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YOUR VIEWS: Winter fuel payment plea, a Major Clanger in Highlands, and more pylons backlash





Ian Cameron sent this photograph of the Limekiln wind farm which is currently being built by Boralex at a site just south of Reay.
Ian Cameron sent this photograph of the Limekiln wind farm which is currently being built by Boralex at a site just south of Reay.

Helping pensioners would be a real ‘benefit’

Whilst it comes as no surprise that the Scottish Government has quickly followed the national government in scrapping winter fuel allowance for pensioners, with the exception of those few who pass a draconian means test, I find it very surprising that they have, on this occasion, laid the blame on the loss of funds from the Labour government.

If Scotland cannot manage to look after its elderly without recourse to money from Westminster, how on earth would we manage with a complete loss of Westminster money in the event of independence?

Is it right to say that anyone who has a pension of a few pounds over a statutory limit can go fend for themselves, when those people did not have the benefit of works pensions during most of their working lives and many could not afford to pay into a private pension either?

There are many really wealthy people out there who could afford a pound or two on their National Insurance contributions to help ease the problem so that those who have lived too long may enjoy what is left of their lives without worry about whether to heat or eat, over the coldest months.

The UK pension is one of the lowest in the “Western World” – is that not bad enough without creating further problems for our elderly?

Furthermore, no-one seems to be thinking about the pot of money that is supposedly “Community Benefit”. Given that the Highlands has a very high rate of fuel poverty but at the same time hosts thousands of industrial wind turbines, why can the community benefit fund not be used to fund winter fuel payments for the elderly?

Is it perhaps that the elderly, who have paid into the National Insurance scheme all of their working life, are no longer considered to be part of the community when it comes to a small helping hand over the cold winter months? After all, Highlanders pay more per year for domestic heating and electricity than any other region in mainland Britain.

We frequently hear that community benefit funds are not being used – well, let’s use them to help those who have done their bit and can no longer work for a living.

Paul Simonite

Station House

Watten

A real Clanger!

I read with growing incredulity and some concern the assertions by Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner (Caithness Courier, August 14) regarding the true state of his council’s finances.

He asserts, presumably with a straight face, “we have been clever and creative at helping ourselves….” This seemed like a major clanger until I read on that he was suggesting the Scottish Government should not be blamed for the cuts.

The Highland Alliance have graded the council’s official response as “good” for both optimism and honesty – to their credit they confirm, simply, that the amenities seasonal staffing has been halved since 2017.

Talking of “clangers”, the BBC program of the same name came to mind – the BBC describe the Clangers as “stout knitted creatures in felt jackets… who beguiled viewers of all generations”. They lived on another planet and food is provided by the Soup Dragon.

The Clanger Leader is known as Major Clanger and the BBC explain that they communicate in the “melodious tones of the swanee whistle”, which Google states is a wind instrument incorporating a tube with a piston in it.

Unfortunately, Major Clanger’s assertion that there will be a “a sustained increase in funding for roads over the next 23 years of approximately £400m” has been assessed as “poor”. The alleged increase is only an increase if compared to what was being spent four years ago – take inflation into account and the optimistic language looks as murky as a deep Wick pothole.

Returning to planet Earth, in the Sheriff Court witnesses promise to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth – this is a useful maxim to follow and if you do, inadvertently, make a mistake I have found an apology goes a long way. Perhaps Ground Control could relay this message to Major Tom Clanger…

Staying firmly on planet Earth and with my feet firmly on the ground, the knee-high grass was what initiated the challenge to the council leader to explain whether the reality of potholes, tick-infested meadows and faded road signs was all a weird nightmare or reality. The answers confirmed the swingeing cuts to amenities but also confirmed his belief things will only get better with new schools and roads with white lines just over the horizon.

A faded 40 mph speed limit sign at Reiss. Picture: Matthew Reiss
A faded 40 mph speed limit sign at Reiss. Picture: Matthew Reiss

The public can weigh up this utopian vision and contrast it with very recent news that the finance secretary has ordered an emergency brake on expenditure and the arts are asking for a promised £100m rather than two years of cuts.

Then there is the High Court’s verdict on the “consultation” on the future of Academy Street in Inverness – it was “unlawful” – and the unending “pause” on NHS Highland expenditure. Locally, the closure of Avonlea children’s home and the loss of respite services at Thor House continue to be a puzzle.

Being more cheerful, we are assured that new ferries are imminent, the A9 will be dualled by 2035 and we hope the silence on improving parts of the A9 north of Tain may be broken.

We live in sombre times so, concluding on a lighter note, the Clangers were actually quite a friendly and gentle set of folk (Tiny Clanger even had an orchestra) and would not have been offended by any inhabitant politely complaining that life on their faraway planet was not quite as good in reality as had been promised by their Clanger Leader.

They might even have recognised it as an essential part of a healthy democracy, something which I hope they would have supported, as we all do back here in Caithness on planet Earth,

Matthew Reiss

Independent Councillor for Thurso and Northwest Caithness

Highland Alliance

Response to Trump ‘hatchet job’

It is truly astonishing that a few positive comments I made about Donald Trump in a recent Groat letter has elicited a long minutiae-suffused response by Gary Williamson (Letters, August 14) alleging that my letter contained “several factual inaccuracies”.

Incredibly, much of the response pertains to issues I never raised. This is a well-known “strawman” tactic where one individual criticises issues falsely attributed to another in order to score points. In the interest of sanity and space, I will limit my response to issues mentioned in my original letter.

Mr Williamson: “The US economy under Trump was booming but it is highly subjective and not entirely attributed to his presidency.” I never claimed it was. I wrote that the economy was booming during Mr Trump’s presidency. It was. No factual inaccuracy here.

“The US military was strong before, during and after Trump’s presidency.” Unlike his predecessor or successor, Mr Trump actively championed the military. I wrote that the military was strong under Mr Trump. No factual inaccuracy here.

“Farquhar states that no soldiers died in Afghanistan during Trump’s last year as president, but this is untrue. 11 service members died in 2020 during Trump’s last year as president.” I was obviously referring to combat-related deaths. None were recorded during Mr Trump’s last 11 months in office. Nit-picking.

“Trump’s vaccine policy is unlikely to vary with a different president, as he is not responsible for pharmaceutical companies developing a Covid-19 vaccine.” Virtually the entire US medical and political establishment acclaimed the Trump administration for its role in the rapid development of several effective Covid vaccines. This initiative, a private-public partnership named Operation Warp Speed, required leadership, teamwork, diplomacy, interagency cooperation, and major government financial incentives. It resulted in several effective vaccines becoming available in one year rather than the anticipated three to five years. Even Mr Biden lauded the accomplishment. No factual inaccuracy here.

“The current cost of living crisis in the United States and much of the developed world is not due to illegal immigration in America, as Farquhar states.” I never made such a statement. This is an unfortunate editing glitch. An intervening paragraph between two different points addressed in my letter (immigration and the cost of living) was removed by Groat staff (presumably due to space constraints) leaving the impression that the two points were linked. They were not. No factual inaccuracy here.

“He further argues Biden’s cancellation of Trump’s border policies let 15 million illegal immigrants into the United States. However, the Pew Research Center estimates there are 11 million total unauthorised immigrants in the United States”. Other agencies disagree. For example, the Federation for American Immigration Reform puts the number at 16.8 million as of June 2023. Asked about the 11 million figure, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida responded: “That was the number 10 years ago. We’re talking upwards of 20, 25, maybe 30 million.”

The 15 million number I quoted comes from personal discussions with Texas Border Patrol Agents. The reality is that no one knows for sure the number of unlawful immigrants in the US because no mechanism currently exists to address it.

For the record, Mr Trump never suggested that “Americans inject bleach into their veins”. That is an unconscionable lie.

To summarise, Mr Williamson’s claims are a hodgepodge of innuendo, false attribution, political bias, and petty nit-picking. Collectively, they reduce to an anti-Trump hatchet job that is neither constructive nor enlightening.

In contrast, Jim Campbell’s letter on the same topic was fair, balanced, and thoughtful.

David Farquhar

Seaforth Place

Dunnet

Electricity projects damaging the Highlands

I am writing to express our deep concerns and frustrations regarding the recent decision by Ofgem to approve the Eastern Green Link 2 project. This multi-billion-pound subsea cable aims to transport vast amounts of renewable electricity between Scotland and England.

While we acknowledge the importance of modernising our energy transmission network and the necessity of transitioning away from fossil fuels, we must question the fairness and the long-term impact of this decision.

Why is it that England’s landscape is preserved through the undergrounding of these cables, while the Highlands of Scotland are expected to bear the brunt of industrialisation, with minimal consideration for the preservation of our visual and environmental heritage?

Projects like the one proposed between Spittal, Loch Buidhe, and Beauly in the Highlands have faced resistance from local communities for good reason. These proposals would scar the pristine landscapes of the Highlands, diminishing their natural beauty and negatively impacting tourism, which is a crucial part of our local economy.

Ofgem’s approval of the Eastern Green Link 2, particularly under its fast-track process, feels rushed and lacking in consideration of the long-term implications for the people and environment of the Highlands. It is particularly infuriating that while England benefits from a cleaner, more aesthetically sensitive approach, Scotland’s Highlands are expected to be industrialised without regard to the wishes of its residents or the impact on the environment.

Furthermore, the assertion by SSEN that this project is necessary to balance the grid on days when the wind does not blow, or demand is high, is questionable. Scotland is already a net exporter of electricity, and the need for additional capacity primarily benefits areas outside of Scotland. Why, then, should our landscapes be sacrificed for the benefit of others?

We do not support the Scottish Government’s decision to proceed with this unnecessary project, nor do we support the actions of SSEN and Ofgem in pushing it through. We are deeply concerned that the true cost of this project – both financially and environmentally – has not been fully accounted for. The potential for undergrounding, as is being done in England, should be seriously considered here in Scotland, especially in areas of such outstanding natural beauty.

We demand a fairer approach that respects the rights and voices of the people of the Highlands, rather than imposing decisions that benefit others at our expense. We call on Ofgem, SSEN, and the Scottish Government to rethink their approach, to halt the industrialisation of our lands, and to explore alternatives that do not compromise the natural beauty that makes the Highlands unique.

Scotland deserves better, and the Highlands should not be treated as a convenient dumping ground for infrastructure projects that are more about serving external interests than our own.

It’s obvious very little feedback and concerns have been considered from past consultations conducted by SSEN, they have proven time and time again they do not listen to the communities.

To this day Ofgem, National Grid and the Scottish Government cannot prove the need for these destructive projects.

None of them know the meaning of honesty and transparency, once again money and greed win.

The Dunbeath/Berriedale Community Say NO to PYLONS Action Group

ONLINE VIEWS

Presentation for Forss farming brothers at festive treat

Used to stay with Billy and Jimmy in the 50s. Our fathers knew each other through school. Met up for first time couple of years after many, many years. Hope you both have a long and happy retirement.

Ken Sinclair

Balerno

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