Sir, – It would appear that the First Minister for Scotland is campaigning for the hardest of Brexits, presumably in the hopes that our country will suffer badly.
Out of the suffering she anticipates cries for help and, ultimately, independence.
I have news for the ambitious lady – we Scots are suffering now and have been for a decade, having to stand by while public services dwindle and standards in education reach new depths.
Through all the suffering not one of the 13 public polls during 2018 gave any hope for independence.
However, worst of all is the cost to the nation of her government’s incompetence – setting aside monies wasted on road, rail, airports and health – what about the cost of having to spend £750 million on a budget blunder?
I refer to the money received from Westminster for public services, which ended up having to be used to plug a black hole in the taxation budget.
This would have been enough to give every local authority in Scotland a £23 million bonus.
What could Angus Council do with £23 million pounds?
Perhaps no parking charges, no increase in council tax, better services and so on and so forth.
Yes Mrs First Minister, how long must Scots suffer higher taxation, higher prices and lower standards under the bully boys of nationalism until we surrender or the SNP pack up tents and follow their ex-leader into obscurity?
Alan Bell,
Roods,
Kirriemuir.
Anti-Brexit, but not anti-English
Sir, – While I agree with Les Mckay that Brexit has turned into a fiasco I am not too sure about his other assumptions expressed in his letter to The Courier (Letters, December 2).
I voted for the UK to stay in the EU.
On balance with the UK’s Schengen opt out and being able to avoid the Euro I felt that was the right thing for Scotland.
Your correspondent Mr Mckay incorrectly makes the assumption that I and others like me would automatically vote for an independent Scotland to stay in the EU.
That would be an entirely different question altogether.
It is all very well for those who see the world through Saltire-tinted specs to say that Scotland would not have to accept the Euro.
However, as the UK is currently finding out the junior partner in the negotiations gets told what is happening.
The UK is about 12% of the EU population, Scotland about 1%.
If you think Mr Barnier and his pals are not treating the UK fairly wait till you see the reaction when Scotland starts “negotiating” the terms of entry.
Mr Mckay then goes on to say “Scots would be willing to accept a hard border with England if that is what it takes to stay in the EU”.
Well maybe he would but why would you want to create trade barriers with by far your biggest trading partner – 60% and rising – to keep free trade with a far less significant trading partner – 20% and reducing?
It all sounds a bit anti-English to me.
Steven Lyall,
17 Rossie Avenue,
Broughty Ferry.
Charity must begin at home
Sir, – I note in the media once again that millions of pounds of British taxpayers money is still being donated to spurious causes and to countries who themselves are well equipped financially to further such causes, should they so wish.
I remember the furore in issuing millions to further the careers of a wouldbe Somali Spice Girl group equivalent, who have largely disappeared and with little to show for the “investment”.
Money has even been donated to rich nations such as Germany, Japan, India, China, and on and on, toward projects, often highly dubious and relatively unworthy.
Now we must remember that the UK is borrowing to fund these projects.
In an ideal world this might be acceptable but there are greater needs here, with rough sleeping prevalent and some of our soldiers homeless.
Such needs should firstly be addressed.
After all, a Government’s first duty is to its own citizens.
Let other countries look to theirs.
Our responsibilities lie heavily at home.
David L Thomson,
24 Laurence Park,
Kinglassie.
The wardens never rest
Sir, – Boxing Day on Kirkcaldy Esplanade and a sighting of the all too common “Grinch” happily issuing tickets to the Xmas visitors.
No wonder the town centre is on its knees.
I realise that it is the car driver’s responsibility to park properly and so on – but for goodness sake, on Boxing Day?
Bah Humbug!
Mike Diack,
14 Biggin Wa’s,
Kirkcaldy.
Learning the local lingo
Sir, – I see more than 44,000 pupils in Scotland’s schools aren’t fluent in English – five times the 2006 total.
Oh well, never mind, perhaps if the SNP administration has its way, instead they’ll all be fluent in Gaelic so maybe it won’t matter?
Martin Redfern,
Woodcroft Road,
Edinburgh.
Public playing a crucial role
Sir, – The news that Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) is to base a second life-saving helicopter air ambulance at Aberdeen has been met with widespread support from the people of Scotland.
We start 2019 full of hope that we can deliver on that promise during this year – to launch a HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Service) operation in the North East, callsign Helimed 79, that will serve the whole of Scotland alongside its charity stablemate (Helimed 76) at Perth and two Government-funded helicopter air ambulances based at Glasgow and Inverness and two fixed-wing aircraft at Glasgow and Aberdeen.
In order to realise our goal, however, we rely on the continued support and generosity of the people of Scotland.
Their unstinting backing has ensured SCAA has provided a first-class single helicopter HEMS operation funded entirely by charitable donations for the past five years.
Continued public giving will allow us to operate two aircraft – effectively doubling the number of fast-reaction helicopter air ambulance resources in Scotland.
Over the years, SCAA has responded to nearly 2,000 time-critical emergencies in every corner of the country, from Orkney to the Borders and the Western Isles to the far north east.
Many lives have been saved thanks to donations.
Many others have been improved and hundreds of patients have recovered more quickly because of their rapid transfer to hospital.
SCAA can provide the expertise to save lives but only the public can provide the funds to keep us flying.
Let 2019 be a year to remember for everyone – the year the people of Scotland helped launch Helimed 79 on its life-saving service to fly help and hope to every community.
David Craig,
Chief Executive, Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA),
The Control Tower,
Perth Airport.
Award will have implications
Sir, – It was interesting to learn of the award of the Legion of Honour to the writer Michel Houellebecq on January 2.
I believe this has implications far beyond France.
Houellebecq’s controversial 2015 novel Submission is set in a near future France when a Muslim party is ruling the country according to sharia law.
That President Macron, in many ways the poster boy for globalism, felt obliged to make this award quite clearly shows his perception of the strength of populist sentiment in France.
One can, of course, speculate whether this is a part of his response to the Gilet Jaune protest movement.
More importantly, it raises the possibility of Marine Le Pen or another populist becoming the president of France.
This would, of course, have profound implications for France, the EU and all of Europe.
If that were indeed to happen then it would not be long before Renaud Camus, the writer, who coined the expression the Grand Remplacement (the ‘great replacement’ in English) would join Houellebecq as a Chevalier of the Legion.
Otto Inglis,
6 Inveralmond Grove,
Edinburgh.