Readers' Letters: Scotland needs rid of this senseless coalition

Having read Conor Matchett’s superb analysis of the Green Party independence paper (Scotsman, 8 November), it was the last paragraph which summed up the “pamphlet” and also the party itself.

“In reality the criminal lack of detail means it is a waste of paper, time and words, and something the party was better off not publishing at all”.

What a damning verdict on something which, if produced by a P3 child, would lead to the teacher’s comment at the bottom: “Must try harder”!

This piece of literary drivel sums up the machinations of the Scottish Green Party, its complete lack of vision, political structure, its utter disregard for basic economics and a dreamy delusional ideology of what Scotland needs to progress and prosper.

Nicola Sturgeon flanked by Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell /Pool /AFP/Getty)

Add to the back of the cigarette packet the joyous dream of a four-day working week once “freedom” has been achieved. With the political nous of the Greens, there will be a no-days working week, as this bunch of fantasists will have bankrupted the nation, and toddled off on their fat pensions, if they have not already disappeared into the ether. That the SNP have got into bed politically with this shambles of a “party” sums up the desperation of Nicola Sturgeon and her cabal in trying to retain power at Holyrood.

As Sturgeon swans about in Egypt on taxpayers’ money while Scotland burns, she can be happy in the knowledge that her friends in the Greens are keeping the drivel meter whirling quicker than a coalition spin-doctor’s pen.

We really ar e at the lowest ebb with regard to talent in politics in Scotland. H eaven help us unless we come to our senses and rid ourselves of this coalition.

David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders

Chaos mounts

If you could turn back time. That is precisely where the SNP under Nicola Sturgeon find themselves. Stuck in a rut of independence and unpopular policies, many courtesy of the Greens.

Meantime in the real world the chaos mounts (“Nurses vote to strike for the first time in their history”, 10 November). The relentless focus upon “independence” has highlighted just how difficult it is to run a country without adequate finances. Humza Yousaf has said there is no more money and gone cap in hand to Westminster to ask for more. This is just one aspect of a crisis that might have been avoided if SNP finances were being carefully nurtured but “free” handouts have created a monster that is beginning to bite back.

Independence is rooted in the 1980s and “Scotland's Oil”. It might just have worked then, but not now. The public's eyes are being opened to the realities of what actually happens when the government’s money runs out and it is not a pretty sight.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Blowing in wind

I am surprised that Nicola Sturgeon failed to give a direct answer to a climate activist when asked her views on the proposed Rosebank oilfield being contemplated for the waters west of Shetland. Having previously vehemently denounced the plans for the smaller Cambo oilfield, surely her attendance at COP27 in Egypt was an excellent opportunity to reinforce her past rhetoric about the necessary abandonment of fossil fuels to save the planet and its inhabitants. Yet Ms Sturgeon seems to have dodged giving a straight answer to an apparent clear question.

We all agree that the use of fossil fuels needs to be phased out but it seems to be a question of timing. It was not helpful for the First Minister, as a self-styled world leader on combating climate change, to fail to clarify her thoughts on Rosebank – but again, some of her views seem to change depending on which way the wind is blowing.

Bob MacDougall, Kippen, Stirlingshire

Odd priorities

I am at a loss to understand, how the Scottish Government can find money to provide prisoners with free phones. I also wonder why it was necessary for the first Minister to grace Sharm El-Sheikh with her presence. This must all have been a great call on the public purse. I find it extraordinary, therefore, that they are reluctant to give the dedicated nurses that work in the NHS a well-earned pay rise.

Adelaide Borthwick, Heriot, Edinburgh

Respect truth

Within the last few weeks, Nicola Sturgeon has been obliged to amend the Holyrood record after wrongly claiming that Scotland provides all of its energy consumption from renewables.

Now her administration has had to admit that its representatives have been touting another false figure, namely that Scotland has “25 per cent of Europe’s offshore wind potential”. Ian Blackford made this claim recently in parliament. The correct figure, it appears, is between 4 and 6 per cent.

The next time an SNP MP or MSP makes this, or another verifiable, fake claim, at either Westminster or Holyrood, should there not be some kind of sanction? Or is it only ministers who are supposed to be punished for lying to parliament?

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Failing children

Bill Ledingham is right to express incredulity that people are horrified by thought of ritual female genital mutilation and yet quietly permit similar assaults on boys (Letters, 10 November).

There can be no more shocking an example of religious privilege than the state failing to protect non-consenting children from a procedure, which under any other circumstances, would trigger police and social work involvement.

Neil Barber, Edinburgh Secular Society

Sigh of relied

Whatever the end results of current national elections in the USA, I am happily reassured that thanks to the good sense of most of the American electorate “Democracy” for Uncle Sam is safe, at least temporarily, from the deadly threat of “Trumpism”.

As Abraham Lincoln said, “You can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” Never more so than now.

Robert Dunn, Edinburgh

Black hole

MSP Kevin Stewart, the Scottish Government's SNP social care minister, tells us to have faith in the new National Care Service bill being rushed through Holyrood because the design & planning will be done later (“No reason to pause National Care Service Bill, says Scottish minister”, 8 November). Does this remind you of another project which went ahead without being designed or planned in advance? That’s right, the Ferguson ferries fiasco. Expediency once again from this headline-grabbing SNP government which will throw more of our millions of pounds down the SNP black hole.

Stan Hogarth, Strathaven, South Lanarkshire

Beam us up

The idea of using “Hybrid Air Vehicles” to deliver goods and passengers around the Highland and Islands is intriguing and very futuristic. If only Scotland had some sort of functional maritime transport vehicle to do this in the meantime. Perhaps with a metal hull so it could withstand bad weather and with windows so the crew could see outside. Is the Scottish Government's plan C to consult with Chief Engineer Scotty to work on teleportation technology?

David Bone, Girvan, South Ayrshire

Say watt?

In response to Bob MacDougall (Letters, 10 November), Scotland has the fourth-largest territorial waters in Western Europe, with vast offshore energy potential to make Scotland a global leader in renewables, unlike any other country in Europe. This week RBS released a report which suggests that meeting net zero targets would give Scotland’s economy a £22 billion revenue boost between now and 2030.

Scotland currently produces six times more gas than it consumes and generated 27.2 terrawatts per hour of renewable electricity in 2021, which could power 204 million homes. The Berwick Bank wind farm is set to produce enough power to supply Scotland’s homes twice over and worth over £4 billion to the economy, with half of the output being exported directly to Northumberland.

As much oil and gas has been extracted from Scotland’s North Sea as in Norway and the UK government still sees this as a cash cow with over £12 billion in taxes expected this year. All this illustrates that C Lowson’s comments on the Barnett Formula are misplaced (Letters, same day). It is a myth that this subsidies Scotland as this block grant is set by Westminster and not in any way based on the needs of Scotland, or on the levels of revenue generated in Scotland.

Fraser Grant, Edinburgh

Good news

Twenty-three activists from Just Stop Oil were arrested for climbing on gantries on the M25 despite a major Metropolitan Police operation to prevent this (your report, 8 November). Other activists were detained before this demonstration on suspicion of “conspiracy to intentionally or recklessly cause public nuisance”. The overdue legislation creating a new offence under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 with a maximum penalty of up to ten years in prison is welcome.

The police are at last being allowed to do their job so now it is up to the courts to stop future eco-demonstrations and the millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money being wasted on policing these eco-mobs which should be spent on fighting crime, and impose meaningful prison sentences which will deter even the most ardent eco-zealot. Do I hear any advance on five years? Do I hear six?

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

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