Letters II: Let’s think carefully about joined-up new rail services

Whilst we all seem to have developed a new love of railways, there are a number of serious questions to be asked before we recklessly pursue random rail building.

The original Waverley route was constructed in the 19th century to provide the Midland Railway with a third competing route to Edinburgh. The other two routes, the West Coast Main Line via Carstairs and the East Coast Main Line via Berwick not only provide sufficient capacity between the two countries’ capital cities but also between Edinburgh and Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and the south-west of England on one hand, and to Newcastle, Leeds and eastern England on the other. A third route to Carlisle adds little if anything.

Whilst the success of the Borders Railway shows demand between Galashiels and Edinburgh which might be extended to Hawick, why are other Borders towns such as Kelso, Selkirk or Jedburgh ignored? Just because at one time the route of the railway ignored these towns, is there a valid reason for so doing today?

Furthermore, is there any evidence of demand for transport between the Borders and Carlisle? The evidence of the empty X95 bus service running up the A7 would suggest otherwise. Demand in the southern section of the route would appear to be between Langholm, Longtown and Carlisle. Would the route be altered to include the Muckle Toon?

The recent Flying Scotsman fiasco exposed the control held over our assets by England. Former transport minister Derek McKay should be called upon to explain why control of a public asset financed by the Scottish taxpayer was handed over to a foreign company.

Are those calling for the reinstatement of the Waverley line suggesting the same financial arrangement, or are they suggesting that the British Government funds the building from a UK-wide tax base as is the High Speed Rail Link, improvements to the North of England routes, Crossrail, Kent High Speed link, etc, etc?

Lastly, given that resources are finite, is the Waverley route the best investment? I would suggest that much more public benefit would accrue from reinstating the line between Dumfries and Stranraer.

As well as revitalising the economy of the south-west, if a radical approach were taken to line clearances, road transport limitations and infrastructure investment, the A75 could be freed up from the stranglehold of juggernauts connecting

Ireland with continental Europe. Banning these from our roads and providing a rail link between Kingmoor and

Cairnryan would obviate additional investment in our road network.

Lastly, before any investment is undertaken a much more sensible and low-key approach needs to be taken to transport planning. The Glasgow-to-Newcastle route, via Dumfries, for example is more reminiscent of 19th-century rural Ireland than 21st-century, with lengthy halts at Kilmarnock and Carlisle for no apparent reason.

A clear and economical pricing policy with transport interchange needs to be developed. Competing bus operators need to coordinate not only their own services but with rail interchange to guarantee travellers a speedy and secure journey.

For all its faults, you need look no further than Transport for London to see how well this can be arranged.

Ian Richmond
Address supplied

A Leave vote is the only way to rid us of Cameron

CAMERON and Osborne have already cut legal aid, they are now in the process of abolishing the Human Rights Act, they have restricted the powers of the trade unions which will eventually see workers with no rights whatsoever, yet they urge us to vote Remain in order to secure their futures in Downing Street?

Why on earth would any sane person vote for more of the same when they can vote Leave and rid us all of Cameron and his austerity henchman Gideon indefinitely?

The lies being used by these two conmen in the run-up to the EU referendum are exactly the same as the ones they used to scare people into voting No in the Scottish referendum. As long as Cameron and Osborne have the power to govern Scotland, using their lone Scottish Tory message boy “Fluffy” Mundell to watch over us, then we will never enjoy democracy in our country.

Nicola and her team have their hands tied behind their backs but as long as our Southern cousins continue to vote for people like Cameron and Osborne, us north of the Border will suffer. Scotland on its own can’t vote these two out of power due to the shambolic state of the Labour Party across the UK, but at least we can help change the leadership of the Tory Party on June 23 by simply voting Leave. Boris Johnston is the lesser of two evils.

If you knocked on the doors of the millions of disabled people and their loved ones who have suffered under Cameron and Osborne you would get the same response from each and every one of them. With all due respect to Nicola and her government, the people of Scotland should vote Leave not only for the aforementioned reasons but also to speed up the demand for a second Scottish referendum in the hope of securing a Scotland who can be recognized on theworld stage as a nation and not as an English province!

Diane Buick
Lanarkshire

NOW that the EU debate has become a free-for-all, with the US President putting in his two cents worth, I wonder if it is not also time for the United Nations to intervene decisively. What I have in mind is for the great powers of the Security Council to pass a resolution that small nations, of less than, say, six million population, should be integrated into their nearest large neighbour.

For example, Norway would be returned to Sweden, Ireland to the United Kingdom and the Baltic states to Russia. The Balkanisation of the Balkans, which seemed to worry the Swedish Foreign Minister during the Scottish referendum, could be ended by the likes of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia being amalgamated with Serbia and perhaps called something like Yugoslavia. Come to that, New Zealand could be united with Australia, though I dare say that is another matter.

In case anyone thinks this programme is overly ambitious, I would point out that the great powers have done something like this more than once before.

In 1815, at the Congress of Vienna after the Napoleonic Wars, the map of Europe was neatly redrawn to provide peace. Again in 1918, after the First World War, not only Europe but also the Middle East was parcelled out, with the same objective. Surely once every hundred years is not too frequent for the great powers to bring peace and stability to the world.

It’s the sort of thing Tony Blair would enjoy and I believe he’s still available.

Peter Craigie
Edinburgh

THERE has been recent talk about how Scottish pupils were never taught Scottish history, like in all normal countries, from their/our perspective.

I know I never got any, except what was approved by

Westminster. I think it would be good if The National could dedicate an article once a week, or more, starting with Scottish kings from time of the Union and work backwards, to our first recognised kings of Scotland. Some information being given to each king and what they did for the people. Anything relating to how our society worked, first trade routes and first trading agreements.

Would make a few of us a bit more knowledgeable about our country and able to “discuss” with others who don’t share our love of our country.

Charles P O’Brien
Clydebank

Letters I: Will Border Tories stand up for their principles?