|
|
| Precision in language adds to clarity of meaning | | today | | Chris Parton's letter (July 1) appears to contain the following argument: since those who try to write clearly sometimes fail to achieve clarity, and since perfect clarity may not be achievable anyway, then we should give up on attempting to instil precision in the use of language. That's like arguing that, since perfect and permanent health isn't achievable, we needn't trouble about smoking 80 cigarettes a day. |
| Getting to the point | | 12:13am today | |
PAUL Browning emphasises the importance of precision in language (Letters, July 2). However, I would suggest that the degree of precision depends on the type of literature. |
| Michael Jackson not on a par with Mozart | | 12:11am today | | Thank you, Ruth Wishart, for being
the voice of perspective and proportion. ("A sad death, yes but not a global tragedy", The Herald, July 1.)
I thought I was the only one who looked on the Michael Jackson hype as beyond belief. How refreshing to know I was not the only person out of step with the world. There are at least two of us. |
| Listening to the crofters | | 12:11am today | |
On March 19, 1883, Sir William Harcourt, Liberal Home Secretary, announced the setting up of a Royal Commission on crofting. Its remit? "Go listen to the crofters." It duly did, and the result was the Fixture of Tenure Act, which put an end to the crofter and his family being thrown out of home and livelihood at the landlord's whim. |
| We salute you | | 12:11am today | |
I have to commend you for putting Angus Young on the front page ("AC/DC are just rockin'", The Herald, July 1). |
| My right to retire at 60 | | 12:10am today | | It was only a matter of time before public-sector workers faced scrutiny over their pension arrangements ("UK public sector debt could quadruple", The Herald, June 29). I say only a matter of time, but that time would only come when the private sector proved unable to honour the promises of wealth everlasting it had been making for the past 20 years or so. So here we are. |
| Worst of both worlds | | 12:09am today | | There are at least three ways the UK government could protect existing jobs, create new ones, help end the recession and reduce unfair taxes and costs for ordinary people, none of which would do its electoral chances any harm. |
| A minimum price will have little effect on cost of whisky | | 12:08am today | | I would like to challenge the claim of Sir Ian Good, chairman of the Edrington Group ("Whisky boss hits out at alcohol proposal", The Herald, July 2), that the introduction of a minimum pricing scheme for alcohol "could increase the price of a bottle of whisky by more than the two UK duty increases in 2008". |
| Cuts to shipyards following budget deficit come as little surprise | | 12:01am Thursday 2nd July 2009 | | Not many days go by without an announcement or a leak concerning
UK defence spending ("Jobs fear in
secret MoD plan to close shipyard" and "Trident costs questioned after £9bn defence budget hole claim", The Herald, July 1). Also, more than a week ago proposed cuts at the Uist rocket range were announced. |
| Climate change is real | | Thursday 2nd July 2009 | | M Wood (Letters, July 1) mistakenly asserts that the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) is coming under criticism. It is not. He seeks to create the impression that the IPCC publishes biased, politically-driven scare stories. In fact, its fourth assessment report is the most comprehensive summary of climate research published. |
| Hysteria over pop star | | Thursday 2nd July 2009 | |
Well done, Ruth Wishart, for putting into words what I imagine a lot of people have been thinking ("A sad death, yes but not a global tragedy", The Herald, July 1). Michael Jackson was a very talented young man and a fantastic dancer before he persuaded his cosmetic surgeon to try to turn his face (and colour) into a facsimile of his adopted mother and confidante Liz Taylor. What a hullabaloo is all this grief. Since the death of Princess Diana it seems we are forced to have huge public displays of weeping. I await a ponderous statement from our Prime Minister. |
| Disenfranchised voters | | Thursday 2nd July 2009 | | The Westminster Parliament has now seen fit to "honour" the former Speaker Michael Martin "for his eminent services during the important period in which he presided with such distinguished ability and dignity in the Chair of this House" ("Row erupts over peerage for disgraced ex-Speaker", The Herald, July 1). |
| ID database will still be compulsory | | 12:35am Wednesday 1st July 2009 | | In the face of resolute opposition
from airline pilots, the Home Office
had little option but to back down on its plans to target airport workers with the first compulsory ID cards. |
| Reconsidering the Queen’s cash | | 12:34am Wednesday 1st July 2009 | | From the Civil List, grants-in-aid and so on, the monarchy may have cost the Treasury and therefore UK taxpayers £41.5m in 2008-2009 (£40 million in 2007-2008), but this compares with the Crown Estate's surplus of £211.4m in 2007-2008 ("Queen set to issue cash plea as she dips into reserve funds", The Herald, June 30). |
| Language and precision | | 12:32am Wednesday 1st July 2009 | | I would caution Christopher Frew (Letters, June 29) not to read more into my lines than is actually there. |
| Platform for dialogue | | 12:31am Wednesday 1st July 2009 | |
What I take from the columns by both Iain Macwhirter and Ron Ferguson
(The Herald, June 29) is that, as the Scottish Parliament has come of age, it behoves the rest of us to begin to take on more responsibility for ourselves in our own communities. |
| Foul-ups of the MoD | | 12:27am Wednesday 1st July 2009 | | What is it about this country and, specifically, the Ministry of Defence that continually produces procurement foul-ups where our wonderful men and women of the armed forces are
concerned? ("Clyde carrier costs put jobs in jeopardy", The Herald, June 30.) Nearly everything procured is massively over-budget, late and, when it does
arrive, faulty. |
More ...
|
|  | | IN YOUR AREA |
| Weather |
|
|
| Local News Search |
|
|
| | | | | | | | | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|