DOUG Marr’s insightful column on a Monday never fails to set me up for the week, and I found this week’s particularly inspiring (“Invest in the young to narrow the generation gap”, The Herald, May 29).

I fully understand why younger folk today might feel disillusioned, resentful and envious of what they perceive as the disproportionate wealth and security of us baby boomers. In fairness, though, it must be said that our generation had to work extremely hard for whatever lifestyle we now enjoy. My wife and I endured considerable hardship and sacrifice to buy our first home in the 1970s. As public sector workers, we worked extremely hard for a modest wage. Our compulsory pension contributions seemed punitive at the time, and even now the resulting pensions are adequate rather than generous.

Every generation has its own particular hardships to bear. Our generation did so quietly and stoically, unencumbered by the sort of frenetic social media clamour that pervades and distorts so much of public opinion today. We did not seek to blame any earlier generation for the conditions in which we had to live and work. We do not deserve to be blamed or made to feel guilty now for enjoying the hard-earned fruits of our labour.

Doug Marr’s column refers to journalist Will Hutton’s commendable notion of a Baby Boomer Trust Fund, to which baby boomers like myself could choose to contribute 10% of our estates when we die, and which would be used to help those young people most in need. I would willingly subscribe to such a fund, provided it was scrupulously regulated, and administered by a trustworthy and fully accountable body, divorced from any form of central or local government control.

Iain Stuart, Glasgow.

Build more reservoirs

THE recent weather has brought to mind the water shortages and extraction bans of last year, in particular in the north-east of Scotland. There is also a constant worry about the lack of storage for the costly surplus power from the ever-increasing wind turbines. Surely there is an answer to both problems by building more hydro/potable water storage reservoirs?

Our weather is increasingly becoming warmer in the summer months when there is less need for power, but more need for our water supplies. The opposite appears to becoming the norm in our winter months when more power is required for heating and lighting. Scotland will soon be losing nuclear generating power, and with tidal power far from securely up and running, again the problem with the need for surplus power storage will rear its head.

George Dale, Beith.

Read more: This much-diminished Glasgow could not repeat Miles Better success

Leave space for pedestrians

I AM just in from shopping in Victoria Road in the southside of Glasgow – formerly a much-respected and admired main road, now a horrendous, dirty and dangerous road for all concerned, be you driver, cyclist or pedestrian. The road used to very wide and worthy of its description of a main artery to the city centre; now it comprises two wide pavements, two cycle lanes and two metered parking areas on either side of the street, leaving just two lanes in the centre for traffic to attempt to drive in.

And to add insult to injury, we are now subject to a television advert showing a male cyclist cycling on a road, with the following commentary: "Leave space for a life/give cycle space. So you're driving home, and there's a bike up ahead. The Highway Code says when overtaking you need to give at least 1.5m of space. Because it's not just a bike, it's a person. Leave space for a life."

This condescending advert should be changed to: "Leave space for a life/give pedestrians space. So you're walking home, and there's a bike (illegally) up ahead or silently behind you. The Highway Code says nothing about cyclists who ride their bikes on a pedestrian pavement, but to apply the same rule to cyclists as to drivers, it should say when overtaking you need to give at least 1.5m of space, which of course will take you back into your very own cycle lanes – where you should be; Because it's not just a pedestrian, its a person. Leave space for a life."

I will not hold my breath.

Walter Paul, Glasgow.

The madness of Queen Street

  • MY recent trip from Coatbridge to Glasgow by rail was marred by the now-normal ticketing fiasco.

First, the ticket office at Sunnyside (and the sun was actually shining) was closed and the ticket machine steadfastly refused to recognised my Baffled Old Guy concession card. Second, there was no-one to sell me a ticket on the train. Third, despite having had £120 million spent on its refurbishment, Queen Street Station's answer to my ticketless journey was to position two chaps with ticket machines halfway down the central platform. The queue was epic. I spent longer in the queue to pay for my retrospective ticket than I did on the train.

This is the system someone has actually designed. On purpose. For £120m.

No wonder I'm baffled.

Steve Brennan, Coatbridge.

A blow to our Saturdays

LIKE John Lloyd (Letters, May 30), I am saddened by the retirement of Jeff Stelling of Sky Sports. His knowledge of Scottish football was indeed encyclopaedic; I recall his announcement that Kettlewell of Queen's Park had been ordered off. "Must have boiled over" was the off-the-cuff remark.

Saturday afternoons will not be the same.

David Miller, Milngavie.

Is Succession on? Curses

CLEARLY there must be something wrong with me, perhaps of the split-personality variety.

Not averse to employing a suitably-robust expletive when the occasion demands – I play golf after all – was I wrong to give up on the acclaimed TV series Succession ("Succession finale . . . spoiler alert: look away if you’ve yet to watch", The Herald, May30 ). a long time ago, finding its unremitting expletives a turn-off?

Have I lost the plot?

R Russell Smith, Largs.