DOES anyone within BBC Scotland management have a backbone?

The scandalous sacking of Iain MacDonald and various other journalists leads to an inevitable dumbing down of what is fed to the public. At this crucial time in Scotland's constitutional future, the London- dominated BBC has seen fit to impose cuts on our journalists. The BBC management in Scotland cannot even summon up the courage to appear before our democratically-elected representatives to explain their position.

Whilst I do not wish to see cuts in any departments of BBC Scotland, if the total purse must be reduced surely the last sector to be harmed should be news and current affairs.

The BBC has a central role to play as a crucial, critical and unbiased voice in our civic society. And as much as I love the "beautiful game", we can do without wall-to-wall football.

Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase "the medium is the message". If the BBC is the medium, then its message to Scottish people appears to be that we are not worth decent journalism and by implication mature democratic debate.

Rev Dugald Cameron,

The Manse, Oban.