Hares are important to the eco-system

BT dictates pace of broadband delivery

Sir,

I am writing to add to the comments made by Richard Warwick on the state of rural broadband (Letters, The Oban Times, March 1).

My husband and I have recently resorted to getting satellite broadband, so fed up were we with what the telephone line provides. While it works, it is expensive (despite the grant available for installation), and we see it as a temporary measure until the Scottish Government delivers on its promise of 100 per cent coverage of fast broadband by 2021.

I don’t see this as an impressive promise. Rather it is very late delivery of what we should already have.

In the UK, we are woefully behind other countries.

For too long our politicians have allowed BT to dictate the pace of delivering broadband. Are we surprised that a commercial company is not interested in rural areas which provide very little return for investment in infrastructure?

But it is even more shocking if a relatively small sum, the price of a new car, is all it takes to make small changes to the infrastructure we already have and upgrade the local exchanges so that they can deliver ‘normal’ broadband.

Why has BT been allowed to get away with not doing this?

In the absence of BT doing anything useful, Gigaplus Argyll was a recent attempt to put in place an alternative. A lot of time and money went into it before it sadly failed due to the demise of AB internet.

It is just another insult to the community that government officials have shown complete inflexibility on applying their rules on funding and won’t allow the existing equipment to be used by a future venture that would continue the work started. They would prefer it sat there to decay rather then be used.

And so the wait for proper broadband continues. Marie Fox,

Tigh Na Con, Tiroran, Isle of Mull

Waking up to 21st-century retailing

Sir,

The problems causing the enclosure of national retail chains like Toys R Us and Maplin are also impacting businesses here in Oban. So why are local politicians and trade groups refusing to act and think we still live in Victorian times?

Many people, and women in particular, now have such busy lives they have little time to shop, so it is much easier to go online. This rapid change in buyer behaviour is made worse by high property rents for high street shops compared to out-of-town stores and the punitive level of business rates as Holyrood seeks the mass strangling of golden geese.

Retail shopping in Oban is very enjoyable but we must change things to match the emerging 21st-century way of living. A handsome prince must be found quickly to awaken Kilmory Castle councillors from their slumbers and start to lobby Holyrood.

Oban business leaders must not only give solicitors and accountants earache over their high charges but try to waken tax haven-based property companies to the new realities of Scottish retailing.

And more local training courses must be provided to help retailers offer both bricks and mortar and click buying to customers. Mike Foster,

Sannox, Crannaig a Mhinister, Oban. Sir,

I must admit I quite enjoy reading your regular contributor Iain Thornber’s articles on all things Scottish, even though I do not always agree with him.

In your issue of February 22, he was chronicling the demise of hares, both the brown hare and the mountain hare.

Although a long time ago, he quotes that, towards the end of the 19th century, their numbers began to decrease by as much as 80 per cent, but goes on to say that on the Kintyre peninsula, during the early 1930s, daily bags of 1,000 were the rule rather than the exception.

To me, this encapsulates the attitude of many so-called sportsmen even today – in other words, choosing to ignore science in favour of their ‘sport’.

He finishes by suggesting hares would be better candidates for rewilding than lynx.

First of all, hares are not extinct in Scotland, despite many grouse moor owners’ attempts to achieve this.

There are many recent reports of mass culls of mountain hares on driven grouse moors, supposedly to protect red grouse from ticks. Yet the red grouse, which are reared in hugely artificially high numbers, will either be shot or die from disease.

It is also no coincidence that mountain hares form a large part of the golden eagles’ diet, and golden eagles, like anything else which dares to interfere with grouse numbers, are not welcome on driven grouse moors.

On a lighter note, I would love to see a video of a hare jumping backwards over a hedge! Ian Hopkins. Isle of Bute.

Red deer claims do not bear scrutiny

Sir,

I write in relation to two claims made by Iain Thornber in his column Morvern Lines (The Oban Times, March 8).

The first is where he claimed that red deer numbers in the West Highlands are ‘already at their lowest ever’. His claim was then used to prop up a lurid argument against proposed re-introduction of lynx, albeit confused by conflation of lynx and wolves.

I’m no authority on ecological matters, I am just one of a newer generation of readers who will not blindly accept every claim presented as fact, especially when the claim is then used in a clear and tabloid attempt to colour the thinking of the reader in relation to events yet to happen. It’s never been easier for the ordinary person to carry out their own online research to check such claims.

The Scottish Government report, Wild Deer in Scotland, 13/74, November 8, 2013, says: ‘Red deer numbers on the open hill have increased substantially (around a 75-80 per cent increase) since the 1960s’ and ‘The most recent population estimates for Scotland suggest overall numbers of between 360,000-400,000 red deer’.

This suggests to me that in this matter Mr Thornber is ignorant of Scottish Government statistics and is all too willing to provide false accounts for our collective memory. With this in mind, I’d invite Mr Thornber to elaborate and substantiate his claim relating to record low red deer numbers, with references.

The second claim is where he follows up with the inflammatory statement: ‘The problem is not the deer but the humans, which is so often the case where country matters are concerned.’

Here he appears to be suggesting that it is not the number of deer that is the problem but instead the number of humans in the countryside.

May I point out that that tactic has already been used and the land has not yet recovered from the application of those ‘country matters’. John Beaton, Oban.

Grateful thanks to The Oban Times

Sir,

In January, The Oban Times drew attention to the fact that Argyll and Bute Council had included disbanding its Road Safety Unit as a budget saving option for next year.

As you may be aware, this was rejected at the council’s meeting on February 22 and I am sure this was, in part, due to the level of response by the public.

For this reason I would like to sincerely thank you for helping to save this essential service. Carl Olivarius, Retired road safety officer, Argyll and Bute Council.

Kept in touch by the best of friends

Sir,

I left Caol 49 years ago and moved down south.

For almost half a century, my school friend Neeny Ross (Inverlochy and Caol) never missed a week in sending me the then Highland News and now the Lochaber Times.

I enjoy getting all the news from back home, all the football and shinty reports and the Lochaber Athletic Club updates in which Neeny’s family are involved.

Neeny Ross is the best friend any man could have. He’s simply the best. Ian (the Gate) MacDonald, 71 Beanfield Avenue,

Corby, Northants.

Ailean Caimbeul