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The Herald Scotland

Why don't they ever highlight the benefits of moderate drinking?

There is no doubt that alcohol consumed in excess is very harmful, but it is also clear that consumed in moderation, it is not. Many hundreds of studies across the world and over time have established that those drinking up to the levels which are the average for Scottish drinkers have a lower mortality than those who abstain. There have been attempts to discredit this, but they are not very credible against the huge weight of evidence, and even if they managed to call into question the health benefits of moderate drinking, they could not establish it as materially harmful. It is stated that there is no safe level of drinking, which is based on the truth that moderate drinking slightly increases the risk of some cancers, but what it ignores is that this is more than balanced out by the fact that it decreases the risk of other diseases, mainly cardiovascular. It is noteworthy that this pretty conclusive body of research is simply airbrushed out of notice by the public health lobby. The relentless public health campaign against alcohol, instead of targeting high levels of consumption, is determined to exaggerate the risk of moderate drinking. This is a form of dishonesty. And even if it were true that there is an increased health risk at moderate levels (which in aggregate it is not), the risk would be very low. Many of the activities of normal life carry increased risk (such as driving), but the benefits and enjoyment of these activities are also taken into account, but not for alcohol. Its pleasures and its cultural importance in our social life are to be completely discounted. It might be argued that they mean well, but the use by scientifically based messaging of the propagandistic techniques of public relations and politics demeans it and adds another undermining corrosion to the integrity of our public discourse. Stephen Smith, Glasgow. Read more letters Why indy will run out of gas Neil Mackay's Unspun article ("SNP is treating independence like a secret to be locked away in the attic", The Herald, June 21) failed to mention the inability of the party to project-manage large engineering schemes. The problem started with the two ferries ordered for the Ardrossan/Brodick run, with the mainland port still unable to accommodate the vessels and the Glen Rosa still not in service. That was followed by the dualling project of the A9 which will not be completed during the next session at Holyrood. Then the news broke that, in spite of a four-year delay to ending municipal waste landfill, the SNP failed to build sufficient incinerators, hence the plan to send 100 lorries a day filled with waste to England. However, the biggest secret of all is the lack of progress on the construction of 25,000 MW of hydrogen-fuelled gas turbines as detailed in the SNP Energy Plan of 2023. The result of this failure means that, under dunkelflaute weather conditions, there could be no power for schools, hospitals, supermarket freezers, ATMs or charging facilities for tablets, smartphones and computers. It has been pointed out that "independence is irrelevant until we fix the climate", so surely installing the generation plant required to keep the lights on in Scotland is the prime target for Holyrood over the next 20 years? Ian Moir, Castle Douglas. When ferries worked well This year the MV Aries went off to the breakers' yard. She was built at Govan Shipbuilders with work starting in 1985, entering service in 1987. Launched as the MV Norsea for North Sea Ferries she was the largest and last passenger and vehicle ferry built in Govan. Thirty-seven years of service across the North Sea and finally in the Mediterranean says a lot. No doubt our leaders at Holyrood will attest that the renewal of the oldest ferries by the Glens Sannox and Rosa and the four ships bring built in Turkey was well planned to take account of build times and intended service implementation allowing the older ships to leave service But things went very wrong and the pity is that the high head yins give the appearance of not caring all that much. At least there is (or was) a model of the Norsea at Glasgow's Riverside Museum. Maybe when viewed it gives an opportunity to reflect on how things have changed in those 37 years. Ian Gray, Croftamie. The Ardrossan ferry terminal (Image: Newsquest) Subtitle suffering I watched a (partially) interesting programme on BBC1 this evening (June 24), Why Cities Flood: Spain's Deadly Disaster. I say partially interesting because there was a fair proportion of subtitles involved. Fine if you can read them but white script on a white background does not work. Documentary makers please note: it would definitely be of more interest if we could read the subtitles. Steve Barnet, Gargunnock. The sad decline of Aberdeen I read Kerry Hudson's article about her trip to Norway and her reflections on three of its cities ("Want to follow the hottest trend? As the world warms, book yourself a coolcation in Norway", The Herald, June 24). I found it hard not to compare her observations on Stavanger with my observations on recent trips to Aberdeen. Stavanger appears to be an upbeat city, looking ahead to the future post-oil, whilst remaining an attraactive city, with striking traditional and modern buildings. I'm not sure I can say the same about Aberdeen, where something seems to have seriously gone wrong in the city's governance. The city centre, particularly Union Street and the area around Schoolhill and Belmont Street, looks distinctly down at heel. And the bus station and its surrounding area must be the most unwelcoming in Scotland. Willie Towers, Alford.