Readers' Letters: Holyrood election is the only answer

Putting it off until 2026 is not going to resolve the matter.

The truth of the matter is that none of the would-be candidates is capable of leading Scotland to a state of administrative/economic success; they are merely part of the group who have got it wrong under a succession of previous SNP leaders; they would merely be 'chasing their tails'

Unless the electorate is afforded the opportunity to vote for a new administration at Holyrood long before the scheduled date in 2026, goodness knows what resultant state of chaos will quickly develop.

Do the views of MSP Kate Forbes make her unsuited to lead the SNP? (Picture: John Devlin)

Robert I G Scott, Ceres, Fife

Double standards

Before I hear one more Blast Of The Fiery Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Kate Forbes, may I ask her detractors to explain why her conservative religion is such a problem but Humza Yousaf's was not?

Why is being a Christian such a problem but following Islam is not?

Or is the real problem for her detractors that she's a heterosexual woman who makes no apologies for it?

I may be a born again agnostic (and when it comes to political parties an outright “atheist”), but I am heartily sick to death of the way Forbes' is vilified at every juncture in a manner that would never be tolerated against any other elected representative.

Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire

Choose Forbes

Humza Yousaf’s overconfidence was his undoing. With no hope of help from Alba and by losing the trust of the Greens, he brazenly stated that a “route through this week’s motion of no confidence was absolutely possible”.

Without support caused by his erroneous decision to completely ditch the Greens that clearly wasn’t true. To the very end, Yousaf continued to portray himself and his dysfunctional government to be more competent than they were. Ego trumped over conviction politics.

Yousaf owed his position less to those “values and principles” he claimed he was unwilling to sacrifice to stay in power than to a now discredited former leadership, including potential future leader John Swinney, who backed him as the continuity candidate. Yousaf’s decision to ditch the Greens without agreeing future cooperation caused anger in the SNP and it was no surprise when Alex Salmond confirmed Yousaf was prevented from talking to Alba by the SNP leadership, many of whom had voted Yousaf into power. Loyalty only goes so far.

While the Sturgeon legacy is strong amongst the SNP, members should ask themselves if another continuity candidate will reverse their decline in popularity. Mr Swinney represents the old SNP. Kate Forbes offers a fresh agenda and may have been elected but for being derided by Swinney and senior ministers for her socially conservative views. This despite asserting that she would adhere to the party consensus. Scotland would benefit from stability and grown-up politics in which cooperation wins out over spin about progressive policies. If no election is forthcoming, Forbes as FM is the alternative.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Gloves are off

All the talk might be on who is going to become the new First Minister but there is a massive problem waiting in the wings. The English NHS has declared patients will be treated according to their biological sex.

Given the emphasis the Greens have given to blurring this issue, and some SNP MSPs too, a new flashpoint cannot be far away when this topic comes to the fore, as it must do, in Scotland's NHS.

Politicians are going to have to make up their minds on this issue and the public will get a chance to see if their own MSP, or even MP, measures up to the public's expectation. The surgical gloves will be off.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

The wrong man

Alistair Grant (Scotsman, 1 May) perhaps unwittingly gives us the predominant reason that makes John Swinney unfit to be first minister: “He was Ms Sturgeon’s trusted deputy and close ally." Given the mess Ms Sturgeon is now widely conceded to have left behind her, that should immediately disqualify him from leadership.

There are, in addition, other blots on his record. As education secretary he presided over a continuing decline in Scottish schools’ standards, introduced an excruciatingly explicit sex education programme and piloted the Named Person scheme that had to be humiliatingly abandoned in 2019 after intervention by the Supreme Court. He is also said to have been the architect of the Bute House agreement that disastrously brought Green Party MSPs into government.

Still, people say he’s a nice guy. I seem to remember them saying the same about Yousaf.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Half-baked

Apparently Humza Yousaf will be entitled to a half-salary pension for life, as did his predecessors in office. Considering his achievements could be safely be written on the back of a postage stamp, that is not bad going. I can see how someone like John Swinney, nearing the end of his career, would be interested. And as whoever is likely to get the job may well be the last Scottish nationalist as we know them today to hold the office, I can understand the attraction.

The UK apparently gave up the the half-salary for life pension arrangement but, you know, the SNP do like to be different from Westminster, don't they?

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Poor show

In his farewell speech, Humza Yousaf said one of the things he was most proud of was lifting an estimated 100,000 children out of poverty last year.

Given that the SNP. have been in power for over 20 years then, we might ask, how did THEY get 100,000 children into poverty in the first place?

Bruce Proctor, Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire

Landlord’s tale

It strikes me just how strange it is to be a small landlord in an SNP-controlled Scotland.

One of my tenants has given notice to quit their rented flat. In the past, I would have looked to see if there was any action I could take to keep the tenant in my property and their home. For example, I have reduced rent to achieve this. However, rather than feeling sadness at the parting of ways, I feel a great sense of relief that I am now in a position to sell my now-empty flat and to exit the rental sector.

Only in Scotland do we find that a business owner jumps at the opportunity to stop delivering their much sought after services.

M Skiffington, Rosyth, Fife

​Protesters pay

As is usual, Tom Wood wrote a very interesting and focused article, “Police right to stop openly Jewish campaigner” (Perspective, 30 April). Although I disagree with this point, there are others in the article which are revealing. He states that since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, the Metropolitan Police alone has spent more than £32 million on supervising pro-Palestine and pro-Israeli demonstrations.

If one adds on the eco-demonstrations by more than 20 eco-groups and other demonstrations all over the UK then one can see the huge waste of taxpayers' money which should be spent on solving and preventing crime. Demonstrators and eco-warriors should be forced to pay for the police presence, just like football and rugby clubs.

This would show the real level of genuine support, not just those professional demonstrators who are along to stir up trouble. Areas should be set aside for demonstrators where they will not disrupt the public. Any breaches should mean an automatic jail term.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Help the young

As a coalition of organisations that support vulnerable children and young people, it is no surprise to us that pressure on places in Scotland’s special schools has soared (“Demand for places in special schools soars”, 29 April).

The number of those with additional support needs (ASN) has escalated considerably, almost doubling over the last decade. This includes those with a greater complexity of needs, caused in part by a rise in poverty, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and reduced resourcing. Just under 37 per cent of Scottish pupils are now identified as having an ASN, including the likes of autism, dyslexia and mental health problems.

This has put incredible pressure on our mainstream schools, which have been hit by a perfect storm of associated cuts in the number of ASN teachers, support staff and resources.

For a growing number of children and young people with increasingly complex needs, mainstream schooling is not appropriate, because it is not delivering what is best for their educational and social needs.

It is therefore understandable that parents are seeking more specialist support, and there is a growing requirement for special schools, which have seen their numbers cut from 149 to 107 over the last decade. The needs of these children and young people are better met in specialist rather than mainstream settings, which can dramatically improve the wellbeing and prospects of the child or young person concerned.

This is something the Scottish Government and local authorities will need to recognise and act on.

Scottish Children’s Services Coalition, Kenny Graham, Falkland House School; Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning; Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius; Niall Kelly, Young Foundations, Edinburgh

No fig leaf

The latest drug death statistics, indicating 20-plus a week in Scotland, will keep this country at top of the European League once more. Getting to the top of this league and staying there is one of the few matters in which the SNP-Greens have excelled.

Yet, when all is is considered, it is not in the least surprising. As long as fake embassies and endless jollies overseas and other matters equally ludicrous are top of the nationalist agenda and attention is focused there, drug deaths will continue to rise. With the internal turmoil now ongoing, even less focus will be given to the tragedy and more deaths will likely result.

And there is not even the fig leaf of “fall Westminster's fault'' on this matter.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

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