Reporter comment

the Renton Road.

The proposal has changed somewhat by including some housing in the site.

This is no big deal; we need more housing and this will bring more money into the area as well as more revenue into

the council's coffers in the shape of more people paying council tax.

Is the site valuable green space which needs protected, like Posties/Levengrove Park and

Dumbarton Common? Well, no it isn't. This is land which is only used as grazing land for cattle.

Much of it is frequently flooded and is little more than a bog, and no-one uses it.

The considerable sporting facilities which are earmarked for the site will bring revenue into the club

and will be a valuable addition to the community.

Protecting marshy, unused land should be weighed up against our young people being provided with exciting, new facilities which are badly needed.

Finally, it will be up to the club to come up with more novel ways to attract more people to their games.

Cheaper prices for students, OAPs and unemployed would be a start.

James Cormack, Dumbuck Crescent, Dumbarton

THE local SNP branch is clearly following lessons from the Donald Trump school of politics when it comes to their latest letter-writing campaign.

Two recent letters from local SNP members, including the Convener of the local constituency organisation, have been so full of distortion that even the President Elect himself would be impressed.

Firstly, their claim that I have been approached about a job at NHS GGC is completely untrue.

MSPs are barred by law from serving on health boards anyway but that is not even the point.

The only job I am interested in I applied for on 5 May 2016 and got– that is to be the MSP for this area.

I am proud to serve the people here and will continue to do so for as long as they will have me.

I know Graeme McCormick very well and, as a solicitor, frankly I thought he would have known better than to promote such libellous nonsense.

Secondly, the SNP is well aware that elected councillors make up a tiny minority on the board and Labour members have already voted twice to oppose cuts at the Vale.

On each occasion they were defeated.

What Graeme doesn’t tell you in his letter is that two thirds of the health board membership is directly appointed by the SNP Health Minister and the SNP Government reserves the right to block any major cuts.

It’s time for the SNP to end the misinformation campaign and start working together along cross-party lines to persuade the Scottish Government to call in the proposals and stop the cuts to local health services.

Jackie Baillie MSP, via e-mail.

THE news that solenezumab, a drug developed to treat Alzheimer's, has failed in the final stage of a clinical trial, is tragic for people living with Alzheimer's, their loved ones and wider society.

It is also another example of the failure of animal research to provide cures for human disease.

To be of value a research method must produce reliably predictive results.

When solenezumab was tested in genetically modified mice, it 'attenuated or reversed memory deficits' - it appears the same result was not sufficiently evident in humans.

Research on genetically modified mice - which is undertaken on the false assumption that genes function similarly across different species - cannot be reliability predictive of what happens in humans.

Further examples of GM mouse research 'successes' that failed in clinical trials include drugs for cancer, Alzheimer's disease, chronic heart failure, breast cancer, emphysema and asthma.

Animal Aid is calling for an end to the use of unreliable animal 'models' and for humane, non-animal research instead. This move should not only bring more robust science, but also increase the likelihood of an end to many diseases which currently blight our society.

Jessamy Korotoga, Anti-Vivisection Campaign Manager, Animal Aid

SOCIALISM provides the political resolution of the capitalist contradictions between the UNITY of the working class versus the DIVISION of labour and human FREEDOM versus our material wants and needs or the material ORDER, for example.

The class system only represents the one, divisive and unfree side of the coin because there are two classes.

However, we are still plagued by these hermits and recluses who parrot, “I’m not interested in politics.” I suggest that is a fallacy, it is not possible and it is ruling class propaganda, PR, sales and marketing.

The sun exists. Does the sun stop shining because of their lack of interest? No. Because they ignore the rain does that mean they don’t get wet? No. Politics exists. Does that stop because they know nothing and won’t count? No.

Who is fooling who?

They live in Government houses, drive on Government roads, use the Government legal tender, receive Government benefits, services, funding and support, send their children to Government schools, see Government doctors and nurses and pay Government taxes and duties. Politics rules on the air they breath, the water they drink, the food they eat and the clothes they wear. Morning, noon and night these “not interested in politics “ people exhibit and admit a shed load of possibilities for their political existence and involvement.

No doubt, in a dream, they wish it wasn’t true. Sorry, the miracles are off the menu today.

Wake up. The working class needs you.

James Graham, Elm Road, Clydebank.

IT is striking to note the findings of the Resolution Foundation, highlighting that while top earners were hit the hardest following the financial crisis, looking forward the biggest losers are lower income families, with the entire bottom third of the income distribution set to see incomes fall in the years ahead.

In recent months it looked like the government recognised that they had inherited welfare cuts that would mean significant income falls for the very just managing families that Theresa May has rightly highlighted as deserving support. Indeed the Autumn Statement did include some welcome measures to raise the minimum wage, tackle letting agent fees and reduce the taper rate at which benefits are taken away as families earn more.

But overall the rhetorical commitment to just managing families has not been delivered upon. The giveaway from that reduced taper being wiped out more than twice over by the additional takeaway from higher inflation deepening the impact of the freeze on benefits over the next few years.

This is clearly deeply disappointing and worrying for those families on the lowest incomes. Since arriving on the steps of Number 10 Mrs May pledged to help those who are just about managing. This pledge is clearly not being delivered and more help is needed for low income families if we are to prevent them being hit hardest.

Alex Orr, Leamington Terrace, Edinburgh

HUNTINGTON'S Disease (HD) is a rare, hereditary, incurable and ultimately fatal condition that affects the brain and central nervous system.

The disease slowly robs a person of their ability to walk, talk, eat, drink, understand and care for themselves. 1100 people have been diagnosed with HD in Scotland, with a further 4000-6000 at risk of inheriting this appalling condition from their parents.

Due to the rarity and complexity of HD, health and social care providers are all too often at a loss about how to properly assist families with the condition.

However help is on its way.

With funding and support from the Scottish Government, the Scottish Huntington’s Association has led on the development of a draft National Care Framework for HD to help guide health & social care providers and staff, and empower patients and carers.

The draft framework – the first of its kind in the world - presents Scotland with a unique opportunity to significantly drive up care and support for HD families. What’s more it is our hope that the framework will be of wider benefit by acting as a model of support for people affected by other conditions to in due course follow, throughout Scotland and internationally.

We are absolutely determined to make a success of this opportunity, but need the help of your readers.

If you are a health and social care professional or provider, or a member or carer of an HD family, your views on the draft framework would be absolutely invaluable. Please visit http://hdscotland.org/careframework or call 0141 848 0308 prior to 9 December to help shape this unique opportunity to changes people’s lives for the better.

John Eden, Chief Executive, The Scottish Huntington’s Association.

THIS month we mark Carers Rights Day.

Did your readers know that every day it is estimated another 6,000 people take on a caring responsibility?

That’s why I’d like to tell your readers why we are dedicated to doing all we can to provide a helping hand to those in a caring role.

Over the years, experience has taught us just how steadfast many carers are in their devotion to those they support and it is this which gives them the strength to carry on, day in, day out. But there are times when this can also become a huge barrier, preventing carers from taking time off, even if only for a few days.

At Revitalise - an incredible national charity that provides respite holidays for disabled people and carers - we understand that to enjoy a break to the full, carers must feel secure in the knowledge that their loved one will receive all the care and support they need. We also know that spending time away from the person they care for can often be far from relaxing, but can increase a carer’s tendency to worry or experience feelings of guilt.

That’s why we offer carers the opportunity to enjoy a break with their loved one, where they are able to relinquish their caring duties and simply enjoy spending time with one another, away from the stresses of every day life.

If you would like to find out about Revitalise, our breaks, ways we can help you, or ways you can help us please call 0303 303 0147 or visit www.revitalise.org.uk. Thank you!

Stephanie Stone, Revitalise