The opening ceremony brought home our many emotional ties

It was as though a brother or sister wanted to leave home and did not want to be part of the family any more. So much of the talk has been about financial implications, but nothing is said about the emotional effect on the English of the Scots leaving the Union.

The west coast of Scotland is the most beautiful place on earth; I had my honeymoon there 27 years ago. I have (had) ginger hair, so my genetic roots are Celtic.

Scots have been Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, more than 400,000 English people live in Scotland, more than 600,000 Scots live in England. The English and Scots are completely interwoven like a tartan.

Taking five million Scots out of the United Kingdom is not a simple reduction of our population by 7.7%. The diminishment we will all suffer is much more far-reaching than that. It is the destruction of what it means to be British and the imposition of English nationalism on a country that has no desire for it. I hope and pray that Scotland rejects this retrograde step for all our sakes.

David Pendrill,

Shepherds Piece,

Stroud, Gloucestershire.

OH, what a night. Glasgow flourished at its opening ceremony with a fabulous, fast-moving spectacular showcasing the city and Scotland past and present, and spilling over with humour, warmth and fun. The joyful street party in George Square led by Amy MacDonald, Nicola Benedetti's triumphant Loch Lomond, the entrance of the Scotland Team and most of all, Pumeza's beautiful and uplifting rendering of Freedom Come All Ye were all unforgettable.

There surely could not have been a dry eye in the land. The energy and enthusiasm of everyone who took part in the ceremony were an inspiration and the warm and genuine welcome from the 40,000-strong crowd must have made all the athletes, from wherever they hailed, feel instantly at home.

And in the midst of all the fun, what an inspired and poignant idea to put the children of the Common­wealth centre stage and let everyone around the country take part in the ceremony by making a small donation to help those in need. A warm, caring and generous gesture which is so Glasgow, so Glasgood.

Ruth Marr,

99 Grampian Road,

Stirling.

THE opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games was, without doubt, an entertaining spectacle.

However, it did last a very long time. This was, due in part, to the time that it took for members of the 71 participating teams to make their entrance and take their places in the arena. The numbers in the teams varied considerably related, in the main, to the size of the countries represented.

Perhaps there is a case to be made for limiting the number of members from each team in the opening parade to around half a dozen, with the remainder being allocated prime seats in the viewing area. It is understandable that all members would wish to participate in the parade at the closing ceremony when some will be displaying their medals with pride.

The organisers and everyone present must be grateful for the untypical Glasgow weather enjoyed by all.

Malcolm Allan,

2 Tofthill Gardens,

Glasgow

AFTER reading Andrew Paterson's letter (July 24) on the takeover of coverage by BBC talent from the south in place of our local presenters/journalists, all I can say is: Hazel Irvine you were superb. Professional, well informed, humorous, empathetic, I could go on.

Huw Who?

Anne Christie,

25 Walker Avenue, Troon.

ALAN Carroll ( Letters, July 24) agrees that it would be unwise to use the Commonwealth Games as a conduit for political point-scoring and correctly points out that it is unfair of those making this plea at the same time to single out Alex Salmond.

However, as a racing man and tipster Mr Salmond will be familiar with the term "form".

R Russell Smith,

96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.

ALEX Salmond's self denying ordinance not to politicise the Commonwealth Games was no more than a one-day wonder. How, then, can the electorate of Scotland be expected to believe that he and his SNP supporters will honour their pre-referendum promises when such a simple commitment from the First Minister of Scotland, no less, was cast aside so readily and so quickly?

Stuart Smith,

4 West Lennox Drive,

Helensburgh.

WHILE Billy Connolly's input on the naming of Nelson Mandela Square was interesting and of value, it was most disappointing and actually embarrassing that he was wrong about the year of Mandela's release.

If the release of the world's most famous political prisoner was as important to Billy Connelly as he makes out, surely he would have known it was in 1990 and not 1993 as he stated in his video appearance at the opening ceremony.

Does this point to some insincerity on the part of Scotland's most famous (or infamous) comedian?

Frances Hunt,

Dunglass View,

Strathblane.

DURING the opening ceremony, the motto of the City and Royal Burgh of Glasgow was quoted as "Let Glasgow Flourish", which is an abbreviation. The full motto is "Let Glasgow Flourish by the preaching of Your word and the praising of Your name".

Dr Alexander S Waugh,

1 Pantoch Gardens,

Banchory.

HAVING watched the opening ceremony on TV, I have to say that the much-criticised Scottish team uniform looked absolutely fabulous. Well done to the designer.

Doug Maughan,

52 Menteith View, Dunblane.

THIS week Glasgow's city planners got a result. I presume not the one they wished for.

Renfield and Union streets were in gridlock at 5pm as I passed by The Herald offices heading for Central Station. Pedestrians had great difficulty crossing at controlled junctions as buses that couldn't move blocked the junctions.

I completed my walk to Central without seeing any movement at all, and of course the "icing" on the cake was 1000-plus hopeful passengers jammed into the concourse at Central Station, waiting hopefully for a signalling problem to be fixed and trains to run.

What an embarrassment to our many guests from all over the world. It's not as though we have not had time to prepare; six years or more? But then, in my opinion, the city has been poorly served by politicians and planners alike for several decades.

There were the post-war decisions to scrap trams, shut railway lines and stations. There was also deregulation of bus services resulting in daily chaos in Renfield and Union streets and elsewhere, not to mention the bizarre obstacles built into roads and the deliberate policy of narrowing major roads without any apparent plan. Surely a bolder approach with pedestrianisation, coupled with fewer bus companies and bus stops, and cheaper public transport fares, should be looked at.

We live with results of poor decision-making from the past, such as closing the rail links that once went underneath Parkhead, no decision on the crossrail link, the narrow-gauge underground railway that can't be integrated with the rest of the network, and so forth. We could have been bold some 25 years ago, but I suspect it's too late now.

Many readers will be familiar with Prague, a city with about twice the population of Glasgow. Trams, buses, metro, trains all integrated, modern and with quick links to the airport. They, too, have narrow, busy streets, but gridlock doesn't seem to be an issue. As for a rail link to Glasgow Airport - I won't hold my breath.

Roger Gann,

20 Victoria Road,

Burnside, Lanarkshire.

I TOOK the train into Glasgow City Centre to sample the atmosphere for myself. Opposite me sat a host volunteer in a uniform which featured a logo with familiar elements. There was the tree that never grew, the bird that never flew, the fish that never swam and the bell that never rang. I could not help but think that all that was missing was the tower that seldom turned. That said, Glasgow had brushed up well - I have never seen it look better - and the delight on the faces of the people made it a memorable day out.

David Will,

24 Cauldstream Place,

Milngavie.