Here's how Glasgow can balance the books: get staff back into offices

Having spoken to one or two "council employees" delighting in this policy as they find they have considerably more "free time", and given the passage of time and the fact that all private firms now have staff returning on-site, this is utter nonsense.

It would be common sense for the council to recall their staff to their offices thereby ensuring productivity and efficiency are at the levels expected – then to consider reducing unnecessary staff numbers instead of cutting essential services. This might also provide a much-needed boost to Glasgow city centre shops, cafes and restaurants – about whom the council appear not to care.

Or is the reason that this has not been done simply the fact that their own punitive parking and increasingly restrictive travel policies mean that staff find themselves unable to get into central Glasgow?
Steph Johnson, Glasgow

Disrespecting those of faith

I WAS rather dismayed at the very disrespectful way that Neil Mackay dealt with the question he posed in his article "Must someone be respected just because they're religious?" (The Herald, February 21). In referencing "floating teapots in space" and "invisible pink unicorns" he was not very subtly putting his views across that someone who has a faith that holds that there is a greater power than humanity in existence and at work, is a fool.

Yes, I believe that he does have an admirable capacity for justice and fairness to be applied across the board, with no-one entitled to unearned respect, but on this occasion, Mr Mackay has let himself down, allowing his personal views to come across in a manner that really ridicules the person who believes in God.

It is a pity, having read the Bible from cover to cover twice as he claims, that the portion of Scripture he chose to portray God was a quotation from Deuteronomy, which in his chosen context would hardly endear the unbeliever to give any time to ponder the God described.

Claiming to "know his Bible pretty well" he could easily find multiple examples where the God of Scripture is shown in an altogether different light, which makes me believe that the purpose of his article was one of disrespecting the believer because of his faith, rather than merely questioning whether or not having a faith merits it.
Willie Ferguson, Irvine

• IN the current tirade against the religious convictions of Kate Forbes, there is an interesting gap in our English vocabulary.

Jeremy Corbyn found out to his cost that there is anti-Semitism, with its IHRA definition. Likewise, Islamophobia features on a daily basis in our language, and we now also have transphobia, etc.

I wonder why we seem to have no word for dislike of or prejudice against Christianity, especially when espoused by someone in public life? Or is that just okay?
Ian Gillies, Houston

The trouble with dogs

IN your Remember when … feature today ("Walking the dog, a pleasure for all seasons, The Herald, February 22) you refer to the fact that National Dog Walking Day falls on that date. As you point out, every day is a dog walking day. With the story you include a pleasant and idyllic picture of a couple walking their dog in a snowy Queen’s Park in February 2000.

It is reported that the blurb associated with the promotion of the national day in question outlines the number of advantages claimed to arise from walking the dog. What is not referred to is what is often left behind following dog walks. What is left behind is far from being pleasant and idyllic, particularly if one has the misfortune to tread upon it. It has been estimated that there are millions of dogs in the UK producing many tonnes of material a day, much of which is, of course, collected by dog owners.

One can accept that it is a minority of dog owners who act in such a socially irresponsible fashion. Action taken against them is variable and in many parts of the country ineffective. For as long as that remains the situation, it looks as though, sad to say, the rest of the public will just have to live with what remains uncollected and remember to tread carefully.
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie

Education chiefs on a mission

I WAS amazed to read that Professor Brian Boyd (Letters, February 21) still believes that his group produced a "Curriculum for Excellence" (CfE).

Any teacher at the time, or since, will attest that CfE never actually was a "curriculum" in any shape or form and merely a collection of mission statements.
J Carr, Glasgow

Class acts

REGARDING the correspondence on school Latin, having survived five different schools in Coatbridge to reach the pinnacle of Captain of Prefects at Clifton High School with the recently-deceased Sandy Jones as Vice-Captain, he going on to become chief executive of the PGA in the UK and chairman of the PGA of Europe and principal organiser of the Ryder Cup, we, and our colleagues, were justifiably proud to have consistently fulfilled our school motto "Nil Sine Labore", which we understood in translation to extol no sign of work.
DB Watson, Cumbernauld

Lock up your Shakespeare

GUARD your Complete Works of Shakespeare or if you're philistine enough not to possess one, remedy that at once – certainly before the reprint. In our enlightened new age ("Sanitising Roald Dahl? Only twits want that", The Herald, February 21, and Letters, February 22), what chance has poor Macbeth? "Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle towards my hand?" Goodness knows what the poor soul will end up with. Probably an iPhone.
Andy Trombala, Stirling

Letters should not exceed 500 words. We reserve the right to edit submissions.