Bridges or aircraft carriers

Sir, – I note in his reply to me (Letters December 11) that Clark Cross fails to address any of the points I raised in response to his original complaint regarding Scotland’s infrastructure.

Mr Cross states that the SNP have had 11 years to “sort out... Scotland’s bridges and damaged and potholed roads.”

He omits that roads and bridges require regular maintenance, augmentation and replacement. A process criminally neglected by decades of Labour, Tory and LibDem administrations.

With Westminster reducing our budget year after year, a £30 billion Labour PFI bill to contend with and monies being spent on protecting us from Tory policies we didn’t vote for, our government is still pressing ahead with a house, hospital and school building programme unmatched in the UK.

While the SNP build bridges, the Tories build aircraft carriers.

If Mr Cross considers our own government’s spending plans worthy of complaint, perhaps he will address the shambles of Crossrail, still incomplete and costing almost £3 billion more than the original budget. Or the equally shambolic HS2 project, with neither benefiting Scotland in spite of Scottish revenues being pumped into both.

He attempts to deflect attention from his original complaint by moving on to higher education. Under EU legislation, European students in Scotland are entitled to the same grants as Scottish students, unpalatable as it is to the gentleman. This is a reciprocal agreement. As to his other gripe concerning the cap, the current policy is in place to aid more Scots from disadvantaged backgrounds into higher education.

Finally, I am not a member of the SNP, however I do believe in Scottish independence. The SNP aim to deliver that. I also appreciate good government, which they are already delivering.

If Mr Cross has a better alternative, perhaps he will name them along

with the beneficial policies they would enact. Ken Clark. Thorter Way, Dundee.