22nd of December 2016 - Uncommon Cold

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/
 

22nd of December 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

UNCOMMON COLD

 

I  see that our Queen has once again demonstrated her concern for her subjects by cancelling a Xmas train trip for fear of infecting fellow travellers with her cold germs.

 

If only more sniffling members of the general public could realise that "coughs and sneezes spread diseases" and do likewise - especially at this time of year.

 

God bless you, Ma'am!

John Eoin Douglas

16th of December 2016 - Lead Kindly Light

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/
 

16th of December 2016

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

LEAD KINDLY LIGHT

I am appalled to learn that the Scottish Parliament intends to spend nearly two million pounds on new light fittings to replace those scarcely twelve years old.

 

Surely in these days of economic austerity it would be prudent to source more affordable luminaires from the local branch of IKEA? Or does SNP support for other nationalist movements mean that we must eschew durable Swedish design in favour of dearer inferior illumination from Catalonia? I wonder if your readers can shed any light on the matter?

John Eoin Douglas

2nd of December 2016 - Flight of Fancy

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/
 

2nd of December 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

FLIGHT OF FANCY

As an airline shareholder, I have been following the current railway industrial dispute in the South of England with some interest. It seems the bone of contention between Unions and Management is the safety function of guards - a function which the employers claim is used so infrequently that it doesn't make economic sense to retain.

In terms of passenger mile per accident, this is undoubtedly equally true when it comes to airline cabin staff. If Southern Railways are successful in their bid to cut costs in this way, can we look forward to the UK airline industry being able to similarly save by replacing trolly dollies with recorded announcements of "Brace, Brace"?

John Eoin Douglas

23rd of November 2016 - Steam Solution

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/

23rd of November 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

STEAM SOLUTION

My recent experience of the Borders Railway shows that the only trains which seem consistently to run timeously are the specials drawn by steam locomotives some of which are more than 75 years old.

Perhaps the answer to Scotland's current Railway Crisis is to build many more to similar or even modernised designs. If Scottish engineering companies are no longer up to this, then India still has the capability and I'm sure that a large locomotive order to the Indian sub-continent would do much to repair the damage done by Mrs May's recent visit.

John Eoin Douglas

9th of November 2016 - Presidential Query

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/
 

9th of November 2016

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

PRESIDENTIAL QUERY

 

If Brexit is Brexit, that presumably means that Trump is Trump. But will it be a hard Trump or a soft one?

John Eoin Douglas

2nd of November 2016 - Sporting Excess

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/
 

2nd of November 2016

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

SPORTING EXCESS

Why hold a football match on Remembrance Day anyway? It should be a time to remember our fallen not a day for tawdry sporting fixtures!

John Eoin Douglas

20th of October 2016 - Mouthing Off

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/
 

20th of October 2016

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

MOUTHING OFF

 

I was surprised by Tory MP David Davies's sudden interest in the dental care of the few young refugees who are at last being allowed to enter the UK from the Calais "Jungle".

 

Whilst I'm sure that many of these youngsters would not be averse to a free dental checkup, he should be careful not to be seen to be promoting compulsory dentistry since Human Rights legislation could well class this as cruel and unusual punishment.

John Eoin Douglas

8th of October 2016 - Brexit Revisited

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

8th of October 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

BREXIT REVISITED

 

Now that everyone has experienced the minor economic and political upheaval caused by Brexit, perhaps it is time for a second referendum.

Remainers could win my vote this time were they only prepared to offer minor concessions like blue passports, the right to sell petrol by the gallon and a return to weather forecasts in comprehensible units.

 

As far as immigration is concerned, I doubt many Brexiteers would object to daily plane loads of cheap foreign labour as long as they could be paid in £SD!

John Eoin Douglas

21st of July 2016 - Because It's Worth It!

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

21st of July 2016

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

BECAUSE IT'S WORTH IT!

 

I am simply not prepared to brook criticism of the cost of the Edinburgh Tram Enquiry now reputed to be hitting £3.7M. As any lawyer involved with the enquiry will confirm: it is worth every penny!

 

John Eoin Douglas

18th of July 2016 - Gatekeeper

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

18th of July 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

GATEKEEPER

 

I see that Edinburgh Council has recently erected some expensive looking stone gateposts at the entranceways to London Road Gardens.

 

I do hope that this is but the first stage of re-erecting the long lamented railings and closing the area off at night to dogwalkers, drunks in search of a toilet and undesirables seeking a romantic tryst.

John Eoin Douglas

6th of June 2016 - Spoilt Tactic

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

6th of June 2016

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

SPOILT TACTIC

 

As the European Referendum fast approaches, I can garner little enthusiasm to vote either way.

 

The IN campaign offers little more than patronising scare tactics whilst the OUT campaign disappointingly fails to promise a return to pound, inch and gallon Imperial measures or pound, shilling and penny £SD currency.

 

I feel that my ballot paper may well end up being spoiled.

 

John Eoin Douglas

Virus-free. www.avast.com

15th of May 2016 - Timeous Trains

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

15th of May 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

TIMEOUS TRAINS

 

Boris Johnson claims a reason to Brexit is because European unification was promoted by a fascist dictator. However, a policy is not necessarily bad just because it has such support.

 

Mussolini is reputed to have made the Italian trains run on time. Not even Boris could criticise this aspiration for our modern UK railway system!

 

John Eoin Douglas

10th of April 2016 - Taxing Matter

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

10th of April 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

TAXING MATTER

 

As Jeremy Corbyn has yet to make public his tax returns, it seems somewhat hypocritical for him to demand further details of the Prime Minister's financial affairs when Mr Cameron has already published his!

 

John Eoin Douglas

 

25th of March 2016 - Hot Water

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

25th of March 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

HOT WATER

 

Following the recent closure of Scotland's last coal fired power station at Longannet, I wonder if any of your readers have, like me, noticed that their kettle seems to boil less rapidly?

John Eoin Douglas

25th February 2016 - Boris On Track

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

25th of February 2016

Dear Sir/Madam

 

BORIS ON TRACK

 

I've noted some rather sour reactions from republicans to London Mayor Boris Johnston's renaming of Crossrail to the Elizabeth Line in honour of our Queen.

 

Perhaps they should be campaigning to have it named the Boris Line? He is after all an elected representative.

 

John Eoin Douglas

11th of February 2016 - Locum Solution

7 Spey Terrace
Edinburgh
EH7 4PX
Telephone: 0131-550 0895
E-mail: JohnEDouglas@gmail.com
Blog: http://johneoindouglas.blogspot.com/ 

 

11th of February 2016

Dear Sir/Madam,

 

LOCUM SOLUTION

It is time for Junior Doctors to take their gloves off in their fight against the Health Secretary.

 

Whilst a long term strike might be considered to contravene the Hippocratic Oath, surely nobody could find fault with medics who simply refused to accept the new contract and resigned from their posts?

 

Of course they would then be at liberty to register with temporary agencies to work at at whatever was the going rate. This would doubtless be more expensive for the NHS than simply settling with the BMA, but I cannot see any government allowing hospitals to close when there was a ready supply of suitable doctors available in the free market.

 

John Eoin Douglas