Sir, – I do enjoy reading the hilarious ravings of the diehard separatists that continue to fill your pages with their fantasies of Brigadoon.
Ian Stuart’s letter on January 29 tries to dismiss a previous letter telling us that he is being pragmatic and he recognises that we will have huge and inevitable challenges ahead.
I assume he’s making reference to the £30-40 billion that will be lost from the Scottish budget “but they will be our own difficulties, and we will deal with them in our own way”.
Personally, being a British citizen, I believe that our difficulties are already our difficulties and that the way this SNP government has been dealing with them (mainly by throwing money at everything with no real purpose) has been an unmitigated disaster, and the fact that an independent Scotland will have lost around 40% of its budget, throwing money at everything will no longer be an option. In fact they will have to return to scything budgets across the board.
He goes on, “governments in an independent Scotland will make mistakes but they will be our own mistakes”. Again, being both Scottish and British I am sick to the back teeth of this Scottish Government failing in just about everything they do, except of course in buying votes and keeping their followers hanging on with the promise of jam tomorrow.
Ms Sturgeon knows more than anyone that the only way to have jam tomorrow is to stay in the UK, because out of the UK there would be no need for jam, as we wouldn’t be able to afford the bread to spread it on, and would already have had to sell the family silver that we used to spread it with.
Robert Park. Murray Street, Dundee.
Don’t let the parties obscure alleged lies
Sir, – Les Mackay’s article makes very relevant commentary on the “Westminster partying” and the current behaviour in the Houses of Parliament.
We, the public, are now to bear the not insignificant costs of two inquiries, the Sue Gray report and the Met report. I have a concern that there is a distinct emphasis being placed on “the partying” issue more than the rather more serious charge of alleged lies or mistruths being given more publicity.
I trust should either or both of these inquiries identify any guilty individual or group, each will be dealt with the severest of penalties from the results of both inquiries, ie resignations or sackings by the findings of the Gray inquiry and, in addition, by the appropriate criminal charge penalty from the Met inquiry.
Two inquiries, each establishing their separate charges and handing out their appropriate punishments, paid from the guilty individuals’ own pockets.
Furthermore the Sue Gray report does not need to be delayed due to the Met investigations.
The Sue Gray inquiry will establish if an alleged activity took place and who attended.
The Met inquiry will establish the criminality of any such activity taking place. The general public are held to these same principles.
Duncan Lowe. The Fairway, Monifieth.
‘Crofter’ Blackford has deep pockets
Sir, – Your reader Ken Guild should perhaps do his homework before making derogatory remarks regarding Rishi Sunak’s wealth.
Earlier in his letter he made mention of that embarrassment to Scotland that is Ian Blackford.
This is the “humble crofter” who happens to have been an investment banker. Hardly a man of the people.
Your reader then attempts to highlight the difference in values between Westminster and Holyrood.
The latter being led by a first minister who didn’t have the decency to resign after being found to have misled parliament by a nationalist-weighted committee of MSPs.
During questioning Ms Sturgeon had convenient memory lapses that defy logic or credibility.
A total of 50 times she couldn’t remember key and significant episodes in the Alex Salmond case.
This while her husband was sending texts encouraging police investigations.
An extraordinary state of affairs and every effort made to censor reports that are full of redactions.
We live in a dictatorship in Scotland.
A land where the media face injunctions and indeed super-injunctions if they attempt to expose SNP inadequacies and corruption.
A truly dangerous state of affairs.
Perhaps we should reflect on many lessons over the last two years.
The main ones being that the union has supported all corners of the United Kingdom. Look no further than the furlough payments, business support et al.
How on earth would we have survived financially in Scotland?
A country crippled with debt and the SNP only too happy to put their hands out for money at every opportunity while at the same time stoking anti-English grievances and prejudice.
We are led by a wife and husband (Sturgeon and Murrell), a situation unparalleled in a democracy and reminiscent of dictatorships such as Romania.
Oh, and have I mentioned the missing £600,000?
Paul Reid. North Union Street, Cupar.
