Your letters to the Helensburgh Advertiser: March 16, 2017

If you witness a crime in progress and need the police to respond swiftly you should contact them via the 999 telephone number. Give the police as much information as you can and ask for and note down the incident number which will allow you to call back later on the non-emergency 101 number to find out the outcome of the incident.

If you do not get a swift response to a 999 call raise it with your MSP and ask them to find out why.

John F Robins,

Bainfield Road,

Cardross

At THE February Community Council meeting the current travails of the rail service from and to Helensburgh were discussed.

It was felt that there was a need to examine both rail and bus facilities serving the town and raise recommendations on improvement and instances of bad service to the appropriate authorities. Individual complaints and comments are not likely to have the same impact as a group of people in agreement on particular issues.

Therefore, the Community Council will facilitate a meeting of transport users who wish to see an improvement in transport services in the town and are interested in forming a transport users group.

The meeting is in the Jubilee Room of Victoria Halls on March 27, from 7pm.

Norman Muir

Convener,

Helensburgh Community Council

If A ‘henge’ is defined as ‘an earthwork, a circular-shaped bank with an internal ditch’, then there is a henge looking over the Clyde estuary and Loch Lomond at Helensburgh.

The most famous ‘henge’ of course is Stonehenge, the world heritage site in England.

It is a pity that the Scots did not take their heritage as seriously as the English. As mechanical shovels tear into the Old Luss Road that runs through the centre of the Helensburgh Henge and quarrying eats away at the cup and ring stone sites around Dumbarton, what hope is there for future generations of Scots to wonder at their Scottish heritage?

Cairns, mounds, forts and cup and ring marked stones, from the time of Stonehenge, abound in the southern reaches of Loch Lomond.

With more than 31 ancient sites marked on the local OS map, and many more unmarked sites disappearing gradually into the mist surrounding quarrying, golf-courses, roadworks and local apathy.

At this latitude of Scotland the richness of its prehistoric past far exceeds any other area of Britain, but for how long?

George Coulthard

Levenbank Gardens,

Jamestown,

Alexandria

The death last week of Adam Bergius marks the end of a man who contributed greatly to education in Helensburgh and to the success of Lomond School.

It must have been a very considerable challenge to anybody in those late 1970s to become involved in – to him – a very different challenge.

He was faced with two schools with serious financial problems, and indeed any real future.

While both schools dated into the past they were very different in ethos as being single sex at a time when most private schools had given little consideration to that kind of change.

Adam took over as chairman of a very strong body as governors, all of whom had very different backgrounds, but all with a determination to make a success in the future.

The start was demanding, involving governors who had their own considerable demands on their time, and whom he was able to get together over those early months, either for breakfast or supper, usually in Miss Drever Smith’s house, and to put together workable schemes.

Then there were numerous meetings with parents, with banks, and with the local authority – meetings that were not always sympathetic but which he managed with common sense and a recognisable naval authority.

It involved him in another world from his own experience with a successful firm, teachers, and learning about another kind of teacher.

He made a very considerable move by investing his son’s future in this new body. His was a very personal commitment.

The success of this new school, a new principal, new staff, nine scattered buildings, not all in pristine condition, and two schools with already different philosophies and ages.

There is no doubt in my mind that the success of Lomond and its enduring condition owes much to Adam.

From my point of view I could always contact him, he would always listen to my concerns, and while not always agreeing, he was happy to listen, and on important points to support that final decision.

Helensburgh has been fortunate in having many men, and women who have made a great contribution to the town, and there in no doubt in my mind that Adam Bergius played a major part in establishing a very good school in a happy, worthwhile way – a way which was by no means easy or without problems.

David Arthur

Victoria Crescent,

Helensburgh

The law of unintended consequences is essentially that the actions of people – and especially of government – always have unanticipated or “unintended” effects.

History is littered with the results of unintended consequences. Henry VIII’s desire for a male heir led to the formation of the Church of England, the Liberal Democrats’ 2010 broken manifesto promise has led to Brexit, and goodness knows what the Conservatives’ broken 2015 manifesto promise on tax will do.

RL Mackie,

Helensburgh

Like many people I have considerable reservations regarding Donald Trump’s ability to be an effective President of the USA. Of course we have to respect the decision of the American electorate.

However, I strongly support the position of Alistair Carmichael, Scottish Liberal Democrat MP, who has called on British government ministers to take the lead in condemning the use of torture or waterboarding and to make it clear to President Trump’s administration that a return to using torture by the USA would lead to a withdrawal of sharing of intelligence with them.

The UK has always led the world with our opposition to torture. In recent years by co-operating with rendition and the use of torture we stained our reputation.

We should remind our MPs, ministers and leaders that there is no occasion where torture is in any way acceptable.

Finlay Craig

Shore Road,

Cove

I TAKE great exception to the statement of Ms Sturgeon that she speaks for me and fellow Scots who voted to remain in the EU that we want another Scottish referendum.

We did vote to remain in the UK in 2014 and will do so again. We do not wish to return to the divisive politics of that time. What part of no does she not understand?

Scotland is falling behind because of her poor SNP government and failed policies on education, employment, centralisation of police, increased waiting times at hospitals. All under her watch.

We have just had our new council tax bills in, with increases imposed by Holyrood.

Obviously they want us to pay for their next referendum.

In the words of the Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Willie Rennie: “Our United Kingdom is an uplifting, mutually beneficial partnership that we should cherish rather than trash. We must stand up and be counted for our values. This is a battle of ideas and values, not of identities and flags.”

Margaret Horrell,

via email

If THE Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is such a great leader – as some political pundits impress upon us – maybe latest polling begs some questions.

Jeremy Corbyn is seen as a ‘dreadful’ leader with the latest Labour poll ratings at 25 per cent. How, then, can Ruth Davidson be a ‘successful’ leader with latest poll ratings in Scotland for the council elections putting her party at 18 per cent?

Maybe Ms Davidson’s party conference, where she and Mrs May lectured the people of Scotland about how they were the masters of Scotland and we should meekly accept them, played a part in this change.

Nevertheless, if Jeremy Corbyn is a ‘hapless’ leader for poll ratings, with a one per cent rise, what’s the word to describe a leader who loses nearly a third of their support in three weeks?

Graham Roberts

Caithness Street,

Glasgow