Ms Scott complains about the BBC having “a TV service biased against self determination”, whereas the facts prove otherwise. Many viewers have been angered by the clear bias towards nationalists dominating Question Time audiences under the guise of being unionists. The BBC has shown itself incompetent in rooting these people out as they give an untrue impression that the vast majority of Scots are anti-English and pro-independence. History proves otherwise.

Then, there is the softly softly approach to interviewing Nationalists like Alex Salmond. Does she remember the furore when Nick Robinson pursued him for not answering a question before the 2014 referendum? That “London-based" interviewer was not cowed like the ones based in Scotland, as we saw. That is probably what she objects to. It was interesting how the “impromptu”, intimidating demo against Mr Robinson at the BBC by SNP supporters had lots of identical placards with his face on them, purely by chance, of course.

Finally, there are all those daily Covid “briefings” held by Nicola Sturgeon, not her health minister, whose job it was. Many millions of pounds-worth of free advertising for the Nationalist cause and with Nicola Sturgeon travelling across Scotland in a convoy when the rest of us couldn’t travel anywhere. No criticism of that at the Beeb.

Then First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was a very regular presence on BBC Scotland screens during the Covid pandemic (Picture: Andrew Milligan - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Well, one rule for some, another rule for others in SNP-dominated Scotland, Ms Scott.

John Fraser, Glasgow

Scottish welcome

I can understand Jean-Luc Barbanneau's desire to move to somewhere quieter, like England, as Martin O'Gorman comments (Letters, 20 July). I was caught up in rioting in the Quartier Latin of Paris in 1970, when (as I recall) the Maoist Party was banned and I was held at gunpoint by the CRS, the French riot police. I saw plenty of blood, burned-out cars and smashed-up shops.

I have been in Corsica when the town I was in had had the bank blown up the night before and a local hotelier was blown up in his car, so M Barbanneau’s wish to escape to Britain is understandable.

Having escaped to Britain from the EU, he regards Brexit as “insanity” , but it was Roy Jenkins, I believe, who commented after the 1975 EEC referendum that “by the time the British people realise how they have been lied to, it will be too late for them to do anything about it!” That's insane.

He has escaped to a Scotland which has expressed a firm wish to remain part of the UK and which is run by a democratically elected UK Government, unlike the EU’s Parliament. He has escaped the rather autocratic approach to governance adopted by de Gaulle and his successors, but he has exchanged that for a local SNP Holyrood administration which has the same authoritarian attitude, as he will soon discover.

M Barbanneau is welcome here, as are millions of other EU citizens. However, rule by the apparatchiks of Brussels? No, thank you. One day, he may understand that, for authoritarian government is what the SNP have in common with their EU friends in Brussels.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

Tickets foul

I have been an SRU debenture holder since the inception of the scheme and have until this year received my tickets through the mail. Now they have decided, without consultation or option, to deliver tickets by app, through “smart devices”. This is potentially a disenfranchisement of members and certainly a restriction, while at the same time a significant cost saving for the organisation, providing no benefit to debenture holders or tickets buyers. The cost that they are now charging are in addition to the high prices for matches and are unreasonable, for instance £10 for recorded delivery and £5 per ticket. They should provide an alternative to those of us who do not wish to use a “smart device”.

Frazer Hamilton, Long Sutton, Hampshire

No time for masks

Scottish doctors are pushing for face masks to be reintroduced in healthcare settings. However, the guidance has been withdrawn, and not before time. If we wish to prevent illness, there are many ways in which we can restrict personal interactions with others. Lockdown was one and we are still counting the (many) costs of that. Screens were also put in place in shops throughout the country and most have now been withdrawn. There is no more pandemic.

I could suggest walking around with a bell, warning others of my approach, but that might be a bit extreme. There have been pandemics previously, such as 'flu in the late Sixties with tens of thousands of deaths in the UK (millions worldwide) but, in the end, we have to face the fact that most people now are unlikely to obey demands for face masks. They make speech muffled and hard to understand, especially for the hard of hearing and the old. We have all been vaccinated anyway.

The time for face masks has passed. However well-meaning it may be as a suggestion, it won't work any more.

Peter Hopkins, Edinburgh

No winners in war

With regard to your report, “Lessons from Ukraine underline new defence plan” (19 July). I am concerned that we haven’t learnt the main lesson from this conflict and all others also – are we addressing the UK’s main and unique vulnerability?

The UK has many undersea communication and energy cables and pipelines which are very vulnerable to stealth attack. It is to be hoped that the defence plan includes deployment of cheap devices all along these undersea pipelines which would respond immediately to any sign of interference. The communication vulnerability could be offset by investing in Starlink, over 4,000 satellites will be difficult to intercept.

The main lesson from this European conflict, though, is related to Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s comment: “...as you see with the Russian forces – they take the ground and they are all killed”. The loss of life is appalling on all sides.

What for? A strip of land which virtually the whole world is helping to devastate by raining every possible munition produced anywhere in the world down upon it – it will become uninhabited and uninhabitable.

Sometimes it is necessary to take a wider view. The judgment of Solomon was to divide the baby in half, leaving death to each party. Surely if either side has any love for its own people, one side or maybe both will stop this carnage.

This war will pass, it will not be forgotten by the maimed and the families of the dead but the world’s attention will move on. Eventually even those affected will pass on, leaving just a note in history books. If the human race does not learn and grow up it too will pass, with no one left to leave a note in history books.

Ken Carew, Dumfries

Ban second serve

Judy Murray is believed to favour the best of three sets for men's tennis, to reduce the allegedly excessive length of many matches. Whether or not that premise is justified, surely a better solution is to abolish the second serve, which is both time-consuming and energy-wasting.

What other sport allows such a second chance after a failure merely to start the action? Any player confident enough could still go for an ace, and success would be even more deserving of applause than currently. It is insulting to suggest that all serves would then become like second serves, and that effectively it would be the first serve that had been abolished. It is also surely overdue that women's tennis changed to the best of five sets; players seem to have the stamina nowadays. That could coincide with abolishing the second serve, and could be introduced initially in mixed doubles.

In the recent Wimbledon finals, both winners received £2.35 million and the runners-up half that. But the women played only 20 games in two sets while the men played 46 games over five sets. No doubt there were comparable differences in the earlier rounds. Billie Jean King and others may consider that fair, but others would maintain it's hardly equal pay for equal work!

Finally, it is interesting that both Djokovic and Alcaraz won 23 games each in the final, with Alcaraz winning by 3 sets to 2, while in 2019 Djokovic won only 32 games to Federer's 36 but Djokovic won the match by 3-2 sets. So to stir up a real hornet's nest among traditionalists, should the rules change to, say, the best of 65 games?

John Birkett, St Andrews, Fife

Best interests?

Vic Valentine supports the waste of taxpayer funds pursuing transgender ideology through every court in the land (Perspective, 21 July). It would be more helpful to this dubious cause if some credible detail can be supplied as to how exactly those pursuing “gender transition” are discriminated against in our society. Far too much political and media attention and money, is being paid towards minority groups pursuing isolated minority interests in Scotland

The Bill proposed by the SNP is not within its devolved authority. Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, let us please remember.

And history shows that the SNP will propose any policy under the sun as a means to capture as many electoral votes as possible, irrespective of whether or not they are in the best interests of society in the long term

Derek Farmer, Anstruther, Fife

Write to The Scotsman

We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments, and avoid 'Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters' or similar in your subject line – be specific. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.

Subscribe

Subscribe at www.scotsman.com/subscriptions

Readers' Letters: It's wrong to say BBC is biased against SNP

Comments