Your letters to the Advertiser this week

Don't forget that if you want to see your views appear in our next print edition, all you have to do is email them to editorial@helensburghadvertiser.co.uk. Happy writing!

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COUNCILLOR David Kinniburgh, chair of Argyll & Bute Council’s planning, protective services and licensing committee, claims to be “mystified” by the decision of the Scottish Government reporter to uphold the appeal against his committee’s decision to refuse permission for two widely-supported homes for disabled ex-servicemen at Bloomhill (Helensburgh Advertiser, October 13).

The decision is only mystifying if you believe that green belt policy is a pass or fail test. It is not.

If it were, there would be much less of a need for a planning process in Scotland, and our nation’s urgent need for more social housing, private housing and overall economic development could never be met.

In his position Cllr Kinniburgh will of course be aware that a proposal being contrary to policy does not mean that it must be refused, if there are material considerations that suggest otherwise.

As a local councillor for Cardross we are glad to have his support for the “concept” of housing disabled veterans. More usefully, we hope to work with him on realising that concept at Bloomhill, pending the outcome of a judicial review decision.

Colin Donald

The Chrystal Trust

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I WAS concerned to read Paul Behan's article 'Government plans to slash NHS services voted down' in the October 6 issue of the Advertiser.

As the article makes clear, the proposals come from Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board and not the Government. Why did you intentionally state that the proposals were the government's when they clearly are not?

Your lie is further compounded by the fact that almost all the council nominees on the Health Board are Labour members; the one exception is a solitary Liberal Democrat member.

There is no SNP council member on the health board so no SNP elected member was involved in the board's proposals. It was Mrs Baillie's Labour chums including local West Dunbartonshire councillor Gail Casey.

Why have you not challenged Jackie Baillie MSP over her Labour colleagues allowing these proposals? When did Mrs Baillie know about them and what was she told by her colleagues? The whole thing sounds very suspicious.

Mrs Baillie has played a key part in the salami slicing of the Vale over the years . She runs the Labour machine in Dumbarton and West Dunbartonshire and directs her Labour place people on the health board.

Even more curiously Mrs Baillie is the chair of the Vale Campaign Group, of which I and others are members. Mrs Baillie has failed to call a meeting of the group this year. Would your readers not have thought Mrs Baillie would have sought to gain wide cross and non party support from the campaign group concerning these proposals?

The one thing we do know about Jackie Baillie is that she would gladly see the Vale close if that was the price of the expanded Golden Jubilee Hospital, which is not even in her constituency. She has said this at previous Campaign Group meetings.

Jackie Baillie is to the Vale of Leven Hospital what Herod was to the first born, but she could teach him a thing or two about subtle manipulation.

Graeme McCormick,

Convener, SNP Dumbarton Constituency Association

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I WAS disappointed but hardly surprised to read reports of our local MP Brendan O’Hara banging on about the ‘obscenity’ of Faslane as SNP conference voted to scrap Trident.

Did he even bother to mention the thousands of his own constituents who work at the base during his speech to the party faithful?

He doesn’t seem to be interested in even pretending to care about the livelihoods of people in his own local community.

He also told the conference that the UK is going against the wishes of most Scottish MPs and MSPs by renewing Trident.

Well, let me just remind him that, despite the rhetoric and grandstanding from our politicians, opinion poll after opinion poll has shown that most Scots are in favour of Trident. And if we could organise our own opinion poll for Helensburgh and Lomond I am pretty sure that it would show that our local MP is out of touch with the views of the vast majority of people he is paid to represent.

Christopher Fagan

Helensburgh

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I HAVE been fascinated watching the SNP conference on TV.

Here is Mr Mike Russell, MSP for Argyll and Bute, insisting that the SNP are not putting forward a plan ‘designed to fail’ as part of his party’s negotiations on Brexit.

He already knows that SNP demands cannot be met in full. As Scottish Minister on Brexit he is only too aware that the SNP demand of ‘best for Scotland – not second best’ leaves no room for negotiation.

The MSP is correct: not designed to fail, but to justify a second independence referendum.

The First Minister’s closing speech was very engaging. So engaging that every phrase was followed by applause – indeed I thought she was participating in a fundraising ‘clapathon’.

And what did we learn? Well, she and her colleagues have been enjoying dozens of city breaks over the summer. Not for a suntan but to promote Scotland as a country of poo – progressive, open, and outward looking.

Any polite or courteous response is naively interpreted as support for Scotland remaining in the EU.

But the word Nicola wants us to remember is ‘inclusion’. Inclusion in a second referendum; inclusion in higher tax rates than the rest of the UK; inclusion in increased centralisation of power to Holyrood.

The FM asked us to think of “what might have been”. I can think of many things.

If the SNP during their nine years in office had addressed the true needs of the Scottish people then we might have had: better and functioning ferries on the Clyde; many more nurses, GPs, midwives and social workers trained; far more homes built; 41,000 people trained for employment had Mr Russell not cut college places; and a reduction in the education attainment gap.

Another conference, another ask to ‘Trust the FM’, another step towards a second referendum, but not a conference addressing the genuine needs and aspirations of the people.

Finlay Craig

Shore Road, Cove

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IT was intriguing to note the First Minister state that she believes a deal could be reached which would allow Scotland on Brexit to retain membership of the single market, only to be immediately ridiculed by the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell MP.

Intriguingly, on the very same day it was heralded that the UK was looking at potentially continuing to pay billions of pounds into the EU budget after Brexit to maintain cherished access to the single market for the City of London and other key sectors.

The Prime Minister also assured Japanese car maker Nissan that trading conditions for its Sunderland car plant would not change after Brexit, suggesting that the government could pick favoured sectors to shield from the impact of leaving the EU.

It is indeed interesting to note the UK Government is happy to do deals for specific sectors and parts of the UK, but seems more than a little averse to recognising that Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU.

Alex Orr

77 Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh

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SIXTEEN years ago there had never been a single case of a child being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK. BBC’s Panorama revealed last week that there are now more than 500 cases – and rising.

October is International Walk to School Month – not a date many of us will have in our diary, but as 'walk to school' rates hit a dangerous low point, and child health problems increase, maybe it should be.

Walking more can lead to improved physical and mental health, including reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. The journey to school is one that children make every day, so let’s just make it an active one.

Catchment areas can be an issue but Park and Stride – swapping school gate gridlock for parking further away and taking a short walk instead – means children can still get active for part of the journey, and stops the school being surrounded by congestion.

If you could park further away and walk the last stretch then ask your school to speak to a nearby supermarket, pub or church about allowing their car park to be used for Park and Stride.

Soaring diabetes, childhood obesity and harmful air pollution mean we need to seek solutions – not excuses – and give them a go. International Walk to School Month is a good time to start.

Tim Fitches

Research and Evaluation Manager, Living Streets

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IN a recent Holyrood debate on rural communities, shadow rural affairs secretary Peter Chapman said the SNP had “turned its back” on the countryside.

He also said Nationalists were "too focused on centralising things in the central belt and their obsession with independence was distracting from governing communities up and down Scotland".

The shocking delay in single farm payments is just one example of this. It is a very worrying trend that is coming from the SNP government.

People living in Scotland's rural communities are constantly being side-lined in these 'one size fits all' SNP policies.

Scotland's rural communities deserve better.

Alastair Redman

Portnahaven, Islay