Kirk must take some of the blame for dwindling congregations

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COMMENTS on the fate of Church of Scotland buildings and their historic artefacts (“Dying Congregations Leave Church of Scotland with Different Mission”, The Herald, December 10 and Letters, December 13) are well done, but neglect what is likely to be the main result of the radical plan of action of the Church, the further decrease in the number of its members.

As presbyteries roll out their mission plans, it becomes clear that downsizing churches is going to have a massive and rapid impact on congregations. As buildings close, members will face significant travel challenges to attend services; many will be unhappy with the closure of the places of worship they have frequented all their lives; community organizations attached to a particular church will be lost; many may be uncomfortable with the traditions and perspectives of the congregations with which they are united; and still more will be discouraged by the possible reduction in the pastoral care of overburdened ministers.

When the church’s “uniting and readjusting” policy began decades ago, it was estimated that about a third of a closing congregation was lost and went to no other church. I suspect this will repeat itself several times with the current strategy.Professor KB Scott, Stirling

Midwives come first

CELIA Welch’s account of her and the next generation of women in her family’s experience of running the NHS delivery room at the start of labor (Letters, 13 December) is distressing. As we know, statutory midwifery claims in Scotland up to the end of 2021 stand at 300 million, almost double all other clinical negligence claims. We also know that caesarean section rates have gone from 10% when I was senior obstetrics officer in 1978, to 38% (equal number of planned and emergency operations).

This all stems from the deeply troubling institutional problems described in Morecambe, Shrewsbury, East Kent and Nottingham.

I am troubled by the claim that “male-led obstetricians” are responsible for how mothers are counseled over the phone early in labour. First, it is almost certain that midwives provide first-line advice. They are independent clinicians who will follow agreed unit guidelines. Three quarters of obstetricians in training being women, men are now already a minority in the teams of consultants.

As is their mandate, the educational body that is the Royal College of Obstetricians (RCOG) reported on manpower issues as recently as February this year, all 168 pages. They echo Ms Welch’s plea: “Co-production with women involves working with them as equal partners at every stage of designing, developing and improving services rather than simply asking them for feedback. It is essential to hear a diversity of opinions and ensure that care is person-centred.”

It’s a reassuring aspiration, but with the shortage of midwives across the UK, there is a long way to go when it comes to quality, consistency and safety of care for pregnant women and midwives and consultants.Dr Philip Gaskell, Drymen

A turner for the great yin?

I was walking down Queen Street in Glasgow (putting one foot in front of the other as Chic Murray suggested as the best way forward) when I was stopped in my tracks by some strange pictures in a shop window.

It was an art store that displayed these images which all appeared to be figures tied up with rope or string. Curiosity led me into the establishment, where I discovered they were the work of Billy Connolly, Glasgow’s favorite son.

As the person who started Calton Fauvist’s artist colony (we were pretty wild) on Ross Street, right across from our favorite howff, the Saracen head with Billy, and having achieved limited success myself in As an artist (my moonscape “Lanliq Reveries” won the 1974 Matt McGinn Award for Most Promising Chancer), I feel knowledgeable enough to pass judgment on Big Yin artistic endeavors.

His use of light and shadow is truly stunning, and his muted chiaroscuro tones are breathtaking, but the meaning and significance of the works escaped me and I was forced to conclude that they were the products of his ‘draw the piss’ period so beloved of the early Fauvists in Calton all those years ago.

Billy’s endeavors in modern art can surely rank at least on par with an unmade bed, a pile of bricks or a dead shark, so it is with a “gaun yersel” that he is wishes the best among aesthetes in the world of the arts. John McInnes, Glasgow

Take some cold comfort

MOST TV news these days features someone who can only heat one room in the house because of the price of fuel.

Watching one of these articles the other night, my wife and I remembered that when we were growing up, this was the situation in our homes. There was a coal fire in the living room and it had to be lit every morning. As a result, by the time it turned off the heat, we were on our way to school.

Central heating had been missing for many years so a hot water bottle was taken to bed. In the morning, vests were pulled into the bed to warm up before being put on, and ice was scraped from inside the window. Somehow we survived.Gordon Berry, Ayr

AS Douglas Jardine (Letters, December 13) I recently traveled, not for the first time, in an icy First Bus. Unfortunately, trains can be just as bad.

We’ve just taken the first steps to getting people back to the Moon, but we seem unable to provide these most basic features. Perhaps a reader familiar with these things could explain the problem, or better yet someone from ScotRail and First Bus.Stuart Neville, Clydebank

daddy knew better

I couldn’t help but smile at your headline “Travel Alerts as Ice and Snow Trigger Met Office Yellow Warning” (The Herald, December 12). It reminded me of my father’s advice. “Son,” he said, “never eat yellow snow.” Brendan Keenan, Glasgow

Letters should not exceed 500 words. We reserve the right to modify submissions.

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