Time to take action on dog attacks - your views

Time to take action on dog attacks

Colin Beattie, a SNP MSP, has challenged the Scottish government to take "real action" to tackle the growing number of dog attacks.

He pointed out that 6483 people attended A&E in 2018 and 6992 in 2019 as a result of dog attacks. Many children were savaged.

There are 600,000 dogs in Scotland but ignorant and or selfish owners allow their dogs off the lead near farms resulting in death and injury to livestock and wildlife.

A Scottish government study published in December 2019 found the average financial cost of each dog attack to farmers was estimated at £697.33.

The need to have a dog licence was removed in 1987 but should be reintroduced. There are too many anti-social owners whose dogs foul our streets and countryside.

Irresponsible dog owners, especially those with numerous dogs, would oppose this, but the general public would welcome it.

The Scottish government imposed a licence system for the 500,000 air weapons in Scotland, so why not for 600,000 dogs?

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow.

Badly designed plans are spoiling capital

It seems Edinburgh is being destroyed for us by badly thought-through plans. The Spaces for People programme is driving ahead despite thousands of objections and despite the chaos caused to commuters, travellers, and residents. Parks and Green Belt areas are being altered or built on, in the face of community opposition, ignoring guidelines that say we should have easy access to green outdoor spaces.

Streets originally planned to let Edinburgh residents move easily round the city are being closed or altered. Private companies are given permission for events that barricade citizens out of our public gardens. Roads are riddled with dangerous potholes.

The SNP government is contributing to the downward spiral by underfunding councils, so services are suffering. But strangely, they can somehow push ahead with costly measures that few residents want, while failing to protect public services.

With their cuts to services and standards the SNP is supporting Tory austerity.

Anne Wimberley, Belmont Road, Edinburgh.

Labour hides from truth over failure

Since the 2014 indyref, the Labour Party has claimed that the reason for it demise in Scotland is due to working with the Scottish Conservatives & Unionists during that campaign.

Labour is hiding from the truth. Its demise has been caused by several issues, including poor and extremist leadership, compounded by unappealing policies and ambivalence about the Scottish Nationalist’s plans for separation. In the 2019 general election they were prepared to do a deal with Nicola Sturgeon and would do so again.

Labour’s insular approach was exposed after the two Labour candidates for the Scottish party leadership both refused an offer from Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, to work together on a ‘Unionist coalition’ to stop independence after the Scottish elections in May.

Labour should stop blaming others for its demise and instead should co-operate with the other pro-Union parties to expose the flaws of the SNP’s independence arguments. Failure to do so could result in a second unjustified independence referendum.

Despite the imminent unveiling of a new leader, Labour will still be stuck with the same old problem: it cannot be trusted to safeguard Scotland's place in the UK.

Tim Jackson, Whim Road, Gullane.