Readers' letters: Scottish Green stats need close analysis

"The SNP would do well to have an analysis before they come to an agreement with the Scottish Greens as they may lock Scotland into changes which will be difficult to reverse”

An Energy Performance certificate C is proposed by Scottish Greens

Scottish Green stats need close analysis

I wonder how the SNP Scottish Greens negotiations are progressing. According to a report by the Climate Change Committee, global warming is not being treated seriously enough.

“One of the most acute is the threat from overheating in homes. More than 4000 people have died from heat-related reasons in England since 2018, and 7000could die every year by 2050, according to the assessment.

"Since the CCC's last equivalent report five years ago, more than half amillion (570,000+) new homes have been built without features to copewith higher temperatures, such as shutters or better ventilation.”

"That's an example of locking in a change which is then difficult toreverse from in the future,"

The Scottish Greens manifesto said they would prevent you from sellingyour home by 2025 unless it had an Energy Performance certificate of C. To achieve this, stone-built homes would have to have insulated walls.

Isn’t it one of the wonderful things about stone built properties that they stay cool in summer? I would like an independent scientific analysis.

The Inernational Panel on Climate Change has also said that an over reliance on electricity will mean power cuts. Again, I would like an independent analysis of the Scottish Greens’ pledge to double wind farms.

The SNP would do well to have such an analysis before they come to an agreement with the Scottish Greens as they may lock Scotland into changes which will be difficult to reverse.

Celia Hobbs, Peebles Road, Penicuik.

Work place parking begins at home

The proposal to introduce a workplace parking levy for businesses with 11 or more spaces has raised its ugly head again.

The figure of £415 for every space was mooted, with the option of passing the charge on to staff who use the spaces.

Edinburgh Council were the ones pushing for this while intelligent councils dismissed the idea. A suggestion - Edinburgh Council should conduct a three-year trial and charge their employees £415.

There are thousands of public sector parking spaces in Edinburgh, so there could be an income stream of over £1 million a year.

Will Edinburgh councillors lead by example before slapping this punitive tax on the private sector?

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow.

When free speech becomes hate speech

Whatever you think of City of Edinburgh Council’s initial cancelling of the Louisiana preacher who believes that “Homosexuality is not normal” or cancelling culture in general, there are surely few who would agree with Richard Lucas’ characterisation of that position as “dissenting” and “traditionalist” (letters, 16 July).

Some religious believers openly oppose gay equality, but to describe LGBT people as “not normal” chillingly reminds us of countries (all religious) where being gay is still a capital offence.

Mr Lucas claims to champion freedom, but when does free speech become hate speech?

Neil Barber, Saughtonhall Drive, Edinburgh.

Sheppard’s way

So, Tommy Sheppard MSP was successful at the FOI tribunal.

Can we look forward to SNP government polls on independence and indeed to any Lord Advocate's constitutional legal advice being freely made available to us the public in future too, Mr Sheppard? I think we should be told.

Gus Logan, North Berwick.