Crossed off

The competition to find a name for the new Forth crossing is ­little more than an irrelevancy, maybe intended to distract ­public attention away from the unfortunate necessity to replace the existing road bridge so soon (your report, 27 December).

No matter what name is decided, there will be the usual squabbling among the Gaelic speakers, nationalists and other ethnically orientated groups as they parade their cherished inferiority complexes for us all to suffer yet again.

So far the suggested names have been tediously dull and ­indicative of a general lack of imagination.

This situation is quite predictable to those who endured the earlier wrangle over a possible national anthem for an independent Scotland.

Sadly the bottom line remains the same in that most Scots will always fall back on maudlin and tradition for no better reason than their inability to come 
up with anything new or innovative.

Jim Bradley

Thornfield Terrace

Selkirk