Readers' letters: I’m proud to be a wind farm NIMBY

"Scotland's countryside is under threat like never before since subsidies were reinstated for wind farms”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon visits Whitelee Wind Farm near Eaglesham

I’m proud to be a wind farm NIMBY

I have a question for BBC Countryfile after their wind farm programme. Were Beatrice Potter, Canon Rawnsley and John Ruskin NIMBYs? They lived in the Lake District and saved it for posterity.

I am proud of our Penicuik town of NIMBYs who helped save the Pentland Hills from three wind farms for the benefit and enjoyment of all.

It is time for this phrase to be seen for what it is, a device by unscrupulous developers to silence opposition. It is a truly effective weapon as well as the phrase," climate change denier" and a new one which I just heard to look out for, "serial wind farm objector". Very clever, emotive words used to intimidate anyone who dares to question this government policy.

Scotland s countryside is under threat like never before since subsidies were reinstated for wind farms and it wasn't even a topic of discussion in May's election.

What a triumph for wind farm developers and a disaster for Scotland's integrity and its beautiful countryside

Celia Hobbs, Peebles Road, Penicuik.

Astonished at Ruth’s peerage surprise

Ruth Davidson, or Baroness Davidson of Lundin Links as she prefers to be called these days, claims to have been ‘genuinely astonished’ that Boris Johnson signed off on her peerage.

For someone claimed to be a perceptive political player she shows ‘aston-ishing’ naivety if she doesn’t know why it was given.

The great historian AJP Taylor summed up this type of surprising political largesse neatly when he said, “The establishment draws its recruits from outside as soon as they are ready to conform to its standards and become respectable. There is nothing more agreeable than to make peace with the establishment - and nothing more corrupting.”

Clearly, if she can’t beat this corrupt Johnson regime she might as well join it.

D Mitchell, Coates Place, Edinburgh.

Can Shirley-Anne rise to challenge?

Is there any likelihood Shirley-Anne Somerville is going to do a better job as Education Secretary than her predecessor?

She took decisive action in announcing the scrapping of the SQA. We await the details of the reform of Education Scotland, although similarly consigning it to the dustbin would not have gone amiss. Let us hope she does go ahead with her intention to separate it from the inspectorate and at least restore that body's independence from government.

It really should not have required an OECD report to set the government on the right path. A briefing Miss Somerville received which was published in response to a freedom of information request shows that action was long overdue.

In 2017 the Education and Skills committee had called for reforms noting a "perception that Education Scotland is too close to the Scottish government and that performing curriculum support and inspection functions could be seen to be a conflict of interest." Teaching unions, experts in education and opposition MSPs had long been voicing similar concerns.

John Swinney's response was to delay acting on the advice of his own committee by commissioning the OECD report and spend the next two years on his "flagship" education bill which ended up on the scrap heap with his named persons scheme.

In 2016 the First Minister put her professed highest priority into what she perceived as a safe pair of hands. I think we can say that did not go well. Miss Somerville will hopefully prove to be a more judicious appointment.

Colin Hamilton, Edinburgh.