Readers' Letters; Sturgeon should embrace Turing scheme

Nicola Sturgeon gurns on about the EU Erasmus scheme being replaced by the broader in scope, fully-funded Turing scheme, with new arrangements enabling 35,000 students to study abroad.

The scheme is named for codebreaker and computer scientist Alan Turing

Is this because it's a UK initiative? Or because Alan Turing, like Florence Nightingale, was an English/British hero? We know the SNP preferred to call the Glasgow Covid-19 hospital after an obscure Scottish nurse, Louisa Jordan, rather than Nightingale, as per the English coronavirus hospitals.

Perhaps Ms Sturgeon will contrive to take the UK's Turing cash but narrow the scheme to Europe only – and rename it for someone entirely unknown, who once lived north of Berwick-upon-Tweed?

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire

The scheme is named for Alan Turing, who designed and built the world's first programmable computer

No more ‘isms’

My fervent wish for 2021 is that as well as the complete eradication of the coronavirus and a workable settlement with the EU, another victory for humanity can be recorded.

Please let it be the year that all these unpleasant ‘’isms’’ are eradicated also. Nationalism is perhaps the worst and most pervasive, but communism has also proven to be a most unpleasant creed, and it also has taken its toll on the human race.

It is time to toss them all away and let the only ‘’ism’’ be internationalism.

Alexander McKay, New Cut Rigg Edinburgh

Fuels rush in

The Committee on Climate Change is taking the UK on the path to economic oblivion since it will cost over £50 billion every year to achieve the UK's legally binding climate goals, even though the UK produces just 1.13 per cent of global emissions.

Only the UK, Scotland, New Zealand, France and Sweden have legally binding Climate Change Acts; the other 190 countries only made easily broken promises. After 20 years of talk, but no action, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was desperate so the 2015 Paris agreement was dressed up as a huge success.

It was, however, a colossal deception since the emission reduction targets proposed put the world on track for a catastrophic 3C to 4C warming rather than the 1.5C deemed essential.

As the UK heads for bankruptcy China and other countries prosper as they build coal-fired electricity plants, burn fossil fuels and drive 1.4 billion petrol/diesel vehicles.

Clark Cross, Springfield Road, Linlithgow

Confused position

Boris Johnson as Prime Minister is not my ideal cup of tea but I can't deny that he does get the job done and against all odds has stuck a deal in leaving Europe which is a good deal for the United Kingdom.

I voted in both referendums, to leave Europe and for Scotland not to separate from the UK, and Boris has delivered with the results that satisfy my voting preferences.

The ink wasn't even dry on the Brexit deal when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tore into it by describing the deal as totally unacceptable and bad for Scotland.

May I remind First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that it was a UK referendum that voted for Brexit but it was a Scottish referendum that rejected Scotland separating from the UK.

She seems to be a little confused in this matter but needs to accept defeat and move on when she is faced with the democratic decision of the people.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen

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