I see that the statue of Winston Churchill in London got a sprucing up in advance of President Macron’s state visit last week. I wonder if our statue of Adam Smith standing in the High Street in Edinburgh might receive the same treatment? He is about to become even better known with the appearance of Brian Cox as the man himself in the Festival play Make It Happen. In the past the statue was adorned by the attentions of pigeons, which was par for the course, but in recent times seagulls have taken over, and their deposits are much more substantial. At a time when there is more interest in public statues, it is really an embarrassment that such a famous Edinburgh notable is evidently neglected by the city. One might go on and include David Livingstone statue near the Scott Monument, for instance. A regular wash would be the ideal, but would a few anti-bird spikes on the top really be unacceptable? Paul Dimarco, Edinburgh Trump’s Open It appears the R&A have met with a member of the Trump dynasty regarding the British Open being held at Turnberry (Scotsman, 17 July). I suggest that in keeping with the approach of many world leaders to Donald Trump, when the inevitable happens, the R&A leadership team genuflect appropriately while scattering rose petals at his feet as he is carried up the 18th fairway in the manner of the Queen of Sheba? Maybe King Charles will agree to kiss the ring? Seems reasonable. D Mitchell, Doune, Stirling Life before money A Lewis (Letters, 14 July) suggests that government would better take family responsibilities as an example. Now, the first of family responsibilities is to ensure that our children are alive and well. This takes priority over budgetary matters. Hence, the focus on economic growth of the past few decades is inappropriate. Likewise, the current turn towards green energy is more than welcome as it improves planetary viability. Certainly, we would not like energy bills to unduly increase. However, it is appropriate to take into account that the energy company bosses decide the energy prices, not the government. These ultra-rich bosses are not necessarily upwardly mobile as they have often inherited wealth. Nor are they aspiring to be better as they do not necessarily take morality into consideration. Therefore, government taking family responsibilities as an example would entail placing greater priority on ecology and health, not letting ultra-rich bosses get even richer. James McDonald, Edinburgh Heat turned up Paul Wilson advocates that “some heat should be taken out of the climate change debate” (Scotsman, 17 July). Unfortunately, net zero was discarded into the dustbin of history by the SNP the moment they realised the household debt to decarbonise Scottish homes would exceed £130 billion. A review of the job losses at Grangemouth, potentially in bus manufacturing at Falkirk and the 200 job losses a week in the oil and gas industry demonstrates that Holyrood has completely failed to organise a “just transition”. Voters should take this into account when putting their cross onto the ballot paper in May 2026 as going green appears to be a policy where Scots are going poor. Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway Climate questions In my possibly rose-tinted memories of childhood, winters were winters and summers were summers. I’m no knee-jerk denier of climate change or global warming – maybe slightly agnostic on some aspects of the debate – so Paul Wilson’s interesting article raised some questions. The Mini Ice Age ending the Medieval Warm Period lasted from around 1300 until about 1850 – when “pre-industrial times drew to an end” in Paul Wilson’s words. So is it not possible that we may now be in a new “naturally” warm period in the climate cycle, albeit quite possibly exacerbated by our industrialisation since 1850? Even without the effects of any industrialisation, surely it would not be surprising if average temperatures now were higher than those pertaining towards the end of a Mini Ice Age? Also, could we have it credibly explained exactly how the Earth’s average temperatures from over 175 years ago were measured, to give such precise comparisons with our 21st century averages? Maybe one of Paul Wilson’s “perfectly respectable scientists who disagree with the climate alarmists” could comment. John Birkett, St Andrews, Fife Patriotic glue If only one of the boys had come to Bilton School in Rugby wearing a Union flag dress on ‘diversity day’, then the teachers would have faced a difficult dilemma. Should they support the boy’s gender questioning or condemn his patriotism? There was no such dilemma, when 12-year-old Courtney Wright turned up in a Spice Girls-style Union flag dress; she was removed from the class. Other pupils with St George’s and Welsh flags were not allowed in. Why are people who clearly have contempt for Britain and native British identities teaching in British schools at all? We just can’t afford to indulge these people’s anti-British bigotry. Pride in Britain and love of this country is the glue which binds us all together, whatever our diverse heritages. Without that common pride, the future will be very dark indeed. Otto Inglis, Crossgates, Fife Something fishy Loch Ness is home to several fish species, including Atlantic salmon, brown trout, sea trout, and ferox trout. You can also find Arctic char, European eels, European perch, and Northern pike. There are also common minnows and sticklebacks. My theory about the Loch Ness monster is as follows: when the fish species mentioned grow to a giant size and break the surface it triggers a sighting. The sightseeing boat of Loch Ness has sonar and has picked up a large contact of something extremely big. Also viewed from this boat was a 6ft pike. Experts agree that it couldn't be a dinosaur. David J Steel, by Newbigging, Dundee Tunnel vision In the Faeroes Islands, an autonomous region of Denmark, with a population of around 55,000, and an economy much smaller than that of Scotland, they have completed a network of tunnels connecting the islands in the archipelago. Something innovative like that simply would not happen in this country; it would be smothered at birth in bureaucracy. Scotland under the SNP has struggled with completing the dualling of the A9, many years behind schedule. And we have their record on building ferries. It would all disgrace a banana republic. Instead of encouraging go-getting entrepreneurs, we have the dead hand of the SNP and John Swinney-run bureaucrats, wanting only to tax the best and the brightest and eager to squash any blue-sky thinking and instead add another few thousand to the civil service army and increase the welfare bill. Then claim grievance. Yes, it is 2025. It really is time for a change. Alexander McKay, Edinburgh Fruits of our labour Murdo Fraser is right; a wealth tax on farmers (assuming they’re working ones) would be a “nightmare” (Scotsman, 16 July). It is ironic that Rachel Reeves’ party once proclaimed, in Clause IV of its constitution, our natural right to the “full fruits” of our labour – ie no taxation of it. That was binned by Blair and Broon, though Labour chancellors had for decades ignored it anyway. George Morton, Rosyth, Fife Cheap energy Jill Stephenson (Letters, 15 July) attempts to defend the UK Government position to refuse to implement zonal pricing of electricity by using the argument that renewable energy is “heavily subsidised and that the majority of the funding for these subsidies comes from a levy on electricity suppliers which is then passed on to consumers throughout the UK through their electricity bills”, and that as there are far more electricity consumers in England, those of us in Scotland are being subsidised. Had she, however, checked the case against zonal pricing which was put forward in the House of Commons by the Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband, she would have discovered that his reasoning was based on the fact that zonal pricing would have placed areas of England in a less competitive position to that of Scotland when trying to attract industries to locate their businesses. In basic terms, Miliband was protecting southern interests and existing jobs in England at the cost of potentially many thousands of new jobs in Scotland. There is no way that anyone should be trying to dress up this situation to pretend otherwise. Ms Stephenson omitted to mention the fact that the people in those areas of Scotland where the renewable energy is being produced are paying higher electricity charges than consumers in England. Cheap energy is essential to Scotland’s society and economy. People living here should not freeze in their homes during winter. Existing businesses that are struggling should be benefitting and new ones given the incentive to locate here. It always surprises me that there are some people currently living in Scotland who keep trying to tell us otherwise. Jim Finlayson, Banchory, Aberdeenshire Write to The Scotsman We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. 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