YOUR Letters

Interestingly though the same letter appeared in the Dumbarton Reporter and Clydebank Post but from two different people, sounds a bit like an orchestrated campaign.

However, I will answer my critics - the debt figure of £4.8 trillion is based on the current declared UK debt plus the hidden outstanding financial liabilities that sit off balance sheet.

The biggest of these hidden liabilities is the huge pension's gap and then add to that all the PPP government borrowing to name but two.

The current declared debt figure for the UK is £1.7 trillion and when all of these hidden liabilities are added it comes to £4.8 trillion, which is about £77,000 per head for everyone in the UK.

In terms of the programme that Michael Dirkin made I found it full of right wing propaganda about why the NHS and education should be privatised so it is not a programme I placed any confidence in.

I do find it quite laughable though that the age old socialist approach to how they deal with people who express an alternative view is treated - they demand their head on a platter - thank goodness we live in a democracy.

Councillor Craig McLaughlin Park in breach?

BY its own admission I now have proof the National Park is deliberately operating in breach of the National Parks Act 2000.

The forth statutory aim (4d) states 'to promote sustainable and social development of the area's communities'.

However, in its responses to my objection to its Draft Finalised Local Plan, the National Park states 'it is now agreed that new wording should not be inserted regarding the financial situation of the applicants [for planning permission].

Under current legislation there is a requirement to perform credit checks on any development and for such information to be considered as a material planning consideration.

The National Park Authority therefore has no records on the success, or otherwise, of the sustainability checklist criteria (all papers in the public domain).

Clearly, whilst the Act is a statutory instrument of the democratic will of the Scottish people - the public - the National Park has been rubber-stamping the private property speculators without caring whether the economic impact is going to be positive and negative.

Contrary to its statutory duty to provide positive incomes, the National Park simply does not check to find out whether the applicants and their proposals for development provide for postive, sustainable, economic outcomes or not.

I do not agree that the planning legislation is neutral on this subject either.

In light of my previous submissions to this newspaper on the economic crisis and the cuts, I find the National Park is just another cog in the wheel of economic corruption that's driving market abuse.

By design, the private sector are free to take a profit - with all costs, failures and losses bank-rolled and underwritten by the public.

This is the great credit and debt scam.

James Graham c/o Socialist News Cutting comments I WOULD like to thank the staff of Miller & Lowrie's hair salon in Alexandria Main Street who cut my toddler daughter's hair last week - after we were turned away from three other salons.

And the reason for being turned away? They were too busy with appointments to take her, even though two of the salons were empty at the time.

It is hard to believe in this economic climate that businesses are turning away money when it walks in the door.

The staff at Miller & Lowrie were great and my daughter's trim was done and dusted in less than five minutes with a lollipop thrown in too.

I know where I'll be taking my money and my business to in the future.

Name and address supplied