Readers' Letters: It's wrong to say Middle East is not Britain's business

Rarely do Scottish separatists criticise Hamas, Hezbollah or Iranian atrocities. Instead, they prefer to focus on Israel’s retaliation following attacks against its citizens.

There’s no denying that many of Tel Aviv’s actions have been disproportionate and inhumane; laying waste civilian infrastructure along with a staggering number of innocent casualties can’t be blamed solely on tragic errors or unavoidable collateral damage.

It’s also true that lots of ordinary Palestinians have suffered generations of unfair treatment which contributed to this escalating spiral of violence. However, the Jewish state is fighting for survival against fanatical enemies dedicated to its destruction. The menace to global security from Tehran’s theocratic regime and its terrorist proxies can’t be ignored. Russia and China observe developments, ever watchful for signs of weakness from the West.

Children under leaders on both sides of the Middle East conflict are suffering in troubles that are certainly Britain's business, says reader (Picture: Getty Images)

We simply cannot afford to abandon our Israeli allies, for a far greater evil is the alliance of anti-democratic powers ranged against us.

Ni Holmes (Letters, 5 October) declares that: “The sooner Scotland is out of this toxic union the sooner our young people will no longer be at risk of involvement in another Middle East conflict that is none of our business.”

Such pronouncements scorn reality. These young Scots volunteered for careers in HM Forces and service life, with its rewards, challenges and associated dangers. Their main purpose is safeguarding us and our friends from external aggression.

The Middle East is indeed “our business”, not least because war in this strategically vital region threatens oil supplies and international trade, with an inevitable impact on the cost of living for everyone, even Mr Holmes. Through grievance-mongering, stoking division and persistent miserable failure to govern competently, it’s Scotland’s secessionist movement which has proved “toxic”, not Great Britain.

Martin O’Gorman, Edinburgh

Think of children

An anniversary is usually something to be celebrated, but how do we mark October 7, one year on since Hamas's fateful attack? The most challening way is to honestly assess its cost.

Tragically, its major cost is that of human lives, not least children. Their plight gives its own horrific verdict. How do you justify what happened to a youngster with an amputated leg, destroying their dream to be a footballer?

Perhaps we should mark this anniversary by admitting that the continuing cost in human life is not worth paying for simply making the situation worse. The only arms of value are not lethal arms of destruction, but human arms of innocent children, who assuredly deserve better.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Vote for cringe?

It was Prime Minister James Callaghan who, in 1979, coined the phrase "Turkeys voting for Christmas". We have a parallel today with Brian Wilson in his column (Perspective, 5 October), still welcoming any prospect of John Swinney calling an early Scottish election.

The Labour Party are in free fall in both Scotland and England and Wales Retaining the child payment cap is an unmitigated disaster, and the winter fuel payment business will do for Labour what Nick Clegg's university tuition fees decision did for the Lib Dems. Those of us who survive the bleak winter won't forget. The optics regarding freebies has wiped out the illusion that Labour are any different from the Conservatives.

Hours after the SNP won two by-elections, to retain control of the city of Dundee, Wilson was still clamouring for an early election.

Labour offered change, they are dispensing cringe. These have been 13 weeks of acute embarrassment.

John V Lloyd, Inverkeithing. Fife

Getting it wrong

Perhaps Sue Gray with her Irish links, and as Keir Starmer’s new “envoy for the regions and nations”, will remind him that he is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In his speech at the Labour Party Conference last month Keir Starmer didn’t say the words “United Kingdom” or “Northern Ireland” at all. Instead he referred to the state he leads as “Britain”. I do know that this is an informal term for the UK, but I expect a former Director of Public Prosecutions to be accurate.

I also know the reasons, and historical context, for the Northern Ireland Protocol and its Windsor Framework. In practice the Protocol has created an EU border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the island of Great Britain. Goods can be moved without restriction from Northern Ireland to Great Britain, but not so in the opposite direction. This harms Scotland’s economy.

Perhaps Keir Starmer left out Northern Ireland as the Labour Party does not stand candidates there, and so has no Northern Ireland MPs. Or he may not have wanted to draw attention to the situation that, although Northern Ireland is formally outside the EU single market, EU free movement of goods and EU Customs rules still apply.

As Rishi Sunak said, Northern Ireland has an “unbelievably special position”. The nation of Scotland and its people are not in this special position. Or perhaps Keir Starmer thinks that Northern Ireland will leave the UK, and that is why the Labour Party website invitation is to “join Labour to change Britain”.

E Campbell, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire

Speak up, Sarwar

“Missing In Action” sums up Anas Sarwar's latest efforts to support Scots. Apart from artfully performing for the cameras every Thursday lunchtime at FMQs, not a squeak is heard from the invisible puppet as his master abandons Scotland, its economy and its people.

In spite of the many promises, the Tories did not come through with funding for the Acorn Carbon Capture project and did not step in when staunch Brexit-supporter Jim Ratcliffe (who has since moved his residence to Monaco) first announced the planned cessation of oil-refining at Grangemouth. Keir Starmer has not only failed to honour previous UK Government promises, he appears to be doing everything feasible, apart from setting-up sham offices for a fake energy company in Scotland, to undermine Scotland’s future economic prosperity.

The Acorn project should have been up and running years ago and UK Government financial support of £600 million should have been targeted at upgrading Grangemouth facilities instead of backing Ratcliffe’s new INEOS petrochemical plant in Belgium. The pulling of the promised investment of £800m for the University of Edinburgh “exascale” supercomputer “with the potential to revolutionise breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, medicine and clean low-carbon energy” is totally at odds with any stated ambition to help to grow Scotland’s economy.

While retaining the two-child cap is a blight from which some of the poorest families suffer across the “United Kingdom”, the means-testing of the winter fuel allowance impacts poor pensioners in coldest Scotland most, especially as they will now be paying even more for their energy. Of course, if Labour’s Scottish charlatan is not prepared to speak up for Scotland when he has no responsibility for taking any government action, surely only a fool would believe that he will find his voice should enough people sadly be duped into voting for his party at the next Scottish election?

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

Calm down

The Chagos Islands hysteria and conflation with the Falklands and Gibraltar is just brouhaha.

The Chagossians, having been ejected and now resident in the UK, should be entitled to the benefit of the UN resolution on territory self-determination as there no indigenous residents. In the last Falklands and Gibraltar referenda the indigenous populations voted by huge margins to stay British.

Argentina and Spain are members of the UN and should respect the UN resolution. No further discussion is necessary until the indigenous population comes to a different view.

According to Wikipedia, the islands’ current needs all have to be imported. The islands are low-lying and therefore vulnerable to rising sea levels. In 100 years they may be underwater.

Alasdair HM Adam, Dollar, Clackmannanshire

Be consistent

Richard Allison seems to think that Prime Minister Keir Starmer has set a dangerous precedent in “randomly” handing back the Chagos Islands (Letters, 4 October). The International Court of Justice gave an opinion (by 13 to 1) that the separation of the Chagos Islands from the rest of colonial Mauritius was illegal, and the UK was obliged to “end its administration of the Chagos Islands as soon as possible”.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted this position (by 116 to 6). If one adds in the rhetoric from British governments of all colours over many years that the will of the people is paramount, normally in reference to Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands, but also to other (less strategic) former colonies, then the decision can hardly be seen as “random” and more as righting a wrong—the will of the Chagossians has been clear on this matter.

I hope that this new bravery from the Prime Minister (I ought to add I have never voted for the Labour Party) is the start of something new and, when the people decide, he is equally amenable both to the North of Ireland being reunited with the Republic, and our beloved Alba being an independent nation once again.

Stèaphan Fisher, Inverlael, Highland

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