TODAY (June 3) you publish letters falsely and emotively accusing Israel of pursuing genocide in Gaza, one from Jewish university staff who surely know better, and another from a regular correspondent, Willie Maclean, who may not.
Whether or not you believe Israel is within its rights in continuing its attack on Hamas in Gaza, the resulting death toll of the Palestinian population is horrific but cannot be characterised as genocidal. Anyone with a dictionary can easily confirm that for Israel’s actions to be genocidal, they must by definition be calculated deliberately to exterminate the whole of the Palestinian population, which clearly they are not. Rather, the death toll is the inevitable consequence of war, particularly when fought out in a contested urban environment. The harsh reality is that if Israel was attempting the genocide of the Palestinians, the death toll would have been indiscriminately massively greater.
At this time, as we commemorate the 80th anniversary of the invasion of France, there is no suggestion that that action was genocidal, despite the massive Allied shelling, bombing and fighting in the months before, during and after D-Day, which caused many thousands of deaths amongst the innocent French population who lived in and around Normandy. I have heard that that death toll amounted to around 20,000, accepted in history as an inevitable sacrifice in a just cause.
Alan Fitzpatrick, Dunlop.
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Be patient with your pharmacist
YOUR article on drug shortages ("Drug shortages ‘piling pressure’ on already stretched pharmacies", The Herald, June 1) rightly raises the issue of vastly increased pressure on pharmacists and their teams and the inevitable impact on patients. At a meeting last week it was announced there was a record 130 items now included on the "shorts" list and that means time to source medication has increased substantially, adding to pharmacy workload.
The Pharmacy First scheme, alluded to in the article, mentions "seven common conditions" and the fact that the scheme was launched in January. This relates to the English scheme. The Scottish Pharmacy First scheme started in 2020 and is a far wider scheme where we can deal with dozens of minor ailments allowing for prescribing from an NHS Approved list of medicines, On top of that, pharmacists can prescribe for UTIs in women, shingles, skin infections, emergency hormonal contraception, bridging contraception and hay fever, the latter using medications formerly only available from your GP. Patient Group Directions, as these enhanced services are called, are being looked at all the time nationally to see what further services can be added.
My message to patients is we are working hard to give you the best service but we need more time to access your medicines.
Elizabeth Roddick, independent prescribing pharmacist, Glasgow.
• A HEADLINE in your Business section on Saturday (June 1) read "UK sock market outperforms European peers."
It is great to know that whilst supplies of medicines are becoming very difficult to obtain, at least we will die with warm feet.
David Hay, Minard.
A bucket and spade airport
I NOTE an article about aspirations of Glasgow`s Chamber of Commerce that includes the recovery of the route schedule to Glasgow Airport ("It's time for a little more action and a little less conversation please", The Herald, May 29).
I have written on this topic before with deafening silence from airport representatives as to why almost all major airlines, longstanding in Glasgow and so making it a significant international airport, moved to Edinburgh with the salt in the wound when Jet Blue entered Edinburgh's orbit too, adding another New York service to several already there.
When departing Glasgow recently I got what I took to be off the cuff remarks when I met senior personnel there. The reason: Edinburgh "bought them". I take it Glasgow asked for too high a landing fee after Covid compared to Edinburgh. Then was added "we have to make a profit". A significant damping comment.
Most businesses increase their profitability if they expand, apparently the airport management can do it by reducing turnover? Sounds like the hospital story, "everything worked till the patients were involved".
So from a growing international airport we now have a "bucket and spade one". Thank goodness for Jet2, TUI, Wizz and Easyjet's holiday business, together with the remaining spoke flights.
I fear the Chamber is going to be disappointed if it is looking for significant change.
John A Taylor, Dunlop.
The ruination of rural Scotland
DUE to roadworks on the M74, I today used the once-delightful quiet country "Carlisle Road" from Blackwood to Larkhall. Imagine my disappointment to find that hundreds of wind turbines could be seen on either side of the road not only nearby, but also fairly far away, possibly well into Ayrshire. This once very rural route has been completely ruined by what seems a very haphazard placement of these intrusive metal towers all over once-pristine farmland. Was there any real thought put into the inception and the planning of this invasion?
One day, the over-zealous green lobby, the planners and perhaps some opportunistic farmers should be held to account for ruining our countryside not only for ourselves but more importantly for future generations. Nothing’s forever: remember the coal mines and the canals. We must immediately stop this continuing mad rush to harness land-based wind power and its consequent destruction of the countryside. Unfortunately, for some areas like North and South Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and probably other parts of Scotland, it may be already too late.
David K Gemmell, Lanark.
Taxing times
PETER Farrell (Letters, June 1) rightly recalls the days of Purchase Tax, VAT's predecessor. Mr Farrell mentions " a whopping 33.3%". The government of the day determined rates of Purchase Tax dependent upon an item's supposed degree of luxury, and in 1947, the rate for cars costing over £1,000 was 66%, extended to all cars from 1951.
Even those of us who lived in these days tend to have short memories.
David Miller, Milngavie.
In plain sight
THE recent lack of plain bread seems to be causing much gnashing of teeth (Letters, June 1). May I bring to your attention an excellent stand-in? Available in my local Sainsburys and Iceland you can find Irwins batch loaf from Portadown: a loaf which brings back memories of the 1950s and 60s when things still tasted right. A brother-in-law from the Province put me on to this stuff. Thank you, Billy.
If you can find it, enjoy.
Rab Neilson, Ayr.
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