AS an 80-year-old I watch with growing alarm the road taken by the UK Government in its easing restrictions/opening up/back to school/back to office philosophy.

Sadly the Scottish Government appears to be bending to the same “economic” rules (although their original caution was proven to be much more sensible), which may well prove disastrous for the rural elderly, and the vulnerable of all ages.

Although Scotland led the way (in the UK) on masks and shopping etc,watching BBC News in particular you might be forgiven to think England led the world in that too.

The citizens of the UK have been very slow on wearing masks, and the excuses people come up with for not wanting to wear a covering are mostly pathetic.

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We can all see the disaster unfolding in Trump’s USA (although again, BBC News and ITN prefer to concentrate on Brazil/Argentina and South American disaster figures). To understand what is actually happening in the USA one has to rely on Chanel 4 News or CNN/USA.

How annoying and embarrassing to watch Michael Gove on the Andrew Marr Show, saying he would leave the wearing of masks up to the “good sense of the English public”. Ha ha! It wasn’t long before there was a change of strategy – but not until July 24?! This will give the virus more time to spread, and help with the herd immunity principle.

These guys at the heart of government actually get paid a salary for such dreadful management and decision-making ... in any normal job, in business or in a local authority or the fishmongers, these people would have collected their P45 ages ago.

It is almost certain that when the Scottish islands and remote west coast locations are open to all, the virus will arrive with a vengeance.

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So far these areas have almost been free of the virus (the Western Isles and west coast mainland have very limited medical facilities to deal with a major outbreak anyway). With a mainly elderly demographic in the west of Scotland and particularly the islands, will this be another way to add to Highlands and islands depopulation.

To base the Highland economy principally on tourism was always destined to be a disaster. Some of us pointed this out to the Highlands and Islands Development Board and political parties back in the 60s and 70s. Now that tourism is the mainstay of the economy, this looming disaster may be a tragedy which could have been averted long ago with intelligent planning, economic development and commitment from politicians, and governments, past and present who had real vision! Alas, poor Ossian!

After the first weekend of opening up areas in parts of Lochaber/Glencoe, Morar, Arisaig and Skye, the communities are left with piles of rubbish and human waste. The coming weeks will be much worse.

The human waste will not only carry the coronavirus but possibly the parasite giardia. (infection cases in UK last year 30,000, and increasing).

I wonder what the tourist boards/environmental health/government/local authorities/ NHS and businesses will do to alleviate the dire situation facing our country? Or is all about the economy, and those who make money from it and turning a blind eye to the reality? That is grim to say the least.

Andrew Graham Noble
Fort William

FOR many years I have hoped that, surely, some day, the powers-that-be would clean up St Andrew’s House. Presumably many decades of domestic coal fires, and soot-belching locomotives from nearby Waverley Station – we are in Auld Reekie after all – are responsible for its blackened stonework, but those days are long gone.

Located in prime tourist territory, this not only shames our country but dishonours one of Scotland’s finest architects, Thomas Tait (who was also responsible for the astounding Tower of Empire at the Empire Exhibition of 1938 in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow).

The whole cleaning process may take a year or two – which helps spread the cost anyway – but making a start is key, and would graphically demonstrate that we are intent on making a fresh start to every aspect of our national life.

David Roche
Perth

THE letter by Roddy Maclean (July 19) has given us our unifying campaign slogan for the next Holyrood election. Thanks to Roddy we can now go forward positively with “Get the infighting done before 21”!

Douglas Turner
Edinburgh

BUNG an extra few bob to Ruth Wishart, she deserves it for summarising the first year in the UK with Boris Johnson’s as figurehead and The Dom as the “Lever Shifter” (This is one positive of a year living under Boris, July 20). Her writing was highly entertaining from a masochistic view point. One can only hope that the number of years in this pickle are severely limited.

Alistair Ballantyne
Birkhill, Angus

READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: This is the one positive of a year under Boris Johnson​

MY admiration for Andrew Tickell has been enhanced, yet again, by his latest column (The UK cloaks failure with a job retention scheme in the House of Lords, July 19). It is not only pitch-perfect, but provides a welcome and necessary astringent riposte to the journalistic diarrhoea served up by the English national gutter press.

In sharp contrast, Mr Tickell and his colleagues personify the gold standard in journalism.

Joe Cowan
Balmedie