Glowing picture of the old days

Sir, – When I read Andrew Arbuckle’s piece “Sad to lose this local link” (August 6), I was reminded of an article in the Holyrood Magazine which expressed similar sentiment around the time of the move towards multi-member constituencies.

It painted a glowing picture of the days when, “it was possible to bump into the Provost on his way to and from the town hall, or to drop in to see the burgh engineer about a hole in the road, there was a sense of communal ownership of local democracy.

“Local rows might become more intense and local feelings might run high about minor issues on such a row, but the upside was that there was a shared desire to see appropriate services provided to the highest standard” and if it all seemed to be costing too much “then there was the burgh treasurer to buttonhole at the paper shop or pub”.

It went on to say that it was important to “return decision making to each community. That means putting into the hands of ordinary people control of the place in which they live and giving them the means to hold to account those who represent them. So ‘back to the burghs’it must be”.

The author of this piece? None other than Mike Russell. Yes, the same Mike Russell who went on to become a list MSP for South of Scotland with an electorate of some 500,000 and stretching from Kilmarnock to Berwickshire.

As you say Mr Russell: “Nothing beats keeping it local!” Ray Russell. 16 Byron Crescent, Dundee.

According to Hughes: “The average household electricity bill would increase from some £500 per year at 2010 prices to around £800 in 2020 if we rely on wind power.”

This huge investment in an expensive and inflexible technology that is not even very green will be worse than a simple policy mistake – it will be a major economic blunder Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, StAndrews. Send letters to – Letters, The Courier, 80 Kingsway East, Dundee DD4 8SL. or email letters@thecourier.co.uk Letters should be accompanied by an address and a daytime telephone number. The Courier retains the right to edit letters.