Scotland on Sunday readers' letters: We are governed by parties with minor share of total votes

The only real winner in the local elections in Scotland was apathy, with turnout very low (e.g. Aberdeen City George Street/Harbour 28.3 per cent) bringing into question, how we are democratically governed by parties with a minor share of the total votes.

The Electoral Commission must have concerns at seeing very low turnouts in Scotland producing results giving real powers to parties with a fraction of the votes.

This is a dangerous state of affairs in a so-called democratic country and our voting system may have to be urgently reviewed to maintain fairness and true representation of the people.

Dennis Forbes Grattan, Bucksburn, Aberdeen

Voter turnout was 43 per cent across Scotland in the 2022 local elections.

Broken promises

MP Alister Jack, nominally the Secretary of State for Scotland, is on record as saying that there is no appetite for Indyref2, and that the Scottish Government should not proceed with that Referendum. Is Mr Jack suggesting that, because his own party in Westminster consider it OK to ditch manifesto promises, the Scottish Government should follow that example?

As recently as the 2019 General Election, the Westminster Tories, backed by Mr Jack, promised to retain the “pensions triple lock” but then promptly ditched the “average earnings” part when it looked like giving pensioners a reasonably decent rise on what's already a very poor state pension. To make matters worse, inflation has already risen by, or above (depending on your necessary spending needs), the amount that the “average earnings” rise might have covered, had that promise not been dumped by his party.

The people of Scotland expect the Scottish Government to deliver its manifesto pledges – including holding Indy Ref2 within this current parliamentary term.

Ian Waugh, Dumfries & Galloway Indy Hub, Dumfries

Remember them

I write to agree with Stephen Bunyan regarding the proposed closure of churches in East Lothian. In Fife it is proposed that up to 38 per cent of churches are to close, nine of them in West Fife.I am a supporter of a UK charity called the War Memorials Trust. The aims of the organisation are the preservation and conservation of war memorials and also recording them online. Hundreds of supporters have been doing this and records can be found under warmemorialsonline.org.uk .

Many memorials can be found inside and on outside walls of churches, as well as a wide variety of locations and they come in many forms. Those inside church buildings can be stained glass windows, carved wooden panels, metal plaques fixed to walls and items like fonts, altars, bookcases and smaller items dedicated to a single person such as communion cups and offertory boxes. Many churches have a Roll of Honour listing all those who went to fight for their country. What protection is going to be afforded to these items for the future? On Remembrance Day we declare: “We will remember them.” I hope we will be able to!

Mary Richards, Cairneyhill, Fife

Argy bargy

With reference to the “Barge Fixed Elsewhere in Ferguson ‘fiasco' ” article (Scotland on Sunday, May 8), I am at a loss to understand how anyone could ever expect to transport a 55m long barge from the Clyde to the Caspian Sea. It would be stretching the imagination to suggest taking to Loch Lomond just a few miles up the road! Do they intend to tow it to the Black Sea coast of Russia or Georgia then drag it for 300 miles over the Caucasus Mountains to the west coast of the Caspian Sea?

W Graham Johnstone, Dumfries

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