Wednesday, September 30 2009

This is bad news for two reasons. First, it creates Acts of Parliament that are virtually incomprehensible in some cases, making it increasingly hard to subject them to an appropriate level of scrutiny before they become law. Secondly, the Acts themselves have become more generalised (for example, the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008) as ministers tag all sorts of vaguely related legislation on to them as they go through parliament, resulting in Acts which lose the thrust of their initial intent.

Consequently, very few Acts of Parliament make a difference to our day to day lives and those that do (the Scottish Parliament’s smoking ban) succeed because their intent is original, clearly defined and, therefore, relatively simple to implement. Very often the solution to many of our society’s problems lies in existing legislation, and it is the effective implementation of that legislation which is where this, or any future government, should be focusing.

Where existing legislation serves a purpose, greater efforts should be taken to investigate more effective ways of implementing it. Where existing legislation overlaps with other legislation or is virtually unenforceable, it should be repealed.

The clarity of purpose contained within this approach will have far-reaching consequences which will genuinely impact on us all.

Hugh Craigie Halkett, Edinburgh.

It is distressing to see the Scottish Liberal Democrats’ negative response to the government’s sensible and courageous proposals on minimum pricing as evidenced by the comments of their justice spokesman Robert Brown (“Minimum price for alcohol to ‘save lives’ ”, The Herald, September 28). The government has never claimed that this alone will solve the problem of our troubled relation with drink, but it is a key part of an attack on our drinking culture.

The evidence of a link between price and consumption is overwhelming, and accepted in full by the medical profession (whose interests, I would suggest, lie in our health and not scoring political points). Furthermore, a minimum pricing policy will end the invidious practice of loss-leading promotions and price dumping as implemented by large retailers to the disadvantage of small business. And, thirdly, such a policy overwhelmingly affects cheap and high-strength alcohol which, to put it crudely, is sold for effect and not taste. It barely touches higher quality alcohol. That much of the alcohol industry actually supports the policy, despite the strident noise made in certain parts of that sector, is evidence that it has been carefully thought through.

I imagine if I were Mr Brown’s doctor I would be in the unusual position of the patient lecturing me on what was actually wrong with him on grounds that he was an elected representative and I was merely a medical practitioner. I would suggest in commenting on this policy more thought and less half-baked and muddled attempts at populism might benefit us all.

Hugh Andrew, Edinburgh.

Scotland needs a single conservation body to eradicate duplication

In calling for a rethink over the respective roles of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) and Historic Scotland, it seems to me that, while Professor Michael Moss is on the right track, he does not go far enough (“Critics call for NTS rethink at stormy annual meeting”, The Herald, September 28).

It is time that all Scotland’s conservation authorities -- the NTS, Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Cairngorm and Loch Lomond National Parks’ authorities,as well as the multitude of trusts that have sprung up over the past two decades concerned with a diverse range of conservation issues -- were wound up and reformed under a single conservation authority for Scotland.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT), for example, would not be able to exist were it not for funding by SNH. Just what can be the point in the continued existence of two bureaucracies pursuing the same basic aims and objectives, all funded by the taxpayer? The roles of NTS and Historic Scotland are an example many find confusing, amounting to a crossover of effort and funding similar to the situation of SNH and SWT.

Niall McKillop, Banavie, Fort William.

The government has introduced an energy survey of properties to be sold. It also keeps a record of sales and ownership. Should it not also keep a record of wills (“Lawyer used £400,000 stolen from dead woman’s estate to pay off debts”, The Herald, September 29)?

This case illustrates the autonomy a lawyer has when he or she is executor of a will. The beneficiary in this case did not even know she had been left the money.

It would not even be possible at present to conduct an inquiry into how many cases there have been over the past century of lawyers behaving in a similar way. Who would know? There should be a government register to rectify this injustice. At present, the government only covers guardianship and, upon death, passes it over to the private sector law firms.

Niall Barker, Troon.

Predictions of global warming are scaremongering: we could well be heading for a cooler climate

The Met Office has issued another alarmist climate prediction (“Temperatures could rise by 4ºC in next 50 years”, The Herald, September 29). The argument for man-made global warming rests on the view that man-made CO2 emissions have created a 0.6-0.8ºC increase in global temperatures over 100 years.

This is based on an increase in CO2 of about 100 parts per million (ppm) from around 280ppm to 380ppm. Such a step change from 0.8ºC to fully 4ºC increase in half the time seems far-fetched considering the effect of CO2 is logarithmic. To create the same effect as 100ppm increase, a 200ppm increase is then required. That presupposes that CO2 actually has a warming effect on the climate.

Apart from that, the problem is that global temperatures have failed to increase since the turn of the century, despite a continued rise in man-made CO2 emissions. As anyone can see from this satellite-based temperature record (www.drroyspencer.com/latest-global-temperatures/) there has been no global warming this century.

This is despite an increase in CO2 of around 2ppm per year. Ice levels at the poles have been used a lot recently in alarmist propaganda of impending catastrophe, such as no summer ice left in the Arctic in five years. A look at the Argo ocean observing site shows that Arctic sea ice has now recovered to 2005 levels and is well above the low years of 2007/8.

A look at Antarctica shows sea ice extent well above the average for 1979-2000. So, sea ice is on the increase at both poles. Not a movement one would expect if we are heading towards plus 4ºC in 50 years.

But the heat could be in the oceans, as has been suggested. The Argo site says that there has been a warming of 0.06ºC since the early 1960s -- hardly a major build-up that can be unleashed at some stage in the future. The site also shows that global sea levels have not increased since 2004, so no expansion of ocean water due to warming and or smelting of land-based ice. There appear not to be increasing atmospheric temperatures at present.

Sea ice is increasing again. There is no significant heat build-up in the ocean and CO2 is decreasing its ability to influence temperatures due to the logarithmic effect. It is hard to reconcile temperature and ice recording measurements with predictions such as those produced by the Met Office. Based on current recordings and the quiet sun, it is as reasonable to forecast a possibility of a long period of cooling -- as it is of warming -- and any analysis of what government action should be taken should involve the possibility we are heading towards a colder period. The science is far from settled, but if CO2 does have a warming effect, it is likely to be a weaker signal than that proposed by the Met Office.

Increased insulation of properties would still be on the agenda, as would attempts at better power and fuel efficiency. The emission of particulates and soot should be cut around the industrialised world, but CO2 cap and trade would definitely be out of the equation. CO2 is not a poison but an essential ingredient for the growth of plants.

John Peter, Airdrie.

In your editorial supporting the extended car scrappage scheme, you claim it has added value because it replaces vehicles over 10 years old with new ones producing lower CO2 emissions, resulting in a reduction of 15% (“Scrappage success -- Car scheme deserves to be continued”, The Herald, September 29). What justification is there for this claim, which is also made by the AA?

According to Department for Transport figures last year, the average fuel consumption of new vehicles has hardly changed in the past 10 years and remains around 32 miles per gallon (mpg) for petrol cars and 39mpg for diesel. A 15% reduction would mean average fuel efficiency had suddenly jumped about 5mpg.

I agree there are more, smaller cars available today providing better fuel economy but the scrappage scheme does not put any restriction on the efficiency of the new car being purchased. It may well be no better than the 10-year-old one it replaced. These claims could only be verified if we knew what was being replaced by what.

Several analysts have commented that any slight improvement in fuel efficiency is far outweighed by the energy consumed manufacturing the new vehicle and the waste of scrapping a useable car. Far from helping the environment, the scrappage scheme increases CO2 emissions.

I do not object to the government assisting the motor trade during difficult times, but I do object to the misinformation surrounding this subsidy suggesting it is beneficial to the environment. Why not just offer £1000 if you buy a new low-emission car and forget all the ridiculous complications of scrappage?

As your editorial says, a good case can be made for subsidised replacement of other domestic products, not just cars. The strongest environmental case can probably be made for replacement of gas boilers more than 10 years old.

Hugh Walker, Dunfermline.

Europe’s dirtiest city

Ron Ferguson is spot on (“Why do we continue to live in a midden?”, The Herald, September 28).

When my German grandchildren ask why we litter our streets so indiscriminately, I tell them: “Glaswegians are the dirtiest people, inhabiting the dirtiest city, located in the dirtiest country in the European Union.” Having travelled extensively in Europe, I am ashamed to have to admit to this statement.

Brian McNally, Glasgow.

Happy memories of Glasgow’s Happy days

It is interesting that Steven Camley, your cartoonist (The Herald, September 25) should evoke memories of Mr Happy at a time when the Florida home of Disney has just launched a TV promotional campaign under the tag Orlando Makes Me Smile.

This matches one of the winning entries in a competition I ran along with The Herald’s then sister, the Sunday Standard, and its editor, Clive Sandground. It was submitted by Mrs John McNaughton, wife of the Moderator of Glasgow Presbytery. Given Glasgow’s poor image at that time (1982), I was not bold enough to use it, fearing the smiles it produced might be more cynical than supportive.

With the help of Arnold Kemp, editor of The Herald at that time, I handed it over to the professional advertising people who transformed it into the iconic Glasgow’s Miles Better image. Maybe Orlando will get there in the end with Mickey replacing Roger Hargreaves’s famous cheerful figure.

Michael Kelly, Glasgow.

BNP will hang itself

The BBC is to be commended for its decision to invite Nick Griffin, the BNP leader, on to Question Time (“Anger as Question Time to host BNP debate”, The Herald, September 28).

The response by many on the left to the rise of the neo-fascist BNP has been misguided, potentially self-defeating and, in some extreme instances, borderline criminal. The tactics have played into the hands of the BNP. A victim mentality is all part of the allure of the BNP and this is not lost on the party leadership, which preys on that mentality in its propaganda. The best way to deal with the rise of the BNP is to confront it on the issues and not indulge in puerile egg-throwing, pointless prosecutions or by ignoring it.

A good place to start would be the BNP’s own manifesto. It is a politically illiterate document that proposes, among other crackpot ideas, asking the Republic of Ireland to rejoin the UK, “restoring our economy and land to British ownership” (much as Hitler promised with German property and businesses in the early 1930s at the expense of German Jews) and engaging in the sort of protectionist corporatism last seen in fascist Italy.

The BNP is extremely sensitive, defensive even, about accusations of neo-fascism, despite adopting avowedly fascist policies. Rather sportingly, it has provided all the ammunition one could hope for. Giving it enough rope to hang itself in the full glare of publicity could work in ways that rotten eggs and shouting obscenities never will.

Neil Mcnamara, Glasgow.

Unelected comeback

In a speech more reminiscent of Blue Peter than Lord Peter, the comeback kid Mandelson sought to rally his demoralised troops by declaring that if he could come back, they could come back (“Marvelling as Mandy works his magic”, The Herald, September 29).

The unelected Lord Mandelson appears to have forgotten that he only made it back to government because the unelected Prime Minister was in such dire straits that any port in a storm would do, even one containing his once-bitter foe.

The latest opinion poll clearly shows that the electorate that did not put Gordon Brown into No 10 is preparing to put him out, and all Lord Mandelson’s plotting, speeches and spin cannot save him now (“Poll puts Labour third for first time since 1982”, The Herald, September 29).

The only honourable course left for Mr Brown and the Labour government is to end the charade, hold a General Election this autumn, and face up to the verdict of the people.

Ruth Marr, Stirling.

Off the rails

Just when will there be an inquiry into the Edinburgh tram project? How it was ever conceived that it would connect with Glasgow Airport is beyond me.

David Carvel, Biggar.