http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/herald-lettersHerald Letters | Herald ScotlandenCopyright 2012 Herald & Times Group all rights reservedSun, 27 May 2012 00:35:02 PDTCopyright 2012 Herald & Times Group all rights reservednoHerald Letters | Herald Scotlandhttp://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/we-need-to-talk-about-elizabeth.17677801http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/we-need-to-talk-about-elizabeth.17677801Independence for Scotland was never going to be as straightforward as transferring popularity for the SNP in domestic politics to a divorce from the Union (Yes Scotland heading for a right Royal bust-up as SSP breaks ranks, 20 May).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/council-coalitions-arent-the-problem.17692074http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/council-coalitions-arent-the-problem.17692074The publication of a letter describing a Labour/Conservative alliance as "the ultimate betrayal" followed by another labelling an SNP/Conservative coalition as "deeply disappointing" illustrates the realities of proportional representation (Alliance is the ultimate betrayal, Letters, May 20).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/labouring-under-false-impressions.17692079http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/labouring-under-false-impressions.17692079Alison Gray asserts that in the recent council elections, Glasgow's citizens "voted for a party which had provided good-quality council leadership in the areas which matter most to them: economic development and efficient provision of essential services" (Glasgow voted for what matters, Letters, May 20).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/removing-stigmas-is-the-only-cure.17692085http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/removing-stigmas-is-the-only-cure.17692085John Deighan refers to parliamentary questions on the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, in defence of the Catholic Church's opposition to LGBT equality (Ecclesiastical matters, Letters, May 20).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/where-the-land-really-ends.17692090http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/where-the-land-really-ends.17692090It may be excusable for residents of England to be confused about the status in the UK of Land's End, but a Scottish newspaper should know better (Olympic torch kicks off its UK journey in style, News, May 20).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/changes-will-make-foi-law-stronger.17692102http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/changes-will-make-foi-law-stronger.17692102The claims made by former information commissioner Kevin Dunion about the honours system were inaccurate and misleading (SNP ban on information related to royals, News, May 20).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/heart-of-the-catholic-library-should-remain-in-edinburgh.17698879http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/heart-of-the-catholic-library-should-remain-in-edinburgh.17698879I am sure that many of your readers share my dismay in seeing the divisive nature of the recent correspondence in your columns regarding the future of the Scottish Catholic archives and the Blairs Library.http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/for-the-state-to-recognise-a-marriage-it-must-be-between-a-woman-and-a-man.17698887http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/for-the-state-to-recognise-a-marriage-it-must-be-between-a-woman-and-a-man.17698887Paul Brownsey seems immune to reason in his endeavour to raise the point that the incapacity to procreate nullifies the structure of marriage (Letters, May 25).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/deportation-flies-in-face-of-universality-of-human-rights.17699228http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/deportation-flies-in-face-of-universality-of-human-rights.17699228The comment on the failure of the Scottish court system to deport Chan Wright to Jamaica on the back of his convictions for rape concluded that "deportation must always be the consequence of serious criminal behaviour" ("Human Rights and deportation", The Herald, May 24).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/scenic-west-coast-line-let-down-by-poor-train-service.17699233http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/scenic-west-coast-line-let-down-by-poor-train-service.17699233I visited Edinburgh Waverley station ticket office on May 18 to be told it was not able to make bookings on the seated portion of the 4.50am Caledonian Sleeper to Fort William and suggested I phone ScotRail or use the internet.http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/eurovision-should-mark-the-end-of-all-eu-supported-events-in-azerbaijan.17699236http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/eurovision-should-mark-the-end-of-all-eu-supported-events-in-azerbaijan.17699236As the great British public sit down to enjoy this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan, and cheer on what must be one of our oldest contestants ever, Englebert Humperdink giving us his rendition of Love Will Set You Free, I would ask that they contemplate those citizens in Azerbaijan who have not, and are not, likely to be set free.http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/why-is-prostate-drug-abiraterone-not-available-to-patients-in-scotland.17699244http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/why-is-prostate-drug-abiraterone-not-available-to-patients-in-scotland.17699244Now that National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has approved prescription of abiraterone in England with Northern Ireland's system likely to follow and the drug already available in Wales, Scotland has achieved " true independence" by currently denying this valuable drug to its male citizens with advanced prostate cancer ("New calls for Megrahi drug on Scots NHS", The Herald, May 16).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/put-faith-in-juries-if-it-comes-to-considering-previous-convictions.17687196http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/put-faith-in-juries-if-it-comes-to-considering-previous-convictions.17687196The question of the admissibility of bad character evidence in Scottish courts balances on two points: do we want trials to be fairer for the accused, thereby reducing the potential for miscarriages of justice, or would we prefer more guilty individuals to be convicted ("Outcry at plans to reveal past convictions to juries", The Herald, May 23)?http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/time-for-an-inquiry-into-farce-of-the-kilcreggan-ferry.17691778http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/time-for-an-inquiry-into-farce-of-the-kilcreggan-ferry.17691778You report that the crew of the Gourock–Kilcreggan ferry service might not be adequately trained and have been operating this service in breach of regulations ("Ferry safety fears amid claims crew lack training", The Herald, May 24).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/subway-photo-opportunity.17691781http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/subway-photo-opportunity.17691781I use the Glasgow Subway frequently and until now have never felt the urge to take photographs, but I am tempted to do so now in protest against the proposed blanket ban on photography ("Outcry at Subway photo ban", The Herald, May 19 & Letters, May 23).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/cameron-is-wrong-on-financial-transaction-tax-it-is-about-creating-social-justice-as-well-as-economic-interest.1http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/cameron-is-wrong-on-financial-transaction-tax-it-is-about-creating-social-justice-as-well-as-economic-interest.1Where does David Cameron find the evidence that, according to the European Commission, a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) would cost "hundreds of thousands of jobs", that "you end up putting up the costs of people's insurance policies, putting up the cost of people's pension policies and actually driving all that activity offshore" and that "it is a good way of taking a lot of tax out of the UK and spending it in Europe" ("Warning comes amid claims Merkel proposed referendum for Greeks", The Herald, May 19)?http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/investment-in-nuclear-power-would-be-an-expensive-mistake.17677841http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/investment-in-nuclear-power-would-be-an-expensive-mistake.17677841Now that we have been warned our energy prices may rise by up to £200 per year in order to help the nuclear industry build more power stations, we may reflect on the howls of protest about subsidies to renewables.http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/redefining-marriage-would-be-harmful-to-society-and-the-good-of-children.17677847http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/redefining-marriage-would-be-harmful-to-society-and-the-good-of-children.17677847I have no doubt there are situations where a child is better brought up by a same-sex couple rather than a heterosexual couple, for example when the latter is abusive ("Free Church rejects same-sex plan", The Herald, May 22 & Letters, May 23).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/splitting-catholic-archives-a-serious-blow-to-scholarship.17678341http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/splitting-catholic-archives-a-serious-blow-to-scholarship.17678341The letters published in the Herald in recent days (May 21 & 22) supporting the splitting of the Scottish Catholic Archives and the removal of the ‘historic’ materials to the University of Aberdeen astound me.http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/council-powers.17678354http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/council-powers.17678354WHILE I understand the theory behind the call for more powers to local authorities, I fear the outcome ("Cut council numbers, urges think tank", The Herald, May 22).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/whod-want-to-be-a-headteacher-on-permanent-probation.17678358http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/whod-want-to-be-a-headteacher-on-permanent-probation.17678358Your report exposes how flimsy, Government-sponsored ideas can circulate without thorough deliberation at source on the consequences ("Call to give teachers fixed-term contracts", The Herald, May 23).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/tune-in-watching-tv-can-be-educational-as-well-as-intellectually-stimulating.17678361http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/tune-in-watching-tv-can-be-educational-as-well-as-intellectually-stimulating.17678361Your editorial is concerned about the effect of too much of certain cerebral activities on the development of young minds and certain activities are singled for criticism, particularly those involving computer or TV screens (May 22).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/contemptible-to-uproot-catholic-archive-from-national-collections.17667147http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/contemptible-to-uproot-catholic-archive-from-national-collections.17667147In the debate over the future of the Scottish Catholic archives, the waters are regularly muddied in support of the decision by Archbishop Mario Conti and his colleagues to divide the contents of the archive presently at Columba House in Edinburgh, and the letters of Herbert Coutts and Stuart Nisbet (The Herald, May 21) are no exception.http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/wrong-to-blame-sea-eagles-for-declining-numbers-of-birds-and-wildlife.17667151http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/wrong-to-blame-sea-eagles-for-declining-numbers-of-birds-and-wildlife.17667151In her compilation of notional harm caused by sea eagles, Brenda Galbraith displays a misunderstanding of their ecology (Letters, May 21).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/research-shows-same-sex-couples-are-good-parents.17670788http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/research-shows-same-sex-couples-are-good-parents.17670788You report that the Free Church has accused "the gay rights lobby" of pursuing equal marriage law without consideration of the alleged harm to children ("Free Church rejects same-sex plan", The Herald, May 22).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/change-nato-to-un-peacekeeping-force.17670793http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/change-nato-to-un-peacekeeping-force.17670793The Nato conference in Chicago is more a presidential election contrivance rather than any critical strategic knocking of heads ("PM reaffirms Afghan pull-out date", The Herald, May 22).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/wyllies-infectious-enthusiasm-on-a-visit-to-india-truly-bowled-us-over.17670796http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/wyllies-infectious-enthusiasm-on-a-visit-to-india-truly-bowled-us-over.17670796George Wyllie paid us a memorable visit to Madras and Bangalore in February 1993 ("Tributes to Scottish artist who lived life less ordinary", The Herald, May 17 and Letters, May 17, 19 & 22).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/good-news-day.17670800http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/good-news-day.17670800I am occasionally inclined to feel dispirited when I open a newspaper or tune in to a news bulletin.http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/subway-photo-ban-unenforceable.17670805http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/subway-photo-ban-unenforceable.17670805I strongly believe Strathclyde Partnership for Transport's (SPT) proposed photography ban on the subway, including a £1000 fine on anyone taking personal photos or recordings, is a step in the wrong direction ("Outcry at Subway photo ban", The Herald, May 19).http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/so-many-questions-are-still-to-be-answered-after-megrahis-death.17657556http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/so-many-questions-are-still-to-be-answered-after-megrahis-death.17657556Some of the many outstanding questions about the Lockerbie bombing may never be answered, not because the information does not exist, but because the US and British governments and their security forces are determined to keep it secret from the public ("The search for truth must go on", The Herald, May 21).nonadult