certain that the UK gov would agree to this arrangement as there are other complicating factors.
Scotland is not a colony; it's a founding member of Great Britain, bound to England by the Treaty of Union. Any change to that Treaty would require the agreement of the UK government; it can't be abrogated by just one partner.
Leah Gunn Barrett (Letter, 10 March) claimed that Scotland has no legal obligation to pay any of the UK debt and that the government has agreed. The matter is more complicated than she allows.
The government White Paper issued in 2014 argues that the Scottish Government will not take legal ownership of this debt. Instead it will make payments to the UK government to meet the servicing costs of Scotland’s agreed share of the debt (~£132bn). These costs could amount to £4bn/year.
However, it's not certain that the UK gov would agree to this arrangement as there are other complicating factors.
Scotland is not a colony; it's a founding member of Great Britain, bound to England by the Treaty of Union. Any change to that Treaty would require the agreement of the UK government; it can't be abrogated by just one partner.
To Scotland on Sunday (7 Mar 2023) not published
Leah Gunn Barrett thinks that Scotland does not need nuclear power (NP) and that the economic case against it is overwhelming (Letter, 5 March). Unsurprisingly she has let her enthusiasm for independence get in the way of the facts.
Scotland needs NP as much as the whole UK. That will be the greater when several NP stations retire, one in Scotland. Renewable energy is not going to power the country, especially when the wind drops, or is too strong, or when rivers run dry and the tide turns.
If NP is '2-3 times more expensive than solar. gas or wind', how come (as I write) 9.8 per cent of the grid electricity, supplying Ms Barrett as everyone else, is from NP? Is her electricity 2-3 times more expensive than anyone else's? According to the World Economic Forum, NP costs $96/MWh (megawatts per hour), 33 per cent more than electricity from burning gas (bad for the environment) but 35 per cent cheaper that solar-powered electricity.
No one is forced to pay a subsidy for NP while they are required to subsidise wind power.
Typically Ms Barrett calls on the reported NP accidents to bolster her case. The only NP accident where anyone died was at Chernobyl, at type of design that should never have been built and which was operated carelessly. No one has died from the operation of UK NP.
There is a 'solution for [the disposal of] nuclear waste: deep geological disposal, which awaits authorisation.
NP will not immediately solve the climate crisis (it should have been deployed at scale decades ago) but it will be needed in the long run. No existing generation system will solve the crisis; it will require a geoengineering solution.
Renewable energy is a fanciful attempt to escape from reality. The future is nuclear.
Leah Gunn Barrett thinks that Scotland does not need nuclear power (NP) and that the economic case against it is overwhelming (Letter, 5 March). Unsurprisingly she has let her enthusiasm for independence get in the way of the facts.
Scotland needs NP as much as the whole UK. That will be the greater when several NP stations retire, one in Scotland. Renewable energy is not going to power the country, especially when the wind drops, or is too strong, or when rivers run dry and the tide turns.
If NP is '2-3 times more expensive than solar. gas or wind', how come (as I write) 9.8 per cent of the grid electricity, supplying Ms Barrett as everyone else, is from NP? Is her electricity 2-3 times more expensive than anyone else's? According to the World Economic Forum, NP costs $96/MWh (megawatts per hour), 33 per cent more than electricity from burning gas (bad for the environment) but 35 per cent cheaper that solar-powered electricity.
No one is forced to pay a subsidy for NP while they are required to subsidise wind power.
Typically Ms Barrett calls on the reported NP accidents to bolster her case. The only NP accident where anyone died was at Chernobyl, at type of design that should never have been built and which was operated carelessly. No one has died from the operation of UK NP.
There is a 'solution for [the disposal of] nuclear waste: deep geological disposal, which awaits authorisation.
NP will not immediately solve the climate crisis (it should have been deployed at scale decades ago) but it will be needed in the long run. No existing generation system will solve the crisis; it will require a geoengineering solution.
Renewable energy is a fanciful attempt to escape from reality. The future is nuclear.
To The Scotsman (3 Mar 2023) published 4 Mar 2023
Richard Holloway claims that 'the secular mind is intolerant of those who practise a religion that does not conform to its own values' ('Secular intolerance of religious views is growing. Ask Kate Forbes'[your report] (2 March).
What does Mr Holloway know of 'the secular mind'? He sees people reacting to Ms Forbes's personal views and assumes that they must be secularist. But a secularist is someone who, while tolerating religious stances in individuals, strongly objects to religious views influencing public policy or practices. We object only to religious privilege and want church and state to be kept apart. I doubt that it was secularists who objected to Kate Forbes's personal religious views, influenced as they are by the Calvinist Free Church of Scotland.
One hopes and expects that, whatever part Ms Forbes plays in the government of Scotland, she ensures that her personal religious views do not influence SNP policy.
Secretary, Edinburgh Secular Society
Richard Holloway claims that 'the secular mind is intolerant of those who practise a religion that does not conform to its own values' ('Secular intolerance of religious views is growing. Ask Kate Forbes'[your report] (2 March).
What does Mr Holloway know of 'the secular mind'? He sees people reacting to Ms Forbes's personal views and assumes that they must be secularist. But a secularist is someone who, while tolerating religious stances in individuals, strongly objects to religious views influencing public policy or practices. We object only to religious privilege and want church and state to be kept apart. I doubt that it was secularists who objected to Kate Forbes's personal religious views, influenced as they are by the Calvinist Free Church of Scotland.
One hopes and expects that, whatever part Ms Forbes plays in the government of Scotland, she ensures that her personal religious views do not influence SNP policy.
Secretary, Edinburgh Secular Society
To The Scotsman (28 Feb 2023) published 1 Mar 2023
John Fraser claimed that Scotland voted to join England 'in creating the United Kingdom' (Letter, 28 February). In fact the parliaments of both Scotland and England voted separately to join together to create the Kingdom of Great Britain (GB). The United Kingdom was not created until 1800 when the former Kingdom of Ireland was joined to GB. Since then the UK lost most of Ireland but retained the title because a small part of the Irish kingdom remained (Northern Ireland). That's why the title of this country is 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. The kingdoms referred to in that title are those of GB and Ireland, not those of Scotland and England.
Those who claim that the 1707 vote by the then Scottish parliament was unrepresentative should note that any doubt that the people of Scotland support being in the UK vanished in the referendum of 2014.
John Fraser claimed that Scotland voted to join England 'in creating the United Kingdom' (Letter, 28 February). In fact the parliaments of both Scotland and England voted separately to join together to create the Kingdom of Great Britain (GB). The United Kingdom was not created until 1800 when the former Kingdom of Ireland was joined to GB. Since then the UK lost most of Ireland but retained the title because a small part of the Irish kingdom remained (Northern Ireland). That's why the title of this country is 'The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'. The kingdoms referred to in that title are those of GB and Ireland, not those of Scotland and England.
Those who claim that the 1707 vote by the then Scottish parliament was unrepresentative should note that any doubt that the people of Scotland support being in the UK vanished in the referendum of 2014.
To The Sunday Times (27 Feb 2023)
Matthew Syed claimed that Neville Chamberlain 'avoided dealing with the truth...' that we were heading for another global conflict (26 February). However, in the interim, and under Chamberlain's premiership, the UK steamed ahead with war preparations. One could argue that Chamberlain gave us more time to prepare for the inevitable war and perhaps that was his intention.
Matthew Syed claimed that Neville Chamberlain 'avoided dealing with the truth...' that we were heading for another global conflict (26 February). However, in the interim, and under Chamberlain's premiership, the UK steamed ahead with war preparations. One could argue that Chamberlain gave us more time to prepare for the inevitable war and perhaps that was his intention.
To Edinburgh Evening News (24 Feb 2023) published 27 Feb 2023
I was sorry to hear of the plight of the Badowski family in a privately rented flat suffering damp and mould ('Couple's fear for "our wee girl" in mouldy home', 23 February).
The letting agents say that it is the tenants' fault and that it is due to condensation. They could be right, but one can't blame tenants for their lifestyle if their accommodation is not equipped to deal with modern life. The condensation, caused by high relative humidity (RH) can only effectively be prevented by extract fans fitted to bathroom and kitchen and used to their full at the time the moisture is generated. It is the owner's responsibility to fit such fans and flats should not be let without this provision.
Drying clothes anywhere in a dwelling will raise the RH throughout the home. Opening windows is not an effective means of controlling RH and the use of a dehumidifier is clearly not effective in this case, or perhaps in any case.
I was sorry to hear of the plight of the Badowski family in a privately rented flat suffering damp and mould ('Couple's fear for "our wee girl" in mouldy home', 23 February).
The letting agents say that it is the tenants' fault and that it is due to condensation. They could be right, but one can't blame tenants for their lifestyle if their accommodation is not equipped to deal with modern life. The condensation, caused by high relative humidity (RH) can only effectively be prevented by extract fans fitted to bathroom and kitchen and used to their full at the time the moisture is generated. It is the owner's responsibility to fit such fans and flats should not be let without this provision.
Drying clothes anywhere in a dwelling will raise the RH throughout the home. Opening windows is not an effective means of controlling RH and the use of a dehumidifier is clearly not effective in this case, or perhaps in any case.
To The Scotsman (22 Feb 2023) published 23 Feb 2023
Why do you think that most 'atheists and agnostics' accept that religious leaders 'play a valuable part in public discourse' (Leader, 21 February)? I certainly don't. The US Pew Research Centre found that, when asked about the role of religion in society, most atheists express negative views. Many atheists are also secularists, who, while accepting that everyone can hold whatever beliefs they choose, want public life to be free from religious influence or interference.
Please note that an agnostic is not someone who is equivocal about religion, as you imply, but someone who is certain that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God. This is a common mistake.
Why do you think that most 'atheists and agnostics' accept that religious leaders 'play a valuable part in public discourse' (Leader, 21 February)? I certainly don't. The US Pew Research Centre found that, when asked about the role of religion in society, most atheists express negative views. Many atheists are also secularists, who, while accepting that everyone can hold whatever beliefs they choose, want public life to be free from religious influence or interference.
Please note that an agnostic is not someone who is equivocal about religion, as you imply, but someone who is certain that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God. This is a common mistake.
To Edinburgh Evening News (10 Feb 2023) published 14 Feb 2023
I am shocked that the City of Edinburgh still seems ignorant of the cause of black mould (News, 9 February). It seems that they will conduct more investigations.
However the cause of the appearance of this fungus is well know to experts (I have explained it in previous letters). Failure to diagnose the cause suggests both ignorance and incompetence. Residential accommodation needs to be fully equipped to deal with modern living habits. Unfortunately most social housing fails this test.
I am shocked that the City of Edinburgh still seems ignorant of the cause of black mould (News, 9 February). It seems that they will conduct more investigations.
However the cause of the appearance of this fungus is well know to experts (I have explained it in previous letters). Failure to diagnose the cause suggests both ignorance and incompetence. Residential accommodation needs to be fully equipped to deal with modern living habits. Unfortunately most social housing fails this test.
To The Scotsman (10 Feb 2023) published 14 Feb 2023
A switch to hydrogen is a step in the right direction but not far enough ('Green hydrogen critical element in energy mix' [Sustainable Scotland], 9 February).
A better fuel would be ammonia, a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen. Surprisingly, ammonia is a better carrier of hydrogen than hydrogen itself; its properties make transportation and storage straightforward. In some ways it makes more sense to transport hydrogen as ammonia and then back to hydrogen.
Ammonia may be a missing link in making decarbonisation happen. There are several projects under way involving ammonia ranging from supply chain entrants to integrated major renewable energy proposals. In the short run ammonia may be well suited for decarbonising, particularly where its use as a liquid carrier for hydrogen can be integrated into a wind farm scheme.
In 2020, a US company, Eneus Energy. announced that it intends to build a green ammonia plant in Orkney. Eneus describes itself as a “project developer and technology integrator for green ammonia,” and this announcement marked the first public disclosure of a site from its “portfolio” of projects under development.
A switch to hydrogen is a step in the right direction but not far enough ('Green hydrogen critical element in energy mix' [Sustainable Scotland], 9 February).
A better fuel would be ammonia, a mixture of hydrogen and nitrogen. Surprisingly, ammonia is a better carrier of hydrogen than hydrogen itself; its properties make transportation and storage straightforward. In some ways it makes more sense to transport hydrogen as ammonia and then back to hydrogen.
Ammonia may be a missing link in making decarbonisation happen. There are several projects under way involving ammonia ranging from supply chain entrants to integrated major renewable energy proposals. In the short run ammonia may be well suited for decarbonising, particularly where its use as a liquid carrier for hydrogen can be integrated into a wind farm scheme.
In 2020, a US company, Eneus Energy. announced that it intends to build a green ammonia plant in Orkney. Eneus describes itself as a “project developer and technology integrator for green ammonia,” and this announcement marked the first public disclosure of a site from its “portfolio” of projects under development.
To The Scotsman (2 Feb 2023) published 3 Feb 2023
Unsurprisingly, Boris Johnson is quite wrong to claim that Brexit enabled the UK to license the Covid-19 vaccines faster than any other country and that it 'gave us a crucial edge' (your report, 1 February).
Under European law, the UK was permitted to act independently to approve the vaccine in an emergency. From 2012, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was free, under regulation 174 of the Human Medicine Regulations 2012, to give temporary approval to an unlicensed medicinal product in the case of certain types of public health threat, such as a pandemic.
The Government admitted this: when the MHRA approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for use in the UK on 2 December 2020, the Government press release accompanying this announcement made clear that approval was given under regulation 174. Brexit made difference; we always had control of the MHRA.
Unsurprisingly, Boris Johnson is quite wrong to claim that Brexit enabled the UK to license the Covid-19 vaccines faster than any other country and that it 'gave us a crucial edge' (your report, 1 February).
Under European law, the UK was permitted to act independently to approve the vaccine in an emergency. From 2012, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was free, under regulation 174 of the Human Medicine Regulations 2012, to give temporary approval to an unlicensed medicinal product in the case of certain types of public health threat, such as a pandemic.
The Government admitted this: when the MHRA approved the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for use in the UK on 2 December 2020, the Government press release accompanying this announcement made clear that approval was given under regulation 174. Brexit made difference; we always had control of the MHRA.
To The Scotsman (24 Jan 2023) published 25 Jan 2023
Nicola Sturgeon continues to peddle the 'colonial myth' (that she will take Scotland 'out of the UK', your report [Scotsman] 23 January on being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg). Of course she knows that Scotland is not a colony but it suits her scenario to imply that it is, that it is a downtrodden colony of the British Empire, entitle to leave whenever it wants.
However, like residents of Hotel California, Scotland can check out but it cannot leave. That is because it is bound by the 1707 Treaty of Union, something the SNP appears unwilling to mention. Any change to that Treaty would be a matter for the whole UK, or at least of Great Britain. There would need to be a UK referendum on the matter.
I never understood David Cameron's reasoning. Did he realise that he was putting the future of the whole UK at risk? Fortunately the sane voters of Scotland saved us from disaster.
Nicola Sturgeon continues to peddle the 'colonial myth' (that she will take Scotland 'out of the UK', your report [Scotsman] 23 January on being interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg). Of course she knows that Scotland is not a colony but it suits her scenario to imply that it is, that it is a downtrodden colony of the British Empire, entitle to leave whenever it wants.
However, like residents of Hotel California, Scotland can check out but it cannot leave. That is because it is bound by the 1707 Treaty of Union, something the SNP appears unwilling to mention. Any change to that Treaty would be a matter for the whole UK, or at least of Great Britain. There would need to be a UK referendum on the matter.
I never understood David Cameron's reasoning. Did he realise that he was putting the future of the whole UK at risk? Fortunately the sane voters of Scotland saved us from disaster.
To The Sunday Times (23 Jan 2023) published but edited on 29 Jan 2023
Matthew Syed (23 January) [, in his piece on the power of habit, refers to people thinking about what they will have for breakfast while cleaning [brushing] their teeth [(Comment, last week). Is this common practice? Surely] If they have any sense they'll clean their teeth after breakfast.
Matthew Syed (23 January) [, in his piece on the power of habit, refers to people thinking about what they will have for breakfast while cleaning [brushing] their teeth [(Comment, last week). Is this common practice? Surely] If they have any sense they'll clean their teeth after breakfast.
To The Scotsman (20 Jan 2023) published 21 Jan 2023
The Scotsman (2nd leader yesterday) appears to agree with the UK Government that the way to reduce our reliance on the international gas market is to invest more in renewables and nuclear power [Editorial, 20 January].
Investing in reliable nuclear power does not make renewables any more reliable; the latter, especially wind power, will always be unreliable and nuclear power cannot readily be switched on and off to compensate. Nuclear generation is best suited to provide the base load, the consistent demand below the variability level. But what will provide the extra power to fill gaps left by the absence of renewable generation? Gas?
The Scotsman (2nd leader yesterday) appears to agree with the UK Government that the way to reduce our reliance on the international gas market is to invest more in renewables and nuclear power [Editorial, 20 January].
Investing in reliable nuclear power does not make renewables any more reliable; the latter, especially wind power, will always be unreliable and nuclear power cannot readily be switched on and off to compensate. Nuclear generation is best suited to provide the base load, the consistent demand below the variability level. But what will provide the extra power to fill gaps left by the absence of renewable generation? Gas?
To The Edinburgh Evening News (17 Jan 2023) published 19 Jan 2023
You report Sir Keir Starmer as declaring that he would not change to a social insurance model to fund the NSS (your report, 16 January). He states that, in these models, employees contribute a proportion of their salary to fund and pay for their health care (actually it's for everyone's care).
However, that's exactly what we do here: NI contributions come from employees' salaries (also from employers). So what's the difference? Just that we only pay for some 18 per cent of the cost, the remainder coming from general taxation. Why not change that so that all NHS costs are funded from employee and employer contributions and reduce general taxation accordingly? Also remove the anomaly that people earning over £50,000 pa pay only 2 percent in NI contributions. Why should they not pay 12 per cent like lower earners?
You report Sir Keir Starmer as declaring that he would not change to a social insurance model to fund the NSS (your report, 16 January). He states that, in these models, employees contribute a proportion of their salary to fund and pay for their health care (actually it's for everyone's care).
However, that's exactly what we do here: NI contributions come from employees' salaries (also from employers). So what's the difference? Just that we only pay for some 18 per cent of the cost, the remainder coming from general taxation. Why not change that so that all NHS costs are funded from employee and employer contributions and reduce general taxation accordingly? Also remove the anomaly that people earning over £50,000 pa pay only 2 percent in NI contributions. Why should they not pay 12 per cent like lower earners?
To The Sunday Times (16 Jan 2023) not published
David Patrick, writing from Edinburgh (Letters, 15 January), should know better. The Scottish Liberal Democrats are not a branch of the UK party; they are independent in a federation of several UK parties, reflecting LibDem policy on a federal UK. Nothing forces them or the UK party to support Brexit. Indeed they oppose it. I was once a member.
David Patrick, writing from Edinburgh (Letters, 15 January), should know better. The Scottish Liberal Democrats are not a branch of the UK party; they are independent in a federation of several UK parties, reflecting LibDem policy on a federal UK. Nothing forces them or the UK party to support Brexit. Indeed they oppose it. I was once a member.
To The Scotsman (13 Jan 2023) not published
John Cutland (Letters, 13 January) outlines concern about recharging electric cars. Others have expressed similar comments on costs and range anxiety, etc.
There is a type of electric car that has none of these problems. I refer to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). These are electric cars fuelled by hydrogen, which is put through a fuel cell to generate electricity (part of the fuel is free oxygen from air).
Among the advantages are a short fuelling time, long range and a hedge against increasing gas prices. The process also produces heat with no waste except water.
At present only two FCEVs are available on the UK market but more will become available eventually and their costs will come down.
John Cutland (Letters, 13 January) outlines concern about recharging electric cars. Others have expressed similar comments on costs and range anxiety, etc.
There is a type of electric car that has none of these problems. I refer to fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). These are electric cars fuelled by hydrogen, which is put through a fuel cell to generate electricity (part of the fuel is free oxygen from air).
Among the advantages are a short fuelling time, long range and a hedge against increasing gas prices. The process also produces heat with no waste except water.
At present only two FCEVs are available on the UK market but more will become available eventually and their costs will come down.
To The Scotsman (15 Jan 2023) not published
Sir Keir Starmer says that he would use private hospitals to clear the backlog in the NHS (Laura Kuenssberg on BBC, 15 January).
This simplistic idea seems to overlook the fact that the professionals employed by the private sector also work for the NHS. The can't be in two places at once. Private health care is a parasite, consuming NHS resources and debilitating it.
The solution is not to utilise private health care but to close it down and insist that NHS physicians work entirely within the NHS. Then the backlog might be attacked.
Sir Keir Starmer says that he would use private hospitals to clear the backlog in the NHS (Laura Kuenssberg on BBC, 15 January).
This simplistic idea seems to overlook the fact that the professionals employed by the private sector also work for the NHS. The can't be in two places at once. Private health care is a parasite, consuming NHS resources and debilitating it.
The solution is not to utilise private health care but to close it down and insist that NHS physicians work entirely within the NHS. Then the backlog might be attacked.