IT'S typical of our out-of-touch Parliament that all Government staff got an extra holiday on Monday for St Andrew's Day while the rest of the country had to work.

IT'S typical of our out-of-touch Parliament that all Government staff got an extra holiday on Monday for St Andrew's Day while the rest of the country had to work.

What sort of message does that send out?

Staff with gold-plated pensions got to have a long lie while the private sector staff who fund their cushy existence, many of whom fear losing their jobs at the moment, had to work.

As George Orwell said: "All animals are equal but some are more equal than others."

It's very obvious who has their noses in the trough over this most unequal of holiday deals.

JIM CAIRNS Via e-mail

Cold facts of poverty

HERE we are, another winter is already upon us and we are still discussing fuel poverty (Evening Times, November 28).

The Scottish House Condition Survey says nearly one in four Scottish households was in fuel poverty last year.

Surely we should have learned from this and started to make moves to eradicate this problem?

It would be a scandal if even one person died from hypothermia this winter due to leaving their heating off to avoid high bills.

It's the old folk who will suffer the most, so I'd like to see some political action to bring down the cost of heating bills.

WILLIAM SANGSTER Knightswood

Attic Lights lesson

My name is Steven Glover and recently I won an Evening Times competition for a guitar masterclass with the band Attic Lights.

I attended with my daughter and what a fantastic lesson it was.

The guys were great. My daughter, above, was starstruck but the boys made us feel at ease and we learned some good lessons to go home with.

STEVEN GLOVER Via e-mail

Sweet dreams

Gordon Thomson's article on the redevelopment plans for the old sugar sheds at Greenock was first class and must give hope for the future to the citizens of Greenock and adjoining areas.

During the Second World War I worked as an apprentice electrician in the Greenock yards, helping to restore the shipyards and merchant ships for vital war work. I have vivid memories of the Blitz on Greenock and the awful aftermath. To this day, as a Glaswegian, I have an empathy for the good people people of Greenock.

I hope that with these new development plans their Sweet Dreams' for the future will soon be realised.

ARRWEE Glasgow
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HOT TOPIC: Column summed up misplaced priorities

Fantastic column. I was on a social work placement two years ago and worked alongside members of staff who have now been sacked.

I'm appalled at this - they were some of the most dedicated individuals you could meet.

Your article, for me, summed up social work management and its misplaced priorities.

CHRIS

Sacked without warning

Thank you for your balanced article on this situation. SLC staff are outraged and appalled at the way this has been handled. Long serving, valued members of staff have been dismissed without warning, and without knowledge of council policy on e-mailing.

No-one received a warning over the Gary Glitter e-mail, all have been sacked.

LIZZIE, Hamilton

Hypocrisy of situation

Thank you for presenting the first balanced view of the South Lanarkshire e-mail affair.

The whole situation smacks of complete over reaction and hypocrisy. The self same e-mail image was used on national TV masquerading as humour on the Graham Norton Show.

One bad taste joke has cost 15 talented, experienced and vital members of staff their jobs, a job that few would want.

Shame on you South Lanarkshire, you have made a mountain out of a mole hill and vilified decent vital dedicated individuals.

POSTED ONLINE

Grounds for appeal...

I'm sure those dismissed have very strong grounds for appeal. The fact that they have broken a code of conduct that none of them knew existed speaks volumes.

If everyone in the UK who sent on non-PC e-mails were sacked, the country would grind to a halt!

CAITLINB, Shotts

Council action excessive

the individuals mentioned work in frontline services and often have to adopt a gallows humour purely as a coping strategy in order to face the harsh reality of their everyday working life.

A warning to the people involved about the e-mail policy should have been enough and it is excessively punitive to sack them over something so petty.

PAT1, Glasgow