The comments of Jeremy Paxman and Andrew Marr do indeed tell us how out of touch London-based journalists are with the "talk of the steamie" in Scotland (Topic of the week:
the 'H' word, Letters, June 8).
Much has changed in Scottish mindsets since devolution. It is very rare now to hear folk blame the English because there is a growing sense that we can and should tackle our problems to build a better future. Nonetheless, the notion that our independence referendum is fuelled by or fuelling anti-English sentiment is probably widely held in the rest of the UK, given the limited media coverage of Scottish affairs.
But it is something we should care about. First, because it will ease negotiations (be they on independence or further devolution) if the guid folk of England, Wales and Northern Ireland know we wish them no ill and recognise where our interests are shared. Second, and more important in the long run, because we would all benefit if the visionary and empowering spirit that has surfaced in Scotland's debate serves to inspire citizens and reinvigorate politics across the UK.
Wendy Faulkner
Aberfoyle
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article