YOUR VIEWS: Ode to that road
Driving the A9 is a very stressful experience at the best of times and I have put pen to paper on this subject.
There has been another tragic accident,
On the treacherous A9,
Our artery to the Highlands,
Where people die before their time.
Now we're in the tourist season,
The crashes have increased,
The situation is urgent,
To reduce the number of deceased
Why is this road so dangerous?
That is what we need to know.
Is it the result of appalling driving,
Or a really dreadful road?
The broken promise to dual it,
Has alas been a disaster,
If the work had been completed,
It could have been safer and much faster.
With the intermittent dualling,
Drivers often get confused.
Then side roads entering without warning,
No wonder they're bemused.
Drivers that are in a rush,
Take risks when overtaking,
Their wild and dangerous actions,
May leave other travellers quaking.
Tourists often travel slowly,
To appreciate the views,
Annoying essential users,
Who may have better things to do.
For the locals it's a nightmare,
As the A9's so often closed,
They're terrified of accidents,
As they travel up the road.
Alternative routes are limited,
Involving travelling many miles,
Diverting via Fort William or Braemar,
Does not produce too many smiles.
Emergency services are excellent,
Having to deal with dreadful sights,
Coping with all the tragedies,
As they are called out day and night.
There are some amazing people,
Laùra Hänsler is a star,
Giving so much help and sympathy,
To folk from near and far.
There is her A9 Action Group,
Striving hard to make this right,
But it is so very difficult,
As it's a long and bitter fight.
But our main artery road must be open,
The whole thing is an abomination,
It's all needing sorting urgently,
To stop this carnage and devastation.
Barbie Miller
Grantown
* * *
Yes but no but
By the time most people (if any) read this they will have voted (on Independence Day!)
But I thought I should nonetheless respond to Jim MacEwen`s letter.
It’s a bit rich for him to criticise the Conservative candidate for being obsessed with independence when page 1 of the SNP manifesto proclaims in bold type "Vote SNP for Scotland to become an independent country" before discussing any other policies.
For many of us the sole reason for voting for the Conservative and Unionist party is not the manifest incompetence of the SNP government (think education, health, roads, ferries, EU funding, etc) but its sustained and consistent opposition to independence.
Peter Mackay
Kincraig.
* * *
Rich returns for her failures
Is there no beginning to the Scottish Government's talents?
Waste firm Biffa is suing for £200 million over the cancellation of the deposit return scheme (DRS).
Biffa was selected as a logistic partner by the system and invested significant sums. It may also sue for loss of profits.
It is not Holyrood that will pay but Scottish taxpayers, whilst Lorna Slater who was solely responsible for this debacle will continue to draw her demotion salary of £64,470 and have her gold-plated pension pot topped up every year.
No wonder she’s always smiling.
In the real world she would have been sacked with no payoff but in the cosy world of Scottish politics anything goes.
The Scottish election date of Thursday, May 7, 2026 cannot come soon enough.
Clark Cross
Linlithgow.
* * *
Those were the days
We used to have such music in Grantown.
Every weekend it filled the Drill Hall, the YMCA and the Craiglynne Hotel hall.
If you were adventurous you could also board Norman smith’s bus and hop over to the Village Hall in Aviemore, where the dances were run by MISC and Honks music would get you on the dance floor, which was covered with Slipperine dance polish.
We enjoyed dancing to the Clyde Valley Stompers, Bobby MacLeod and Jim Cameron’s Scottish Dance Bands and the large orchestra The Redcoats, who reproduced the Glen Miller sound.
There was one show with a sword-swallower and a strong man, hammering a four-inch nail into a bit of wood with his bare hand.
The YMCA building always rocked to its foundations when the rock n roll bands came from Aberdeen and local youngsters all kitted themselves out for the occasion.
I went to Jimmy Grant the draper, who measured me up for my Teddy Boy suit. The brown suede shoes were from the DE Shop and the yellow socks from Jim Mackenzie.
My hair cut came courtesy of barber Alex Bain on the High Street.
Then there was the trip to Aberdeen on the Monday holiday bus, to purchase a pair of red jeans and baseball boots which did not go down well with the older Grantown generation.
Music and dress was all part of growing up. But those of us who moved with the times weathered the storm and can now look back to such exciting times.
There was always a packed house in the YMCA when the ‘Singing Mole catcher’ took to the stage with his accordion, Scottish songs and humorous stories.
I recently came across a book written by Roderick Grant, with the cover demanding ‘Clap hands for the singing mole catcher’, that same star who entertained here so many years ago.
My wife and I listen to the Scottish Dance Music every Saturday night hosted by Garry Innes and enjoyed his two hour tribute to ceilidh king Fergie MacDonald who sadly passed away recently.He was outstanding.
Grantown had its very own ceilidh king, who repaired your burst pipes during the day with his nimble fingers, and at night those same fingers produced wonderful Scottish dance music on the accordion for all to enjoy.
Leonard Grassick
Coppice Court
Grantown.
* * *
Campaigning for a right to palliative care in Scotland
With party manifestos and policies dominating the news, the general election is no doubt at the forefront of reader’s minds.
What is concerning is that none of the parties has set out a comprehensive plan to fix end of life care, which will be a significant challenge for our health and care systems in the years to come.
This election, Marie Curie, the UK's leading end of life charity, is asking politicians to commit to ending the postcode lottery in access, finding a sustainable way to fund vital end of life care, and setting out a national plan for end of life care that guarantees 24/7 access.
Over the next parliament, 3.3 million people in the UK will die and without action after this election, more people will have a bad death, carers will suffer, and there will be more strain on the
NHS.
The current system all too often forces people with a terminal illness into hospital when they don’t want or need to be there which causes unnecessary strain for people living with terminal illness, their families, and the NHS.
That’s why we are campaigning for a right to palliative care in Scotland.
We are urging people across Scotland to sign our petition to UK party leaders, to make sure that the next government in London can not overlook end of life.
Amy Dalrymple
Associate Director of Policy and Public Affairs
Marie Curie Scotland
Edinburgh.
* * *
Why no hustings and so little information?
The name of the MP representing Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey is now known.
The victor in this constituency will, despite the disappearance of the name, represent Badenoch.
But whoever it is, it's not so easy to gauge what our new MP's responsibilities actually are.
Any election material there was noticeably vague and seemed negatively focused or cited issues devolved from Westminster like roads or the NHS.
At the well-attended meeting of the Badenoch Climate Action group on Thursday, June 27 it was remarked that the only apparent election hustings in this constituency had been at Findhorn.
Folk from Badenoch who travelled down to that meeting were more than a little disappointed that the candidates did not address the issue of the climate emergency.
But that's been par for the course during this election. I'm pretty sure the new MP will try to do a good job but often it's difficult to know what are the possibilities for action of representatives at Westminster.
I'm aware that they will aid individual constituents when consulting at, for example, their local surgeries.
But should not our MPs establish open public meetings throughout their constituency to express their aims, their priorities and to have a chance to hear directly from their voters about ways in which they are trying to shape policy relevant to here?
A good start would be a series of meetings where our MP addresses all the issues around climate change and gives an idea of what they see as the opportunities for action.
In Badenoch I'm sure such a meeting would attract a large and engaged audience.
Dick Webster,
Campbell Crescent,
Kingussie.
* * *
‘Wind farm scam’
Georgina Coburn's dire warnings about the hugely damaging wind turbine programmes are points very well taken (Strathy letters, June 27, 2024).
The destructive impacts of these programmes, on and offshore, vaster and longer lasting than the Covid pandemic, were, surely incomprehensibly, not anticipated by those in authority in many nations following Net Zero decarbonising policies.
The only beneficiaries of the windmill scam are those on the ‘Climate Gravy Train’ while the nations' land, agriculture, tourism, avian wildlife and finances are damaged.
Our Scottish Government's financial senses and professed patriotism should have stopped the windmill schemes short after pilot studies as part of due diligence precautions.
This country's economy, now largely dependent on farming and tourism, is especially vulnerable.
No pilot studies were done. We have been sold a pig-in-a-poke.
Why do the established Scottish political and economic development bodies named by Georgina Coburn still cling to their forlorn hopes of ‘clean, green’ energy as a realistic prospect for Scotland?
What could make them face the needs and realities of electricity generation?
The Danish authorities plan a tax to start in AD2030 for their stock breeders' flatulent cattle, pigs and sheep.
The methane they pass is claimed to threaten climate stability which is even dafter than the windpowered renewables albeit not so damaging to the national finances, the land and the seabed.
Charles Wardrop,
Viewlands Rd West,
Perth.
* * *
Uneven road fees for motorhome owners
Regarding the Strathy’s story on the new £40 voluntary campervan pass launched in the Highlands in a bid to boost infrastructure, I have no problem paying this fee - however, on our last trip we spent a minimum of £50 on local, shops, restaurants, activities, fuel, etc, per day!
So now we will be paying additional cost for no substantial benefits for an activity - motorhoming - that we have spent our whole working life to pay for?
Why does it feel like we are being penalised for working hard and saving?
Will this fee apply to caravan, mobile home, holiday home users too?
They also use the roads to either access or bring their homes.
Wendy Jarvis,
Kingscourt.
* * *
Rural Radio Teleswitch Service advice
Your readers may be interested to hear of an upcoming change to the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) used by around 250,000 households and businesses to heat their properties.
Ofgem has advised that the technology to support RTS energy meters will be decommissioned on 30 June 2025. From 31 July 2025, RTS meters may no longer function properly, causing disruption to heating and hot water supply.
You may use an RTS meter if your property has a meter that switches between peak and off-peak tariff rates , or automatically turns on your heating or hot water;or is located in a no-gas supply area (off-grid), especially in rural areas.
I encourage you to contact your supplier in the first instance. You can also get free and impartial advice and support from Advice Direct Scotland (0800 028 1456) or Citizens Advice Scotland (0800 028 1456).
Gillian Martin
Minister for Climate Action.
