Readers' Letters

The SNP is clearly the party of delay. In just one issue of The Scotsman, the SNP-led government has announced delays in its climate change plans, education reform and the building of a new HMP Barlinnie.

First Minister Humza Yousaf's government is too slow to improve Scotland, says reader (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Added to that are the two most monumental delays in maritime history, namely the money-guzzling ferries being built at Ferguson Marine. Scottish Government ministers frequently point to external factors like Brexit, Covid, and Westminster as major obstacles to delivering their plans for the country and promise that everything will work smoothly once Scotland is independent.

However, independence will not improve incompetence and that seems to be the major factor in the country's failure to move forward.

Bob MacDougall, Kippen, Stirlingshire

Devolution days

A bit more research would have informed Jill Stephenson (Letters, 7 November) that the 1979 referendum was conducted on an almost one year-old electoral roll which deflated the turnout percentage and aided the wrecking ball by Labour backbencher George Cunningham that required 40 per cent of the total electorate to vote for devolution.

Therefore, those who were dead or incapacitated were effectively counted as a No voter as postal votes were much harder to obtain and only comprised two per cent of those voting on that snowy 1st March polling day.

Many Labour MPs, including Old Etonian Tam Dalyell and Brian Wilson, plus several trade unions, were opposed to a Scottish Assembly and actively campaigned for a No vote. Despite a majority of those voting Yes in the advisory referendum, Prime Minister James Callaghan refused to legislate for devolution and the extent to which some Labour anti-devolutionists were prepared to go can be summed up in the words of Patrick Cosgrave in his book The Lives of Enoch Powell, when he wrote: “Confidential exchanges took place between Thatcher’s aides and a number of Labour backbenchers hostile to Devolution.”

The secret 1975 McCrone Report on the Scottish economy, which was concealed from voters in 1979, stated: “What is quite clear is that the balance of payments gain from North Sea oil would easily swamp the existing deficit whatever its size and transform Scotland into a country with a substantial and chronic surplus.” If this had been made public, support for devolution and independence would have been overwhelming and saved Scotland from Thatcherism.

Fraser Grant, Edinburgh

Wrongly aimed

With knee-jerk predictability, the SNP’s Tommy Sheppard weighed in – after severe disruption and rioting involving youths in an area of Edinburgh on Bonfire Night – with criticism of the UK. He claims the UK government should have banned the sale of fireworks.

Apart from the fact that banning fireworks altogether will be depriving the 99.99 per cent of the population who do not mob or riot of much fun, there are other factors. For example the horrendous drop in police numbers under the SNP, and much as it may hurt a nationalist to have his crutch of grievance removed, the power to control fireworks was devolved to Holyrood many years ago and was and is controlled at present by the SNP; someone should tell Tommy.

There is also the SNP policy of considering brains under 25 years old not mature enough and therefore not really culpable for offences.

Add it all together and you have the situation being suffered by residents of the capital at present.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Have faith

Every entrepreneur embarking on a new venture confronts challenges that others who are generally less ambitious doubt can be successfully overcome, yet economic and social progress worldwide has come from the success of entrepreneurs. It is totally understandable that those who consider themselves comfortably off are reluctant to embrace significant change which could negatively impact on their lifestyles, and concern themselves with the consequences of sustaining the constitutional status quo on the prospects of future generations.

For decades, if not centuries, talented and ambitious Scots have been drawn south where power, influence and opportunities have been focused due to the UK’s archaic and undemocratic governmental structure feeding London-centred economic investment. This movement of people, allied to the exploitation of Scotland’s natural resources, such as coal, oil/gas and wind, have fuelled the growth of the whole UK economy, yet, in spite of the relative success of many of our European neighbours not tied to a much larger and dominating partner, some still doubt that Scotland can join them as a prosperous and socially just independent country determining its own solutions to future challenges.

Scottish citizens who find it difficult to take an objective look at the current economic and social chaos within the UK and so struggle to see the bigger picture should earnestly consider the question: “If you don’t yet have the confidence to join around 50 per cent of the population who already support independence why do you not argue for Scotland to at least have a similar beneficial relationship with the European Union as that enjoyed by Northern Ireland?”

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

Climate dictators

The government has introduced a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate requiring manufacturers to increase their zero-emission car sales from January or face Draconian financial penalties. Next year the threshold will be 22 per cent and this target will increase each year. Those who fail to meet the ZEV's sales target face substantial penalties of £15,000 for every car short of the binding targets and £9,000 for vans, but this will increase over time to £18,000.

When did the UK become a climate dictatorship? All this pain for the UK's 1 per cent of global emissions. There are 33.2 million cars and 4.1m vans in the UK but this pales into insignificance against the 1.47 billion in the world. The words “sledgehammer” and “nut” spring to mind.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Look homeward

Humza Yousaf’s “backing of pro-Palestine marches on Armistice Day” (your report, 7 November) is a gross insult to the memory of the many brave servicemen and women who fought to defend our country.

Partly due to Mr Yousaf’s poor record as Health Minister, Scotland’s health service is at breaking point, with Scottish patients having long waits in emergency departments and having to wait years for treatment. Despite this desperate situation, the First Minister has had no hesitation in announcing that Scottish hospitals are open to treat Palestines injured in Gaza, although this could result in bringing dangerous Hamos terrorists to Scotland.

Although foreign affairs are not devolved to Scotland, Humza Yousaf has already, without debate, donated £750,000 to his wife’s homeland despite this money being badly needed by poor people in Scotland. While Palestinians injured in the Gaza need assistance, perhaps Humza Yousaf should remember that he was elected as the First Minister for all of Scotland, not of Palestine, and that charity should begin at home.

Sally Gordon-Walker, Edinburgh

Beached whale

Mary Thomas (Letters, 8 November) again tries to convince us that Scotland has vast energy resources. I will remind her that it is the aim of the current Scottish Government to close down the major part of that resource, the North Sea, and that there was no response from any wind turbine company to the UK's latest bid offer. Currently that is actually a worldwide situation – offshore wind power, we might say, is at least temporarily a beached whale!

On the subject of the Irish economy as a template for that of an independent Scotland, I draw her attention to John McLaren's excellent Scotsman article of 19 October 2023.

A McCormick, Dumfries

Call rating

I don't know what system Mark Boyle describes (Letters, 4 November) but it can't have been a call blocker. Blockers like the one we use (trueCall) allows one to list all family and friends numbers in a “Star”, list, allowing them to get straight through, their names even showing on the handsets. Unwanted numbers are kept on a “Zap” list and so are never heard.

New calls from an unknown number are simply asked who they are and can be put though as required, or ignored. With such a blocker, “Mumsie” would be instantly available to family callers, unless she's engaged on another call.

Steuart Campbell, Edinburgh

Changed days

I have a major bone to pick with your correspondent Alexander McKay (Letters, 7 November). I almost choked with laughter on my breakfast at his hilarious quip about not having read the latest SNP fantasy publication because “Life’s too short”.

Mr McKay’s letter was, as usual, absolutely spot on regarding the absurdities of most of the nationalist antics but I would suggest that we are now approaching the situation, unlike a year or two back, when the views he expresses are the “received wisdom”, with only the few on the extreme fringes, who include a small number of Scotsman correspondents, unable to see the light. As he says; thankfully not much longer to suffer these absurdities.

Alan Thomson, Strontian, Highland

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