JK Rowling is right. The battle for women's rights is far from over

I felt something close to shame when I read this article and understand the “chronic pain” she has felt because of guilt over not speaking out sooner.

I cannot bring myself to use social media, a place where there is no accountability for online “monstering” and grotesque and obscene threats of violence in particular against women who simply want to feel safe, respected and protected in a fair and equal society.

An equal society cannot exist when voices are silenced or where individuals who are brave enough to speak out, notwithstanding the dangers of doing so, are sacked from influential roles and targeted with impunity.

Growing up and learning to live in a man’s world has always baffled me - it seems beyond unfair that society and history have repressed women so effectively, across nations and in the eyes of law, religion and social norms.

This latest assault on our rights, the Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act is yet another depressing example of legislation that disregards women.

Only this week I was using a female-only changing area in a well-known fashion outlet in a modern shopping mall, when a man, bold as brass, walked right into this space. He was visibly offended when I challenged him about being there. This was a man in his forties or fifties. There were young girls in various states of undress present. It seems to me that many men feel quite entitled enough, without additional protection, to compromise women-only spaces and women's privacy.

The battle for women’s rights in this country has been long and hard. It is far from over. What rights women have secured must not be eroded by a “socio-political movement”. It is time for adult conversations, rooted in realism that result in safe spaces for all in a fair and just society.

Beverley Gardiner, Giffnock.

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Crack down on bad drivers

YOUR article on road deaths and injuries ("More than 150 people ‘lost their lives in Scottish road collisions last year’", The Herald, May 30) makes for very disturbing reading for any of us who use our roads. I truly hope that the £36 million for road safety in this year's budget will be spent wisely, but I fear that it will be frittered on posters and adverts, rather than on tackling the main cause of all these injuries and deaths, which is poor and dangerous driving.

Time and time again we see drivers who have killed people getting ridiculously light sentences, or not even being deprived of their driving licence if they plead that they need it for work. This completely ignores the fact that the person they have killed can't even work any more, let alone drive to work.

There will be no significant reduction in road deaths until driving incidents that cause death and injury are treated seriously. If someone drives in such a manner as to cause death or injury then it should be clear to everyone, in the vast majority of cases, that they are not driving correctly. In addition to any prison sentence, or other appropriate sentence, such a driver must sit a full driving test and pass it before being allowed to drive again.

Being allowed to drive is a privilege, not a right.

Patricia Fort, Glasgow.

Sorry state of Police Scotland

CALUM Steele’s brilliant article ("Rural Scotland needs police service", The Herald, May 29) describes what the public face daily in rural areas throughout Scotland, with poor and gradually eroding public services.

His background is in the police and the rot well and truly started with the formation of a single police force. It was claimed that the abolition of all the constituent forces would save a fortune, increase efficiency, standardise working practices, identify best practices in all aspects of the job, improve communication and more. What is the result? Loss of VAT which is in itself a huge 20% financial burden on force purchasing, difficulties with integrating the IT systems, reduction in personnel both police and civilian, closures of many offices, failing infrastructure in many others, remote call centres which means that you are not able to speak to your local office far less a particular officer, lack of local knowledge and community involvement. We now find out that they are not going to attend certain crimes/offences. It is a real concern that with a single chief constable there is the danger of political interference whereas in the old system with a strong group of chief constables that was not the case.

Sadly what we are witnessing is that the police numbers are reducing dramatically as officers are leaving in droves, unhappy with the way the force is progressing and putting severe pressure on those left at the sharp end trying to provide the best service they can in circumstances not of their making.

Donald J MacRaild, Dunvegan, Isle of Skye.

There is growing concern over road casualties (Image: Newsquest)

Last of the mail line

IT is regrettable that Stan Millar (Letters, May 30) appears to have missed an obituary published on January 24, 2018 in the Cape Times. This was in relation to the much-regretted death of the sailing of the last official mail ship allowed to fly the post office flag on her (his) jack staff. Perhaps another line, in keeping with Mr Millar's poem, might be "the female of the specious is more deadly than the male" , might indicate the perpetuity of all ships henceforth being of the female gender.

The ship in question was the St Helena, built in Aberdeen to serve both the Ascension and St Helena Islands. Her last voyage was from Capetown.

There is no official record of the funeral march "When the Saints Go Marching In" being played on her departure from Jamestown.

Robin Johnston, Newton Mearns.

Guilty call

KEITH Swinley's timely contribution to the debate on generational guilt (Letters, May 29) may be summed up by 31st US President Herbert Hoover: "Blessed are the young, for they shall inherit the national debt."

David Miller, Milngavie.