Sir, – Many people throughout the world are reeling from the shock of Donald Trump’s election. I am one of them.
How could so many Americans have put their faith in a man who almost celebrates his capacity for racism, misogyny and, crucially, ignorance of foreign policy?
His favourite adjective is great, usually in reference to himself.
We should all feel very nervous now. David Duke, a former luminary of the Ku Klux Klan, was quick to congratulate Mr Trump on his win. That should set the alarm bells ringing.
Why did so many college-educated men, and to a lesser extent, women, vote for him?
They are not part of the poor and disaffected sections of American society, but they heard the messages Mr Trump was sending: supremacy of white privilege is a given, xenophobic attitudes are acceptable, climate-warming is a hoax, and it is okay to insult the disabled, women, Mexicans, Muslims and any other group of people whom Mr Trump sees as legitimate targets of his cruel mockery.
In the immediate aftermath of the news of Trump’s success, the Canadian government’s website crashed after it was flooded with visitors seeking information on emigration.
There was also a huge increase in the number of Google searches for information on emigration in general.
People are genuinely afraid of this result.
The UK’s Brexit referendum allowed people to find a focus for their discontent, rightly or wrongly. A large number of Americans chose to believe in the rhetoric of intolerance and xenophobia, and the world now awaits the result with bated breath.
Carolyn Taylor.
16 Gagiebank,
Wellbank,
Broughty Ferry.
Humble pie for politicians
Sir, – Yet again, the experts and pollsters have got it completely wrong. Donald Trump is President-elect. Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond are in the unenviable position of having to eat humble pie.
What the intelligentsia don’t get here and in America is people are fed up with the status quo and seek change.
Wisdom predicts our SNP Government would be well advised to restore local governance and accountability.
This drift towards centralised control is unwarranted and unwanted. In essence, it is the same complaint they have of Westminster politics.
The nonsense of independence at any cost and a failure to fully accept Brexit will have negative consequences for the SNP.
Ms Sturgeon is trying to engineer another once-in-a-lifetime referendum.
I welcome this as I believe it will bring to an end to the aspirations of her party.
This would end this period of uncertainty and give a fresh impetus to a government to address issues of greater economic interest to the Scottish people.
AG Walker.
Puddledub Cottage,
Guthrie.
Respect will of Scottish voters
Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon made a statement on television after the result of the American election, that although it was not what she would have wanted, she would accept it as the will of the electorate. Why then does she not accept the will of the people on the results of the Scottish referendum and the UK Brexit vote?
Iain Keay.
Moyness Park Crescent,
Blairgowrie.
Scots people must be heard
Sir, – Our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, speaking on television after the result of the US election, referring to Donald Trump being the next President of America, said that this was not the outcome she had hoped for but she said the verdict of the American people must be respected.
So why does she respect the will of the American population in their decision but not the Scottish people who voted no to independence?
This, in my opinion, shows her total disrespect for the will of the Scottish people.
J. Lockhart.
54 Denoon Terrace,
Dundee.
Greens Party is out of touch
Sir,- It seems that the Green Party is green in more ways than one.
Silly remarks and stances appear to be its forte. Wee Scotland should lower its carbon output while, unabated, America, China and India belch out their bloated miasma.
Now we are to ban the President of the USA. The Greens may disrespect the man but you should not disrespect his office.
He is the choice of the American people and by insulting their President, you insult them.
Nice one Greens, OAPs must freeze to death under the burden of green levies and the special relationship we have with America can go take a hike.
Please, please, wake up to what reality demands.
Leslie Isles Milligan.
18b Myrtlehall Gardens,
Dundee.
Protect interests of Scotland
Sir, – Some of your readers may remember the words I wrote in May regarding Ms Sturgeon’s directive to strip Donald Trump of his role as business ambassador for Scotland and the decision of Robert Gordon University to relieve him of his honorary degree.
I suggested Ms Sturgeon may come to regret the undiplomatic outburst and that it was unlikely Mr Trump would forgive or forget her aggressive invective.
Her back-tracking will fool no one, least of all Mr Trump who may for all we know turn out to be one of America’s great Presidents.
Ms Sturgeon’s continued insistence on having the right to insult Mr Trump may be fair game as she sees it, but she’d be well advised to be careful because, by doing so, she also risks insulting the American people and the office of their President.
Ms Sturgeon’s political ambitions as a statesman appear to be global but as First Minister of Scotland she has a duty to consider her words in our name carefully if she wants to protect Scotland’s interests abroad and, indeed, within the United Kingdom.
Iain G Richmond.
Guildy House,
Monikie.
Retaliation of working class
Sir, – As recently as October 16, Scotland’s First Minister broke established protocol and urged US voters not to back Donald Trump.
Previously she called on him to be banned from the UK and stripped him of his ambassador role for Scotland, calling him “obnoxious and offensive”.
Meanwhile, not to be outdone, Alex Salmond weighed in and claimed Mr Trump would let America down (April 2016) and also said he could kill the Republican Party.
Robert Gordon University make a bad call by stripping Mr Trump of his honorary degree.
It is ironic to think that the ones who are in tune with the voters in the US were the majority of Brits who voted Brexit, who for similar reasons felt the European Union was not listening to their concerns and wanted change to secure the borders and ditch unfair trade deals which have killed manufacturing jobs in the United Kingdom and depressed wages for the working class.
Ian Lakin.
Pinelands,
Murtle Den Road,
Milltimber.
Voters punish establishment
Sir, – I was very impressed with the dignity and professionalism of Prime Minister Theresa May when she congratulated Donald Trump on becoming President of the USA.
She showed true integrity. American people have made their decision and it must be respected: that is the core of democracy.
I only hope that Ms May delivers on Brexit as the majority in the United Kingdom has spoken and she needs to respect that as well. Actions speak louder than words.
Both the election in America and the EU referendum have demonstrated that there is a wind of change blowing through global politics and that law-abiding working and middle class voters are completely disillusioned with the wealthy establishment that, on the whole, is out of touch with grassroots voters to whom they are elected to serve.
The outcome of the US election may not be what many of us would have wanted but the majority has spoken and must be heeded.
I hope this is true in terms of this country when it comes to Brexit and Scottish independence.
Democracy is the will of the people.
Gordon Kennedy.
117 Simpson Square.
Perth.