The Scottish electorate, exhausted by years of austerity under Tory governments (which they hadn’t voted for) and the disaster that is Brexit (which they hadn’t voted for) last summer put their trust in a party which promised them “change” and “the sunlight of hope”; after the reality of six months’ hard Labour, it is no wonder that let-down, disillusioned voters are coming home to the SNP (“Poll predicts Scottish pro-independence majority at 2026 Holyrood vote”, heraldscotland, December 30).
Ruth Marr, Stirling.
Stop the useless point-scoring
YOUR front-page lead article today was headed “Maggots and mice found in hospitals across Scotland” (The Herald, January 3). Well knock me down with a feather Trevor! Who would have believed in a country where mice and maggots are naturally found that there would be instances of them occurring on NHS properties, especially when it is one of the biggest owners of property in the land?
One has to ask just how much it cost in unnecessary time effort and money for the civil service to gather this FoI data at the request of Dame Jackie Baillie; have they no more important tasks to attend to? Perhaps if she is so interested in infestations she could make a similar request regarding properties such as the Palace of Westminster and other buildings and properties across the UK that we the taxpayer foot the bill for yet don’t actually own.
Wouldn’t it be refreshing if our representatives at Holyrood and Westminster tried to work together for the benefit of the general public rather than useless point-scoring while ingratiating themselves with the Establishment and promoting personal interests?
David J Crawford, Glasgow.
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Scandal of CMAL decisions
RECENT news about the new Arran ferry Glen Sannox’s CO2 emissions being higher than the current MV Caledonian Isles is another example of how misconceived this vessel is. CMAL points out that the Glen Sannox is a bigger and more powerful vessel. Well, yes, too big, but crucially, Glen Sannox’s CO2 emissions per car equivalent space are still higher at 89.6 tons per annum, compared with Caley Isles’ 85.9. Even more telling is the ratio of emissions per passenger space. In that case, Glen Sannox is almost twice as polluting at 13.8 tonnes CO2 per annum against 7.7 tonnes for the older ship. Add in “methane slip” when the Sannox runs on LNG and the Sannox really is a climate change stinker.
So, there we have the Glen Sannox and the Glen Rosa with unnecessarily-massive live-aboard crew complements, at least four times over budget, six years late, too big to fit Ardrossan, necessitating a longer and more fuel guzzling passage from Troon, which in turn lacks a pierhead rail connection. The cruel irony is that when for about a 20th of the price CMAL was offered two faster state-of-the-art catamarans that would have obviated all these disadvantages and could have been in operation six years ago, it turned it down. That’s the scandal.
Transport Scotland must be struggling to reconcile the cumulative enormity and hugely expensive consequence of CMAL’s multiple blunders, of which the Ferguson ships are only a part. It’s time for the whole dysfunctional feather-bedded system to be dismantled and for ferry routes to be de-bundled over time and offered to more efficient and cost-effective operators under local community control.
Roy Pedersen, Inverness.
Do not throw out well-loved hymns
AS a long-time associate member of the Iona Community and academic expert on hymnody, I am intrigued by the project to address “colonial resonances” in hymns (“Project will address ‘colonial resonances’ of hymns”, The Herald, December 27). We have already expunged from our hymn books the most glaring examples of outdated imperialistic sentiment, such as “the heathen in his blindness bows down to wood and stone” (From Greenland’s Icy Mountains). I hope we are not now going to embark on a wholesale clear-out of hymns just because they might be perceived as having a faintly colonialist whiff.
The ever-popular “The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended” might be seen as suspect as it could be taken to have imperial echoes with its line that “the sun that bids us rest is waking our brethren ’neath the western sky” perhaps suggesting that the sun never sets on the British Empire. And what about those hymns by colonial bishops, which include Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty by Reginald Heber, who became Bishop of Calcutta?
I am all for exploring the background to hymns and carols and putting them in their context. It is something that I have done myself over many years in books, broadcasts and articles. It is interesting to discover among Christmas hymns that Adeste, Fideles, the original Latin version of O Come, All Ye Faithful may have been written as a coded rallying cry to Jacobites on the eve of the 1745 rising, that Angels From the Realms of Glory may in one of its verses express the radical political views of its Irvine-born author, James Montgomery, and that the author of It Came Upon the Midnight Clear was probably thinking of the violent revolutionaries across Europe in 1848 when he wrote the line “O, hush the noise, ye men of strife, and hear the angels sing”. It is also illuminating to learn that the great Norman MacLeod of the Barony wrote Courage, Brother, Do Not Stumble after a particularly vexatious meeting of Glasgow Presbytery when his plea to open the city’s parks and trams on a Sunday for working men to enjoy on their one day of rest was opposed by sour Sabbatarians.
The Iona Community and its Wild Goose Group in particular have done much to bring songs from the world church into usage here in Scotland. They greatly enrich the fourth edition of the Church Hymnary, of which I was privileged to be on the editorial board. By all means let us explore the stories behind these and other hymns and worship songs and put them in context. But please let us not throw out some of the best-loved and most thought-provoking Victorian hymns, many of them displaying a much deeper, more nuanced and more liberal theology than today’s worship songs, because of some suspicion that they have “colonial resonances”.
Rev Professor Ian Bradley, Emeritus of Cultural and Spiritual History, University of St Andrews.
In the line of fire
A HABITUAL contributor to the Herald’s Letters Pages from Newton Mearns tells that over the festive period he fell seriously ill, having caught a version of the flu bug, enough to have to call for emergency help on two occasions, together with a visit from Clarkston’s finest, members of the Fire Brigade. Having fallen outside the bedroom it had proved impossible to move him; for two hours he lay on the floor covered in a blanket, before deciding that a call for assistance was desirable.
It was totally dark when he was awakened and on opening his eyes he was greeted by a corona of bright light from an immense height. A voice from outer darkness spoke. “Don’t worry,” it said, “we will fix you up in no time, and while we are here we will check your smoke alarm system.”
With the lights switched on there were four creatures from outer space, in full fire-fighting gear looking down at me, and from their helmets narrow rays of intense bright white light.
The smoke alarm system was found to be in good order, I think, much to their disgust.
Robin Johnston, Newton Mearns.
Change not always for the best
AS I battled through misplaced trolleys then a traffic gridlock at a supermarket last week I recalled the relatively easy life my mother had at her local grocers, butchers, and the like. Orderly queues, simple paper wrapping (no plastic containers, whether recyclable or not) and no sell-by dates. Milk in glass or cartons by the pint, not bigger plastic (again) containers that demand vehicular transport.
What other everyday occurrences have changed? For a start the only fast food outlets were chip shops, and no chicken or scampi suppers. We knew how to make a sandwich so we saved money at lunchtimes. Is it a coincidence that obesity is now prevalent?
We tucked our shirt or blouse tails into our trousers or skirts. Men and boys took their hats or caps off in houses and restaurants or cafes. Leggings which display fat legs and bottoms wobbling in public were likewise absent.
Cycling to and from school or work was always on streets, not pavements, and always in the mandatory direction. Unlike in present-day Edinburgh, cyclists negotiated tram lines without getting stuck in them. Other common street features included telephone boxes and policemen.
Our healthcare system had convalescent homes for those recovering after illness or surgery, thus giving bed space in general hospitals for urgent cases. All GPs had studied with a vocation which made them available at all times, whether in surgery or at home visits. They did not retire early unless ill themselves. Their staff were likewise dedicated and it was never impossible to get an appointment.
The only constant has been our refuse collection and disposal service.
Even our postal service has reduced but that is due to the internet/social media presence which in itself requires the same disciplines which seem to have been lost in our everyday life.
Changes and improvements must always take place with time but our responsibilities should not.
JB Drummond, Kilmarnock.
The Glen Sannox has been found to emit more CO2 than the current MV Caledonian Isles (Image: PA)
Origins of Francie and Josie
RIKKI (BBC Scotland, Hogmanay) implied it was Rikki Fulton who created Francie and Josie, having, in 1960, come up with “the idea of a cheeky double act and asked comedian Jack Milroy to join him after seeing his show at the Ayr Gaiety”. No mention was made of Stan Mars, well-known at the time, or, in this context, Stanley Baxter, writer and star of Five Past Eight at the Alhambra, Glasgow.
This was an annual star-filled treat for Scottish theatregoers and a match for anything produced in the West End. It was in the 1958 version of Five Past Eight (writer Stan Mars) that the much-loved Glasgow chancers, initially called Franzie and Josie, as portrayed by Messrs Baxter and Fulton, appeared on stage for the first time.What a colossal fund of happy memories they inspired.
Russell Galbraith, Glasgow.
Springing a shock
HAVING just got over the retail madness of Christmas I ventured to my local supermarket and discovered they’re selling Easter eggs.
Can they not give us a break?
Michael Watson, Rutherglen.