Madam, – Why is there so much argument over who is to blame for the Brexit fiasco?
To me it all seems so simple.
The culprits are that silly little man Speaker Bercow – who has consistently shown his bias and inability to control debate, as he struts and smirks his way along an obsessive ego trip – and, on a wider scale, all politicians who have simply refused to do what we told them.
After the referendum in which we gave our employees a solid and simple instruction, the only politicians who should have participated were government ministers appointed to carry out that instruction.
All the others were (and are) wholly irrelevant. It really is as simple as that.
And on the wider issue of ever-decreasing standards of conduct and competence, this will never be addressed until we confront the simple fact that a majority in Westminster (many more in Holyrood) are not capable of exercising the sound judgment which must be an essential pre-requisite in those tasked with running the country.
That in turn would disqualify those who are simply too young to have gained that essential experience as a basis for that solid judgment.
Thus, the first but inescapable step in improvement must be to increase the minimum age for people seeking elected office.
As I’ve been saying for some 30 years in these columns and elsewhere, 35 seems a reasonable age.
But in any event our politics will never improve until we stop pandering to juvenile antics from those who are not qualified to run a corner shop, far less our country.
At the end of the day, these people may have to make decisions which are literally life or death.
Jim Parker.
9 Banchory Green,
Collydean,
Glenrothes.
Curb Supreme Court’s powers
Madam, – The decision by the Supreme Court about prorogation was not correct.
You cannot make a new law and then accuse people of breaking it in the past.
They have made a new law because there was no law passed by Parliament to control proroguing.
They said they were supporting Parliamentary power but Parliament has had endless opportunities to pass a law controlling proroguing and not done so.
They have overruled Parliament to force a new law. It was ridiculous to then backdate it by saying prorogation had not occurred.
As far as the prime minister is concerned he is not guilty of breaking a law if he does not know it exists or if he does not know he is committing an illegal act.
There was no statutory obligation. He is not lying if he believes he is telling the truth.
This arrogant bunch of overpaid lawyers have gone too far.
A sensible government with a good majority should legislate to curb their powers.
Their job is to interpret the laws of the land and not make new ones under pressure.
It is Parliament’s job to change or make laws.
RJ Soutar.
Camperdown Street,
Broughty Ferry.
Russell right on indy question
Madam, – Constitution secretary Michael Russell is being heavily criticised for sticking with a Yes/No answer to a future independence referendum question.
I fail to see what the problem is as an answer to the simple question “Should Scotland remain in the UK?”
GM Lindsay.
Whinfield Gardens,
Kinross.
Day won by English vote
Madam, – It is high time mainstream media commentators and certain Brexit-supporting politicians stopped claiming that taking the UK out of the EU was the expressed will of the British people.
To give credibility to this notion would require a supporting majority vote in all four countries of the so-called union of equal member states, when in fact the decision to leave was achieved on the back of England’s overwhelming numerical franchise.
To persist with the notion that the people have given unanimous approval to exit the European union is no more than a crude attempt to satisfy the aspirations of the Brexit movement.
This is dictatorship, not democracy.
Allan A. MacDougall.
37 Forth Park,
Bridge of Allan.
Impact unclear on drinkers
Madam, – Since the introduction of minimum unit pricing of alcohol in Scotland sales have fallen by 3%, but there is no indication of where this reduction has occurred.
As anyone who has seen the film Lost Weekend will know, when a serious drinker needs a drink, they will go to any lengths to get it, and price has no effect.
So my bet is that moderate drinkers have simply cut back to compensate for higher prices, while consumption by problem drinkers remains the same.
Malcolm Parkin.
Gamekeepers Road,
Kinnesswood.
No to culture of victimhood
Madam, – The visiting preacher in my church was a Jamaican Pentecostalist the drift of whose sermon was that most of Scotland’s wealth came from the Atlantic slave trade so we should follow Glasgow University’s lead and give millions to the West Indies.
However the only contact my extended family had with the West Indies was working as indentured servants alongside the slaves.
When Lochiel expelled the rest they either died by Highland roadsides or made it to Central Scotland or America and somehow survived.
A suggestion that the clan launch a class action against Lochiel’s family over our purloined lands was met with derision.
Like me, most were not victims and wanted nothing to do with the culture of victimhood.
Rev Dr John Cameron.
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
Ban festivals to lead the world
Madam, – One has to admire the schoolchildren conducting their strikes on Fridays, sacrificing valuable school time.
Many actors, pop stars and celebrities fly the Atlantic and Pacific to lend their support.
People travel from afar to attend music festivals, pop concerts, award ceremonies, creating unnecessary emissions in the UK and worldwide.
Greta Thunberg, the school children, those who support them and the green lobby should demand such events are cancelled since they create tens of thousands of tons of unnecessary emissions.
The Scottish Government could be first to impose such a ban and then be able to boast that “Scotland leads the world in banning festivals”.
Now that would make a difference.
Clark Cross.
138 Springfield Road,
Linlithgow.
Acting when the house is on fire
Madam, – Your correspondent Tina Wilson (Taking the temperature, Courier, September 28) complains that climate scientists warning us about the rising global mean temperature are unable to give us a figure for the ideal temperature.
If someone knocked on my door and told me my house was on fire, my first thought would not be to wonder how I should set the thermostat.
Norman Alm.
South Manse,
Abernyte.
