The poor state of broadband on Mull

Rewilding of Scotland will address damage

Sir,

Iain Thornber bemoans the wacky characters and quirky schemes attracted to rural Scotland (Morvern Lines, February 15) and it is certainly true that some major landowners have inflicted a great deal of damage on Highland culture and ecology over the past 200 years or so.

However, he fails to understand that ‘rewilding’ is in part an attempt to redress some of that damage. He attacks the idea of rewilding by saying: ‘At its most extreme, rewilding implies zero-intervention by humans, but no matter how hard anyone may try, it is almost impossible to find unaltered landscapes in Europe, including Scotland.’

He said it! I doubt if many serious conservationists propose rewilding ‘at its most extreme’ and if the landscape were ‘unaltered’, there would be no need in any case.

Wolves and bears wander freely in the Abruzzo mountains of central Italy, little more than 100 miles from Rome – a popular tourist area and hardly an unspoiled wilderness. And lynx are found in southern Scandinavia in farmed landscapes, as long as there is sufficient forest cover.

Mr Thornber refers to (presumably) these species as ‘dangerous predators’, but lynx attacks on humans are unheard of across Europe. And he worries that the deer which have been present for 10,000 years are to be ‘sacrificed’, but the deer coexisted with lynx (and wolves and bears) for most of that time and they now probably occur in higher numbers than at any previous time during that period.

The impact of lynx on deer numbers is likely to be modest and certainly wouldn’t result in their eradication. They may even disproportionately impact the introduced forest-loving sika deer (result of past landowner follies and a hybridisation threat to native red deer).

As regards the Eigg stone, one could argue whether it depicts a non-indigenous lion, or a, possibly indigenous, lynx, but the Inchnadamph lynx (the identification of which he wrongly implies is in doubt) has been carbon dated to around AD180 and further fossil remains from Yorkshire have been dated to as recently as AD600. So depiction of a native lynx on a carving from the ninth century is not so improbable.

Given the low density at which lynx would naturally occur, the conditions needed for fossilisation, and the need to then find them, it is hardly surprising that fossil evidence is scarce.

I can find a little common ground with Mr Thornber in that the only serious suggestion for reintroducing lynx and other large mammals on the islands that I am aware of was from eminent mammologist, the late Derek Yalden, back in 1986. He proposed a long-term attempt to re-establish the native fauna on the Island of Rum National Nature Reserve. However, Rum, at about 100km² is probably not big enough to sustain viable populations and Eigg certainly isn’t.

Any serious attempt at reintroducing lynx in Scotland would have to be on the mainland, but I get the sense that, whatever the evidence, Mr Thornber will still not think there’s enough room for them. Sir,

I live on Loch Scridain, which is lovely but means I’m connected to the Tiroran exchange. It can only supply a broadband speed of 0.5mbps, 1/50th of the UK average and 1/20th of the average from a conventional BT exchange.

I remember when the exchange was upgraded to this limited form of broadband and it seemed wonderful, but now it’s a real inhibition to the normal course of life. We can’t access things others take for granted, such as catch-up TV, Netflix or even the music service on Amazon Prime, and local businesses have to warn residents not to stream things on their phones.

Those things are luxuries but it increasingly effects essentials. Microsoft issues updates of 10gbs, a threeday download if everything is working OK, and more and more software companies no longer issue anything on disc. Some downloads are as much as 45gbs, which is just not practical for us. Businesses often find their credit card machines don’t work.

Currently the government is recommending satellite broadband but a 10mb service costs about the same as a mobile data contract and you have to keep your landline because satellite isn’t good for conversations, so that’s an extra £40 per month - in other words, it’s around £90 per month to get an average service from a BT exchange.

The collapse of Gigha Plus, the latest of many Scottish Government promises to improve our connection, should be the subject of an inquiry. Where was the due diligence in awarding a contract to a company on the brink of bankruptcy and why was all the money given to it before the work was completed?

Here is an alternative: upgrade the two local exchanges, Pennyghael and Tiroran, so they are capable of coping with the Scottish Government’s promise of fibre optic for all by 2021. A by-product would be they are also capable of giving residents up to 17mbps (the average from an ADSL exchange is 9.5mbps) right now.

It would cost less than the price of a new Mondeo – I checked.

Damage is being done to the environment

Sir,

The communications group EE erecting numerous tall towers Argyll.

Locally to me in Tayvallich, there are at least two major works in progress. The works are causing extensive damage is in to the environment and wildlife.

There is litter everywhere, the single-track road is undermined and the works are causing mud slurry and flooding. Trees are being uprooted in a national nature reserve.

The towers themselves are not needed in such a sparsely populated area as existing networks are good. They are even bringing in contractors outwith Argyll.

This is a serious issue that is affecting communities all over Argyll and EE should answer our concerns, not least as to how these works were approved without local consultation.

Patching roads will prove more costly

Sir,

Highway engineering professionals have been predicting for decades that, without major investment, the terminal deterioration of our roads network was inevitable.

Only planned reconstruction work will prevent further decline in the network and continuing to patch potholes with sticking plaster or, in modern parlance, ‘managed condition decline’ is dangerous, not sustainable and in the long-term more costly.

Rise of anti-semitism in Britain

Sir,

It’s sad that in 2018 I write to you and express my concerns about the rise in anti-semitism in our country.

Attacks on Jewish people in the UK have hit record levels. In the past year, the charity that monitors anti-semitic abuse recorded 1,382 hate crimes.

That’s a three per cent increase on 2016 figures and it is the highest figure since statistics were first recorded 34 years ago.

One of the reasons that it is rising is that extremists in taxpayer-funded universities can hold Israel Apartheid Week events. These events promote a message that Israel treats people differently because of their race. It is a lie.

In fact, it is the same type of lie that the Nazis spread in the 1930s that led to six million people being dehumanised and murdered.

The government has adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-semitism. That definition explains that describing Israel as a racist endeavour is anti-semitic.

Yet, in 2018, we are still having to fight what has been described as the world’s oldest hatred - anti-semitism.

It’s time for our government to act and finally fill the hole in our laws that allows this hatred to be publicly tolerated in our country.

I’d encourage all your readers to join the campaign to stamp out racism at www.israelbritain.org.uk/news.

Ach tha innleachd ùr casg astair tur eadar-dhealaichte air feadh na dùthcha a-nise le staid nan rathaidean cho dona le tuill is nach gabh siubhal fiù ‘s aig an astar cheadaichte gun fhìor chunnart millidh air carbad.

Ged a tha truas agam ris an fheadhainn a tha a’ mìneachadh mar a tha gainnead airgid is droch aimsir air seo adhbharachadh, cha ghabh gearraidhean anns t-seirbheis seo idir a sparradh air daoine mar a tha a’ tachairt le seirbheisean eile! Is fheàrr brèid na toll, ach ‘s uaisle toll na tuthag. Tha an seanfhacal gu cinnteach ceàrr san t- suidheachadh seo.

WHILE the Scottish people grumble, but are obliged to tolerate, about continuing cuts to public services, the desperate state of our roads network cannot be argued away by any political blaming.

Provision of safe travel networks is a fundamental responsibility of government and these roads must be repaired without delay.