Desperate need for spending on roads

Canadian teacher faces discrimination

Sir,

I notice Sine Halfpenny has again been refused a visa to work as a Gaelic-speaking teacher at Bunessan Primary School on the Isle of Mull (The Oban Times, February 15).

Sadly, this was inevitable due to the applicant being a Canadian citizen and because we cannot have totally unlimited immigration.

On page 18 of the same issue of The Oban Times, it is reported SNP Rural Affairs Minister Fergus Ewing says: ‘EU migrant workers are essential to farming.’

What utter nonsense.

Far from doing any trade deals with the EU, we should boycott them, and should ban all imports from EU countries in protest against racism. Once we leave the EU in March 2019, the UK should adopt non-racist immigration laws. We should say ‘no’ to discrimination against non-Europeans.

Return of predators has consequences

Sir,

Your article headlined Big predators for the Small Isles (The Oban Times, Thursday February 15) was interesting and would be marvellous if successful.

However, we must not forget many predators can swim. In modern times, regrettably, it may not be practical or wise and lead to sad solutions in the future.

I point out to you the situation in respect of Norway. Two years ago, a guide there told me that in the summer sheep are moved to the high pastures but have to be accompanied by a shepherd because of attacks by predators. This increases the cost. Some wolves are shot, some are trapped and moved.

Last year my son, who lives in Sweden, sent me details of a news item. The Norwegian government had decided to cull the wolves by two thirds, reducing their numbers from more than 60 to 20-plus. I have no idea how this is progressing but I believe it was a sad decision.

Those advocating the re-introduction of certain species should first look at the impact they have in modern countries where they still exist, and make an honest and practical comparison before their introduction in Scotland.

Tourists should be warned about roads

Sir,

Driving in Oban and the surrounding area is no longer a pleasure. Avoiding ruts, potholes, exposed manhole covers and loose chippings has become part of the daily driving experience, making driving on our roads increasingly dangerous.

It is a real concern because tourists will be arriving soon with motorbikes, caravans, campervans and bicycles. With the roads in their current state, I envisage accidents, injuries and maybe even deaths.

Unless Argyll and Bute Council gets its act together to deal with the problem, maybe visitors should be warned before they come. I wouldn’t like to go on holiday and discover roads like ours.

On a different note, has The Oban Times thought about holding a competition similar to the bonnie babies competition? You could call it The Bonnie Pothole Competition and we could all send in our photos.

And, while I’m on the subject of dilapidated services, with reference to the bin collections, how about ‘The Biggest Rat Competition’? I leave that to your imagination. Send in your rat stories.

Litter-bugs are spoiling our country

Sir,

Littering is an criminal offence in Scotland and is perpetrated by lazy, selfish people who are too idle to take their rubbish home or to the nearest bin. They seem intent on despoiling one of the most naturally beautiful countries in the world.

Who would want to visit our countryside, towns or beaches when they are full of plastic bottles, cans, old rope and dog poo bags?

Clean Up Scenic Scotland (CUSS) and I do so on a daily basis.

Single-pupil school is waste of money

Sir,

Councillor Aileen Morton, leader of Argyll and Bute Council, issued a press release on February 9 stating these were tough times for local government with Argyll and Bute Council having to save £5 million in the financial year 2018-19 and save a further £22 million over the next two financial years.

I suggest a simple way for Councillor Morton to make inroads into the £5 million to be saved this year.

I recently heard through the grapevine that Minard Primary School has one pupil on its roll yet, according to the current Minard Primary School handbook, there are five members of staff employed.

There is an acting head teacher, a PE teacher one morning per week (on a Wednesday, shared with Furnace Primary School), a clerical assistant who works 16.5 hours per week and five per week as a classroom assistant, a catering assistant, who is also employed as the janitor and a catering manager.

Goodness knows how much it costs to run Minard Primary School during the school year but it will be well over £50,000 and possibly closer to £100,000 for this one pupil.

This is a scandalous waste of hardpressed council resources when Furnace Primary School is only four miles along the A85 from Minard. Sir,

We have a desperate need for infrastructure spending across Kintyre and the Islands, along with the rest of Argyll and Bute.

All of the numerous requests for roads, drains, pavements and street lighting repairs I have been receiving from across my council ward have been issued directly to Jim Smith, the council’s head of roads and amenity services.

While speaking to Mr Smith, I pointed out the long wait we have all been having to put up with before any even rudimentary road repairs are completed.

Live exports breach EU regulations

Sir,

I welcome the opportunity to respond to your recent article about the live export of farm animals.

First, I need to emphasise that the ever-growing call to stop live exports relates only to livestock destined for slaughter or further fattening, as we do not oppose export of breeding stock as their conditions of transportation are invariably superior.

Neither do we want any further restriction on the transport of livestock to market from remote or island locations.

What does concern us is the long-distance transportation to countries outside the UK.

Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing claims he is committed to adhering to current EU rigorous regulatory standards so I challenge him to join me in condemning the transportation of livestock from Stranraer to Larne where, once in Northern Ireland, they can subsequently be exported via Dublin and Rosslare to Cherbourg and thence to any part of the EU.

It is no exaggeration to say Scottish sheep are being sent on export journeys of up to 2,000 miles so that they can be slaughtered by halal methods, not for their meat, but as sacrificial religious offerings.

The Northern Ireland Authority has been approving official journey logs for export transportation which flagrantly breach the EU regulations which Mr Ewing so admires and which are designed to protect the animals from abuse but don’t.

The EU Commission itself admits, unlike Mr Ewing, that the regulations throughout Europe are not being observed or enforced.

It is no secret that within the UK livestock farming community, dealers and transporters can bypass the regulations with very little fear of being prosecuted.

By doing so, they increase their profits at the expense of pain and suffering for the animals sent to their grisly deaths on nightmare journeys. an tairgse chòmhraidhean a thug Kim Yo-jong às leth a bràthair, ceannard Chorea a Tuath, aig na Geamaichean Geamhraidh ann an Seoul, aig an aon àm ‘s e cothrom a th’ ann air an fhiach brath a ghabhail. Dh’fhaodadh toradh fàs à leithid de chòmhradh agus chan eil dad ri chall às an oidhirp. Nach math mar sin gun do ghèill Iar Cheann-suidhe nan Stàitean, Mike Pence, ri cronachadh air a chuid fuaralachd ri riochdairean Chorea a Tuath, agus gum bheil dòchas a-nise air coinneamh eadar riaghaltasan Chorea a Tuath agus a’ chinn a Deas, agus cuideachd le riochdairean bho na Stàitean Aonaichte.

Mas math leat sìth, càirdeas agus cluain, èist, faic, agus fuirich sàmhach. An turas seo bidh feum air beagan a labhairt, agus a labhairt gu math! LIKE all countries, South Korea and the USA share responsibility for peace and they have nothing to lose but potentially much to gain from responding positively to the North Korean offer of talks.