It's Rangers that have a ‘Rangers problem’, not the SNP - Readers' letters

Murdo Fraser claims the SNP have a “Rangers problem” (Scotsman, 4 August) because he is unable to identify any Rangers supporters among the SNP ranks which, he says, makes them clearly bigoted against Rangers. Would that also apply to the UK Tory cabinet which is also lacking in any members of the Ibrox persuasion?

Rangers fans gather in George Square to celebrate the Ibrox club's title success Rangers fans gather at George Square this afternoon after Rangers lift The SPFL Premier League Cup on the last day of the season

I would suggest that it is actually Rangers who have a “Rangers problem” and it is not just a “small minority” of thugs who besmirch their reputation, as he claims.

According to the police report there were about 20,000 fans who assembled illegally outside Ibrox on the day they raised the Premier League flag and who then marched aggressively to the city centre, singing their bigoted songs, and leaving a trail of wreckage and broken bottles behind them which cost Glasgow City Council £60,000 to repair.

They did the same in Manchester a few years ago and have been told in no uncertain terms by that city’s council that they are not welcome back. Those are facts.

The Ibrox board made no apology for either incident and Murdo Fraser is simply following the same disgraceful line by attempting to blame the SNP for condemning such uncivilised behaviour.

James Duncan, Edinburgh

Murdo’s own goal

Murdo Fraser is clearly clutching at straws to find some other stick with which to beat the SNP.

His tenuous and ludicrous claim that the SNP show hostility towards Rangers Football Club reveals the fact he is clearly not a football fan or been to a Rangers’ game in the last few years if he believes the vast majority of fans have no time for bigotry.

In fact, by attempting to excuse and draw a veil over this shameful aspect of Scottish football, he is only aggravating the situation by making out it is not a problem.

His intervention is not only ill-informed it is also grossly irresponsible.

And all just to try and score some cheap political points.

D Mitchell, Edinburgh

Board now

Sorry, sport fans, but who cares about winning an Olympic medal when a 12-year-old (skateboarder Kokona Hiraki) can do it? Wake me up when a 12-year-old wins the Booker.

Steve Hayes, Leven, Fife

Nuclear folly

The long polemic by Secretary of State for Scotland Alister Jack (Scotsman, 29 July) is straight from the MoD "playbook" and unsurprisingly one-sided. This is an attempt to redress the balance.

When the US dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima 70,000 inhabitants were killed instantly and a further 70, 000 died later of radiation sickness and/or burns, not to mention the destruction and long-lived radioactive poisoning of the terrain.

Each warhead on a Trident submarine is equivalent to seven Hiroshimas and there are 48 in total, soon to be “upgraded”. Nuclear experts have said that anything more powerful than about 300 Hiroshimas will simply be “overkill” (apologies), pulverising existing rubble.

Via the GERS construct, Scotland will be paying its population share of the cost. You don't need to be a nuclear expert to realise that Scotland will be paying more than its population share of death and destruction.

You also don't need to be a military strategist to realise that a first strike from a rogue state will target nuclear powers and not waste their “ammunition” on non-nuclear territory. In terms of the horrendous deadly and destructive power of current and future nuclear weaponry, the first strike will guarantee mutually assured destruction. There will be no second or further strikes because there is unlikely to be any military personnel or nuclear hardware to carry this out.

DW Lowden, Aberdeen

The ‘right time’

Your report of a law student “mistakenly” gunned down states that she was “in the wrong place at the wrong time” (Scotsman, 4 August).

Not so – she had every right to be both where she was and at that time. It was the seven people found guilty of her murder who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and for the wrong reason.

So let us hope that they are sentenced, and actually serve, the “right time” commensurate with their killing of an innocent 19-year-old who happened to be passing by when they intended to kill a rival businessman – which many of us would judge to be the rest of their natural lives.

John Birkett, St Andrews, Fife

Covid caution

Most of us are grateful for Nicola Sturgeon’s more cautious approach in relaxing Covid rules and David Millar (Letters, 5 August) fails to appreciate that Scotland and England are at different stages in the pandemic. On Wednesday the case rates were increasing in England while reducing in Scotland.

It is sensible to continue to wear masks in all public transport, shops and other crowded areas but this message is undermined by Boris Johnson’s approach and it is disappointing that the JCVI belatedly announced vaccine approval for 16- and 17-year-olds in plenty of time for English schools returning but making it more difficult to achieve for the new Scottish school term.

Scotland’s approach has resulted in more vaccinations, fewer deaths, fewer cases and fewer hospital infections per head of population than in England. Not that Mr Millar would know that from the BBC coverage which went to town when Scotland had a higher Covid rate for a couple of weeks in the last 18 months. A better performing Scotland and good news is anathema for the BBC.

Fraser Grant, Edinburgh

Who pays price?

From the safety of Maryland, Michael Collins eggs on Nichola Sturgeon to have "a confrontation" with Westminster over narcotics policy and independence (Scotsman, 4 August).

For all the smugly erudite arguments Mr Collins musters in favour of decriminalising drugs, he leaves one question unanswered: how would newly independent, Socialist/Green Scotland afford it, along with set-up costs and the increase in social welfare spending as jobs disappear and investment flees elsewhere?

Martin O'Gorman, Edinburgh

Policy blunders

Under Bill Clinton, Nato participated in combat for the first time – a huge mistake marking the beginning of a new Cold War. He was the first president to disregard the War Powers Act and helped legitimise the autonomous war‐​making power of the presidency. His Iraq Liberation Act (1998) asserted it was “the policy of the USA to support the removal of Saddam Hussein”. He also expanded the practice of extraordinary rendition.

Blind-sided by 9/11, George W Bush neglected the Afghan conflict for half a decade by blundering into Iraq. Allied trust in America was eroded, and attitudes about the US in the Muslim world were poisoned. The public became very skittish about overseas adventures involving ground forces so Barak Obama attacked Libya from the air. It disintegrated and ISIS established a franchise operation in what became “Somalia on the Med”.

Now Joe Biden unleashes insecurity and uncertainty in Afghanistan by a heedless military withdrawal. Health, education and transport infrastructures are being destroyed by the Taliban while escalating violence mean millions face acute food shortages and mass unemployment. Looking at his predecessors and successor one might well conclude that, in terms of innocent lives lost abroad, there were worse presidents than Donald Trump.

Dr John Cameron, St Andrews, Fife

Meet and greet

I am no Conservative and certainly no fan of Boris Johnson,but he was right to decline the "invitation" to meet Nicola Sturgeon in Bute House (Scotsman, 4 August).

Ms Sturgeon has no intention of co-operating with the UK Government on anything and this is simply another SNP low-grade stunt of the type which has defined Ms Sturgeon's entire time in office .

Ms Sturgeon has form in her relationship with UK prime ministers. We know already from her previous performances in this area that if Boris Johnson had accepted her invitation, Bute House would have been festooned with Saltires alone with not a Union Jack in sight, as Ms Sturgeon has no clue about the normal common courtesies on such occasions. In addition, Boris Johnson on entering Bute House would have been confronted by a howling rentamob laid on or encouraged by the SNP. Even Boris Johnson wouldn't fall for that one.

John Donald, Edinburgh

Publicity stunts

After all these years I should have known better, but once more the brass neck and hypocrisy of the SNP and First Minister was off scale.

She criticised the Prime Minister for not taking up the proffered opportunity to meet with her during his visit to Scotland. Apart from the demonstrably frosty and unfriendly reception he received last time on the steps of Bute House, there is another good reason for his saying no, thanks.

He cordially invited Ms Sturgeon and the Welsh First Minister to Downing Street for talks. The Scottish leader refused point blank, saying she needed more preparation time, and later we were told from various sources she considered Mr Johnson’s invite a “publicity stunt”.

Even with her new regiment of taxpayer-supplied spinners, it is difficult to see what other possible interpretation could be put on her latest offer than a second-hand publicity stunt. She deserved to be snubbed.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

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