As an Aberdonian by domicile, living in what Richard Waithew calls the real Scotland, I don’t accept his claim that Westminster governments and the media have forced us to accept England’s history, language, culture and politics (Letters, 28 July). Our town records go back to the 15th century, long before the Treaty of Union. They are in English. Doric is still our indigenous dialect. It faces no threats from Westminster. As someone who went to school in Lancaster (burnt by a Scots army in 1322 and visited again in 1715 and 1745), my approval of the Union rests on historical facts that I know something about, particularly regarding science and health. Mr Walthew would be correct if he said that the NHS was forced on us by a Welshman in Westminster, an organisation that provides, and still does, the funding for the Medical Research Council, my first employer as a virologist in Glasgow, and a brilliantly successful UK body which funded Alexander Fleming, and June Almeida (from Dennistoun) at the time of her discovery of human coronaviruses. Hugh Pennigton, Aberdeen.
Is the Lord Advocate’s journey to the Supreme Court a fool’s errand? If the non-consequential referendum she is arguing for occurs, it will be boycotted by those who cannot face the unpleasantness of another campaign and vote. Most of us didn’t want a vote in 2014, but we fought the good fight and won. The nationalist side has never accepted that result because it believes that Scots made a terrible mistake and should be given the chance – or forced – to vote again and get it right this time. But hearts have hardened, as a result of incessant nationalist agitation, and pro-UK Scots will not play the SNP’s game again. The result of that would be a continuation of the current stalemate. Some commentators argue that the logjam must be broken, but why? We can continue without having a vote and the frothing separatists can continue to froth. It won’t do them any good, and it may even do some of them harm, if they get overheated. The SNP’s problem is that it has no case for leaving the UK. All it has is “we could be like Denmark”, which has been ridiculed by Nicola Sturgeon’s economics adviser, Professor Mark Blyth. And, in addition, it has “look at our resources”, without the slightest idea of how to utilise and monetise these resources. From the way the SNP boasts about our “resources”, you would think that no other country had resources – especially not England. The stalemate is caused largely by the SNP not having a case to put before Scots that shows unequivocally that Scotland would be better off outside the UK. That is manifestly not the case, and most Scots either know that or suspect that it might be the case. Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh.
SCOTLAND MATTERS reached well over 1 million people at the Holyrood election, 1.4m at the Council Elections and in both elections the SNP’s vote and seats won were far below their own predictions.
Now they want another referendum in October 2023. We need to:
- Hammer home their failures – trains, ferries, schools, NHS, jobs, deficit, housing, drugs – and Scotland’s decline since 2007.
- Highlight the issues: the border, currency, NATO, pensions, the £180m debt, the COST and UPHEAVAL to all Scots.
- Get the message to every one of Scotland’s 4.3m voters.
- AND BOYCOTT any illegal IndyRef2!!
However, this costs a LOT of money. PLEASE CONSIDER DONATING TO OUR CROWDFUNDER AND LET’S DERAIL INDYREF2 TOGETHER!!
With Nicola Sturgeon’s focus directed towards Indyref2 and very little else, it seems that demands for her to intervene in the local authority pay disputes will fall on deaf ears. It may well be that the Scottish Government has “no formal role” in conducting pay negotiations but it holds the purse strings and cannot place the sole responsibility upon Cosla. Public sector pay awards in Scotland should at least have parity with those south of the Border, otherwise, it will breed resentment and make Scots wonder if “independence” will have any real benefits if our English and Welsh counterparts are better off. Essential public sector workers like binmen and teachers deserve fair treatment. Bob MacDougall, Stirlingshire.
Politics seems to be in a groundhog day in Scotland. The SNP castigating Boris’s replacement, no matter who shows a desire to simply start where it left off without regard to any changes. In the meantime, the devolved powers Holyrood actually has are failing spectacularly. Our health service on the brink of collapse, an economy in the doldrums and education sinking down the few lists it is still on. At the heart of all of this is the SNP obsession with independence which is buoyed up by frequent polls where the answer might be known but not the question. The SNP has successfully kept this concept alive only by refusing to give details. Scottish politics is paralysed by this topic yet we know so little about it. As a new Prime Minister comes in, if the SNP and Greens are really serious about continuing the war against Westminster which actually helps no one, it is essential they put their cards on the table. All the big issues must be factually dealt with without waffle and not by putting forward numerous “best case scenarios” that are open to genuine doubt. This is the future of Scotland, not a game of who is ahead in the polls. The SNP is promising a lot that might appeal to some people’s heart and it is no coincidence that the real cost to Scotland needs to be known. This is where it will all go wrong and the nationalists know it. Gerald Edwards, Glasgow.
I fully agree with the growing view that Nicola Sturgeon’s long-winded Indeyref attempt through the Supreme Court is part of a personal exit plan. At her chosen day she will resign to `let someone with fresh ideas take her groundwork further’. In the meantime, she and her ministers will carry on deluding her followers for as long as possible. After all, where else could this bunch of no-hopers ‘earn’ such huge salaries for 15 years of total and complete failure? Allan Bell, Edinburgh.