I READ with interest and despair your article in Monday’s paper about the possible closure of Ayr ice rink (Mouat: Energy price hike is killing Olympic momentum, Jul 3). When are we going to see a real fightback against the energy companies?
It could have been predicted long before the prices were hiked that the increased burden would lead to a massive assault on public and voluntary-sector provision. Not only will ice rinks have to close, but swimming pools, sports centres, libraries, community centres, museums and other public facilities will be pushed over the edge because of the basic, excessive greed of the energy companies. They have twigged that they can name their price and no-one will do anything about it.
Where is the outrage? Who is going to DO anything about this? Why is everyone lying down and saying “kick me harder please!”
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I’ve just come back from two weeks in Argyll and all around is evidence of decay, neglect, closure and infrastructural withering and it is depressing. This is generally the rule all over Scotland, the ferries being a hard example notwithstanding the wonderful performance of any I used and their excellent staff. The only consolation is the beautiful natural environment.
I worked in local authority leisure departments for more than 20 years before such departments disappeared almost overnight around 2000. I had been part of the new dream of local government reorganisation in the mid-1970s when the importance of leisure as a standalone discipline was recognised and bespoke departments were created.
These were not created on a whim. They were part of a planned process of public provision (when we used to plan!) and the aim was to provide the wherewithal for healthy minds and bodies, reducing demands made on health and social work services. I view it as no coincidence that there has been a rise in physical and mental health service demand since leisure services were buried.
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I firmly believe in an independent Scotland. I can’t understand the reluctance of the “don’t-knows” to accept that their lot would be drastically improved if we could bring about the investment needed to reinvigorate the public sector (viz the Scandinavian countries). We could borrow, and there would be no shortage of investors, but we also need to stop talking about our renewables potential and get them quickly into public ownership to stop us all being screwed by the vultures in the private sector.
We also need to stop talking about our vast water resources and start accessing them via extraction, filtration and distribution infrastructure. As we keep saying ad infinitum, we need to stop talking and start acting. The Tories do the absolute opposite and always act without even talking, to all our injury, but not their own. Tories are only ever out for themselves. Let’s please waken up and start ACTING, and I appeal mainly to politicians who really need to back up the “enough is enough” rhetoric with some proper defiant fight!
Jim Finnie
Pitlochry
SO Labour is planning not to oppose the Tory legislation to ban the boycotting of goods from Israel. Hardly a surprise if you have watched The Labour Files on Al Jazeera.
The lack of any meaningful response from authorities around the world to the plight of Palestinians makes me wonder what hope Scotland has in any plea to the international courts of justice or the UN in seeking our independence.
Roddie Macpherson
Avoch
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