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The Herald Scotland

Is the lack of dualling of the A9 really such a danger to life?

In other words, dual carriageway accounts for only 25% of the road, but accounts for 36% of non-fatal accidents and 32% of fatal accidents. The claim by Fergus Ewing, published in your newspaper, that "the risk of being in a road accident is three times greater on single carriageways such as the A9 compared with dual carriageways" is not supported by these figures. A little more attention to statistics – and less political point-scoring – might be a good idea. Jim Macgregor, Edinburgh. • I am now on the wrong side of 80 but nevertheless, still care passionately about Scotland, its people and their glorious diversity. All of us, to our detriment, have a mediocre political establishment, who, despite their mediocrity, expertly magnify the insignificant at the expense of the significant, thus masking society's real problems. Two articles in Wednesday's Herald very powerfully illustrates this malaise that permeates all areas of our social welfare. First, the concern over the A9, and second, Calum Steele's excellent piece on the failed concept that is Police Scotland ("This is why we should raise more than an eyebrow at the state of Police Scotland", The Herald, July 9). Over the years I have been privileged to have had numerous letters (and an Agenda column) published in The Herald echoing the sentiments contained in both articles. Indeed, so have many others. Sadly it seems that politicians are incapable of listening to or understanding the concerns of the electorate whom they are supposed to serve. Dan Edgar, Rothesay. Read more letters Let's have some prosecutions We all deplore the brutality of organised crime gangs but what has been revealed by the Post Office and infected blood scandals is as brutal and contemptuous of individual suffering as gang behaviour. But the gangs involved are executives, politicians, civil servants, professionals and what a surprise it will be if any of them end up in court; they certainly won't be in prison. They see themselves as doing their jobs, protecting their personal positions and their organisations. You don't have to stab or shoot people to make the innocent suffer, you just have to tell lies and find plausible excuses to prevent justice for decades in the hope that the issues will go away – ie, victims will die off. Those responsible are, of course, all respectable people. Like the banking scandals of 2008, who really got punished? The public, the small businesses, but not the irresponsible gamblers whose greed and arrogance caused so much damage. So let's see what the prosecution service does. Any bets? Isobel Lindsay, Biggar. King Charles or Donald Trump? AJ Clarence's suggestion (Letters, July 9) of the abandonment of the monarchy to save the possibility of £500 million per year is more than ill judgment. It demonstrates a lack of knowledge as to what the state owns vis-a-vis the royals' private income. His suggestion that cavalry regiments, Trooping of the Colour and, of all things, bearskin hats should be ditched is a case in point. Is he not aware that all cavalry units have been mechanised since 1940 and form an integral part of the Army, ceremonial duties being only a very small part? I doubt that overseas people would flock to London to see an American version of the sorry spectacle of America's finest ambling down The Mall clad in what looked like fatigues, waving their hands to the small crowd. I am not sure that he knows that the duchies (Lancaster and Cornwall) are taxed at the highest rate, ie 45%. The palaces and their contents are owned by the Crown Estates and held in perpetuity for the country. The final suggestion that "taxing the rich rather than the poor might well be a popular policy" but in the end will not produce the amount necessary to run the country, but it may cause a vast wasteland of empty houses around a well-known airport amid excellent golf courses. I much prefer the status quo to that of the US head of state, a convicted felon, who might easily have transferred the total running cost of Mar-a-Logo to be paid by the state, in keeping with state assistance for several of his private financial ventures since he was elected President. Robin Johnston, Newton Mearns. • The Prime Minister of Israel has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. May I suggest that the Rev Sue Parfitt would be a much better candidate? Iain McNicol, Port Appin, Argyll. Some of the Lewis Chessmen (Image:) Good move for Chessmen It is intriguing to note that the British Museum will loan the Lewis Chessmen to France in exchange for the Bayeux Tapestry, which is set to return to England for the first time in more than 900 years ("Bayeux Tapestry to return to England for first time in more than 900 years", heraldscotland, July 8). The Chessmen have become unlikely diplomatic pawns between Britain and France. In return for the tapestry, which depicts the 1066 Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings, the British Museum will loan the Sutton Hoo collection, the Lewis Chessmen, and other items to France. The Chessmen – a famous hoard of 93 objects – were discovered in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis. Eleven are in the National Museums Scotland (NMS) collection, while the remaining 82 are in the British Museum's collection, six of which are on loan to Museum nan Eilean on Lewis. It is clearly fantastic to be able to showcase the Chessmen to a wider audience and allow others to check them out. Alex Orr, Edinburgh. Camp follower I was intrigued to learn that the phrase "winter of discontent" was originally coined by a William Shakespeare (Letters, July 5). I had supposed it to be a jocular corruption of a notice in the window of a Sheffield sporting goods emporium one springtime, reading "Now is the discount of our winter tents". Robin Dow, Helensburgh.