Readers' Letters: Hard to believe Sturgeon didn’t know of demo

In a live interview, the First Minister said she was “unaware” of the stushie at Edinburgh University over the cancelled showing of a film whose perspective just happens not to fit in with that of Trans campaigners and herself.

If this is trueshe must be the only person in the UK, who follows political events and was unaware of a widely publicised demonstration taking place perhaps a mile from Bute House. As well she has 50-plus special advisers monitoring events and so we must assume they all missed the reports also. George Orwell’s grave must be rumbling.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Fishy tale

Was Nicola Sturgeon unaware of a widely publicised demonstration taking place perhaps a mile from Bute House? asks reader (Picture: Jane Barlow/pool/Getty Images)

Jill Stephenson (Letters, 20 December) might be interested in the tale of Newfoundland, a British colony that became an independent dominion in 1907. Its wealth was founded on the fishing industry, and by the 1940s fishermen had effectively stripped their waters of any fish. In 1949, in financial difficulties, Newfoundland’s population was given a choice of continued independence, reverting to being a British colony or joining the Canadian Federation. A population of 250,000 decided to join the Canadian Confederation. To my knowledge, it is the only country to reject independence, out of a total of 65 countries who were part of the British Empire, or the United Kingdom.Scotland still has fish stocks, but it has so much more: water, arable land, renewable energy, and a first-rate educated population with a distinctive cultural tradition and a progressive attitude towards their fellow men. Newfoundland is the exception that proves the rule. Countries thrive when they run their own affairs, and Scotland is no different.

Frances Scott, Edinburgh

Pot kettle

After the Clarkson/Markle furore I hear the First Minister is puzzled as to “what makes somebody so distorted by hate that they end up writing these things?” Perhaps it’s the same mindset that causes her to “detest” several million of her fellow human beings, namely Tories.

Brian Petrie, Edinburgh

India idea

Nurses in England have been told there is no money for a pay rise, yet in the past four years the UK government has given India – a country with a GDP larger than ours – £1.9 billion in foreign aid, with another £370m planned for 2023. As we operate a deficit economy, that money has to be borrowed, so why can’t it be borrowed now for a better cause?

Malcolm Parkin, Kinross, Perth & Kinross

Manx no sense

My energy supplier says that the price of my off-peak electricity heating units will increase from 25.8p to 29.3p from 1 January.The UK Government says energy prices are rising due to “the soaring global wholesale price of gas”.

How do they explain, then, that the Isle of Man electricity authority, which generates most of its output from gas, is selling off-peak heating units for 9.6p? The Isle of Man also doesn't have the UK's economies of scale.

Geoff Moore, Alness, Highland

Vision needed

By the time of the Holyrood elections in 2026 Scottish Labour and Conservatives will have been in opposition for a total of 46 years. In that time neither party has come up with a set of policies to capitalise on devolution and transform Scotland's finances, public services and economy. Ideas abound, not least the STUC'S proposals for an extra £3.3 billion of fairer taxation including wealth tax, dwarfing John Swinney's £129 million.

Isn't it about time Anas Sarwar and Douglas Ross got their thinking caps on and told us what they are going to do to win an election and get rid of the burnt out-SNP?

Allan Sutherland, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

Argentine kicks

With Argentina winning the World Cup under superstar captain Lionel Messi, let us not forget the key role that Scots played in this success. Beyond current Argentine player Alexis MacAllister, whose ancestry can be traced back to Fife, it was two Scots who were responsible for developing the game in the country.

Alexander Watson Hutton is considered “The Father of Argentine Football”. Born in the Gorbals in 1853, he emigrated to Argentina in 1882 where he taught at St Andrew’s Scots School in Buenos Aires and then went on to found the Buenos Aires English School.

In 1891, the Argentine Association Football League was established by another Scot, Alex Lamont, who was headteacher at St Andrew’s school. It is recognised as the first football league in the country, as well as outside the British Isles. It lasted only one season and was won by a team of Scots from St Andrew’s. Two years later Watson Hutton established a new Argentine Association Football League and restarted the tournament. So, when one witnesses the ecstatic scenes in Argentina, remember the pivotal role played by Scots in that nation’s footballing success.

Alex Orr, Edinburgh

Cynics’ corner 1

Did Canadian MSP Lorna Slater really have to fly to Montreal for COP 15? A meeting on biodiversity of top people wouldn’t require the input of a MSP who didn’t win her constituency seat but was voted in as “an additional member for the region” and who is in the Scottish “Government” only to prop up the SNP in Holyrood. I wouldn’t dare suggest that perhaps Lorna met family or friends while in Canada.

Ian Balloch, Grangemouth, Falkirk

Cynics’ corner 2

In response to Michael Baird (Letters, 20 December) about demands for upgrades persuading landlords to pack it in, nail, head, hit in one. Unless, as a fellow landlord, I am much mistaken, that is the objective – continuing the policy after compulsory smoke alarm installation (dare I say, actually a good thing) and rent freezes etc of driving the landlords of older properties to sell up, thus increasing the supply of SNP and their Green acolytes “But & Bens” for their exclusive secluded holiday use.

The landlords can always, of course, buy up the short supply overpriced newbuilds, thus having to up the rents while keeping the builders busy and the repressed poor and poorly paid in overpriced (but cheaper to heat) modern housing, thus apparently improving their lot.

Neil Robertson, Liberton, Edinburgh

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