Readers' Letters: Is TV drama really the best way to right a scandal?

I have been astonished by the extraordinary effect of Mr Bates vs the Post Office, which has done more to put right a long running injustice than the law, the press or politicians. A single well-researched, well-produced commercial television programme has brought shame on the Post Office, on the Police, on the Courts, on the Honours system, on government departments and on Ministers. It alone has forced redress on a Prime Minister driven into a corner by the weight of public opinion which it has evoked.
Toby Jones and co-stars in Mr Bates vs the Post Office (Picture: ITV)Toby Jones and co-stars in Mr Bates vs the Post Office (Picture: ITV)
Toby Jones and co-stars in Mr Bates vs the Post Office (Picture: ITV)

Excellent, but is this really the way we want scandal to be put right in a democratic society, the failings of whose institutions have been so starkly revealed by the programme? The exercise of influence by television is welcome in this case, but the potential for abuse lurks in the background.

James Scott, Edinburgh

Extraordinary

The claim by Humza Yousaf that Scotland has “extraordinary resources” such as higher education and renewable energy does not stand up to economic analysis. The December budget has cut the cash to tertiary education for the second time, resulting in only just over 50 per cent of students attending Scottish universities being home based compared with 74per cent south of the Border.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The doubling of the strike price for off-shore wind energy is a result of the massive hike in renewable project costs. That indicates the Green Revolution debt set out by the Climate Emergency Review Group now comes at a cost of £300 billion to the consumer, while increasing generation capacity from 15GW to 85GW results in a £270 billion bill for increased wind capacity and an additional £330 billion for the proposed hydrogen-fuelled back-up system required to keep the lights on when the unreliable, inefficient wind technology fails to keep the lights on in Scotland.

What the Finance Secretary needs to do is spell out how an economy, faced with the decade of austerity detailed in the SNP Growth Report, can repay a £1 trillion debt facing foreign companies building the additional 70GW of generation plant when the maximum 2045 demand will only be 20GW (as outlined in the SNP Energy Plan),

Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway

That’s magic

News just in: an eminent think-tank has determined that farmed unicorns thrive only in small, independent nations with populations close to 5 million.

Hailing the groundbreaking research, Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf linked it to his own scientifically calculated £10,200 per household “independence bonus”. Speaking at Glasgow University, Mr Yousaf pointed out that £10,200 extra for each family in an independent Scotland would be precisely the sum required to fund enough unicorn milk for a year's consumption for everyone. “Amazing! It's as close to the dictionary definition of ‘serendipity’ as you can get,” he announced to the world's press, adding: “There is no way Rishi Sunak can deny us another referendum now.”

In a related development, Finance Secretary Shona Robison hinted that Scotland would be investing heavily in unicorn futures to secure a firm financial footing for the fledgling independent nation. She also fired a warning shot aimed squarely at the corridors of Westminster: “Just like the wind and North Sea oil, following independence the unicorns will belong to Scotland. Hands off them, Mr Hunt.”

Paul Marsden, Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway

Conspiracy theory

Is it possible that Humza Yousaf thinks the only thing on the mind of every Scot is independence or unionism? If he and his colleagues do not believe this, why is it the only subject they can talk about with any enthusiasm?

In the end the main issue that occupies the mind of everyone is money, because with it all difficulties are resolved, without it we can only dream of getting some.

Perhaps this is why Mr Yousaf and friends refuse to educate our children, fix the NHS, build ferries to help our island communities and help businesses during these troubled times. Money is not the root of all evil, it is the fixer of all problems. It therefore follows that if this SNP/Green government actually attended to the important job of helping the people of Scotland to be wealthier, we'd be healthier and happier, so their cry for independence would be neutered and they know it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Consequently, it is in Yousaf's and his SNP/Green government's interest to keep us poor and unhappy, how else can they continually paint that promised land of milk and honey.

Stan Hogarth, Strathaven, South Lanarkshire

Come to Scotland

“Things are better in Scotland – they usually are.” This is a quote from a recent book by Paul Lewis, of Money Box fame. It describes ways of managing personal finances. After reading it, one might seriously consider a move to Scotland if one had children and was in the 75 per cent of lower earners

Education and the NHS have been managed with few days lost to strikes. The Scottish Child Payment and childcare provision is so much more generous, courtesy of the Scottish Government, that I pity rUK. Our devolved parliament has allowed priorities that matter to the people of Scotland to be enacted up to the limits of a finite budget.

Imagine the possibilities if we didn’t depend on Westminster for our pocket money, not knowing whether it increases or decreases each year. Imagine a world in which the Scottish tax take flowed directly to the people of Scotland instead of the UK Treasury.

Frances Scott, Edinburgh

Sturgeon’s success

In response to David Millar (Letters, 9 January), the Scottish Government has to deal with the Tory-induced cost of living crisis and pro-rata, the Labour administration in Wales has almost double Scotland’s budget “black hole”.

The Susan Dalgety article he refers to (Perspective, 6 January) failed to acknowledge that former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has done more for the children of Scotland than any of her predecessors.

Analysis shows that the number of children in care rocketed under the previous Labour/ Lib Dem Scottish Executive, which came before the Tory austerity years.

Under Ms Sturgeon’s predecessor as Scotland’s first minister, Alex Salmond, the increases in numbers slowed down, then started to decrease, while under Ms Surgeon’s leadership the number has decreased considerably – particularly since her “promise” in 2016. Also, the attainment gap is narrowing.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The baby box scheme has given more than 380,000 children in Scotland the best possible start in life and is so successful that the North of Tyne Combined Authority is copying the scheme.

In addition, Ms Sturgeon’s Scottish Child Payment has lifted 90,000 children out of poverty in Scotland and is a bold policy intervention targeting child poverty with long lasting benefits, including fewer children in care.

On the whole, Nicola Sturgeon has a progressive record to be proud of.

Mary Thomas, Edinburgh

Spanish eyes

Philip Millward predicts that no Spanish Prime Minister is ever going to allow an independent Scotland to join the EU (Letters, 9 January).

However, Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, in an interview with the Irish Times in November 2022, said Spain would consider its position on an independent Scotland joining the European Union if and when such a scenario arose.

He said: “Foreign affairs and international relations, it’s about things that are concrete. And right now Scotland is within the United Kingdom, and the United Kingdom made a Brexit.”

E Campbell, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire

Blessed closures

Neil White claims that Kirk closures and falling attendances is “the greatest tragedy of our time” (Letters, 8 January)! Really? That's hyperbole on overload. There are several natural disasters that might rank as the greatest tragedy, some where millions have been killed. In recent times how about the Grenfell Tower tragedy?The decline of religion and Christianity in this country is not a tragedy; it's a blessing as it releases people from superstition and allows rational thought to flourish.

Steuart Campbell, Edinburgh

Fail Mhairi?

SNP MP Mhairi Black has recently spoken of struggling with imposter syndrome.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

By this, I assume she means wrestling with feelings of self-doubt about her skills and achievements – indeed, of even being perceived as a fraud in her role as an MP. I suspect many share her concerns. Her low attendance and debating record at Westminster is well-known – and she does this on a nearly £90,000 pa salary plus eye-watering expenses.

She's currently involved in a spat with fellow nationalist MP Joanna Cherry, insisting that some colleagues are too “comfortable” at Westminster. Presumably, Ms Black's sporadic Westminster attendance means this isn't a problem she could possibly share. Her seat, Paisley and Renfrewshire South, is tipped to return to Labour at the next general election – let's hope her replacement is someone less preoccupied with moaning about their job and colleagues, and more focused on rolling up their sleeves.

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire

Write to The Scotsman

We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments, and avoid 'Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters' or similar in your subject line – be specific. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.