Readers' Letters: Sturgeon should take softly softly approach to Indyref2

In her acceptance speech on being re-elected First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon promised Scotland “humility” in her approach to a second independence referendum, implying perhaps that she would listen to those who do not agree with her.

Nicola Sturgeon was re-elected Scotland's First Minister at Holyrood on 18 May (Picture: Jane Barlow/AFP via /Getty)

She went on to recognise that opinion on separating Scotland from the rest of the UK is evenly balanced.

If the First Minister wants more broad-based support for the prospect of another independence referendum after Covid recovery, she could start by reassuring all concerned that the terms of a second referendum would be scrupulously fair.

This would require the UK government and all opposition parties at Holyrood to be involved in a broad agreement with the Scottish Government over all the critical terms and conditions of such a referendum.

This would include a neutral question, the timing of a vote, a reasonable majority, the extent of the franchise and a sensible gap agreed in advance before a third referendum could be held.

Sadly, I suspect that Ms Sturgeon intends a rather special definition of “humility” when it comes to the pursuit of independence, whereby she interprets her mandate as being to personally set the question, timing, and all the other key elements to suit herself.

Keith Howell, West Linton, Scottish Borders

Climate counterpoints

Colin Brown (Letters, 23 May) uses a range of apparently authoritative sources to dismiss what he calls “dangerous falsehoods” relating to human-induced climate change, otherwise known as anthropogenic global warming (AGW). In particular, to bolster his case he quotes from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which is the most persistent source that advances the AGW narrative. May I remind him that this body of scientists that represent the so-called 97 per cent scientific consensus on AGW gave pride of place to what proved to be the completely discredited and infamous "hockey stick graph" as the centre piece of their 2001 Assessment Report. By means of faulty data and flawed analysis the Medieval Warm Period (800-1300AD), when it was around one degree Celsius warmer than today, completely disappeared. This erased temperature fluctuations, even though they have been categorically shown to exist from Greenland ice core sampling. They showed a false but dramatic upward temperature surge in the late 20th century, thus the hockey stick analogy.

The unfashionable truth is that the climate is chaotic and variable, overwhelmingly influenced by an array of natural forces. It has always been so, long before any marginal human influences came into play.

Neil J Bryce, Gateshaw Cottage, Kelso

Scotland’s shame

According to Shelter one in three people in Scotland are living in a housing emergency, either in an unsafe or unaffordable state or under threat of eviction.

What sort of society has Scotland become in 2021 to treat families and children in such a way, with chronic lack of affordable houses and treating families in such a Dickensian fashion.

It reflects badly on the SNP administration that after 14 years of minority government, child poverty has actually increased in Scotland, reflecting the ineffectiveness of Holyrood to care for those who really need help.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen

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