ONCE again, absurdity breaks out over Brexit with Dominic Raab, the Brexit Tsar, being surprised that Britain as an island, needs trading ports linked to the continent ("Raab branded ‘clueless’ over Dover’s role in trade", The Herald, November 9). Then a new grievance breaks out within the specious alliance between the Tories and DUP over a “border in the Irish sea”. Could I suggest a solution of sorts? What about the “invisible border” being sited at Gretna? If Scotland and Northern Ireland could stay in the customs union and single market, would not the SNP back such a deal with its 35 MPs, relegating the DUP (the Scottish Tories have no real credibility as a block ) as suitably irrelevant.
This would not only be a reasonable compromise, but would give every constituent country some of what they voted for. England/Wales out: Scotland/Northern Ireland as above: Gibraltar with its own Protocol.
Remember, Labour don’t want a People's Vote: it wants a General Election, by which time the UK would be out with a disastrous no deal.
GR Weir,
17 Mill Street, Ochiltree.
IF evidence were required to show that Scotland's voice has been ignored in the Brexit debate then look no further than to the lack of coverage by the BBC and other UK broadcasters of the Scottish Parliament's overwhelming support for a “People's Vote”, when Labour’s MSPs were whipped to abstain and Tory MSPs opposed ("Scottish Parliament first in the UK to back a People’s Vote on Brexit", The Herald, November 8), or on the news that Scotland’s highest court, has refused the UK Government's request to appeal to the UK Supreme Court on whether the UK can unilaterally halt Brexit by revoking Article 50 without the approval of the other 27 EU states which will now be decided by the European Court of Justice ("Cross-party bid to halt Brexit takes case to court of Europe", The Herald, November 9).
The main reason Scotland's overwhelming support for remaining in the EU is being ignored in London is down to Labour MPs backing Jeremy Corbyn's pro-Brexit stance while the Scottish Tory Brexit MPs put their unquestioning Unionism ahead of Scotland's economic interests even when the agricultural and fishing sectors are being considered expendable by Theresa May.
There is some good news, as Manfred Weber who previously stated that Scotland would be a welcome member state of the EU, is favourite to become the next EU president and he confirmed that the UK ignored both Ireland and Scotland's interests during Brexit negotiations.
Fraser Grant,
Warrender Park Road, Edinburgh.
BY helping in the of passing a motion at Holyrood calling for a "People’s Vote" on the Brexit referendum, the SNP has, indeed, created a dangerous precedent. SNP MP Pete Wishart warned of this, but Nicola Sturgeon chose to ignore him.
The current political trend of questioning or overturning all votes that do not suit your party has got out of control. If democratic majority votes can be so easily challenged, nothing will ever get done. The SNP, in particular, has benefited from the 1997 devolution referendum (in which the turnout was only 60 per cent) which was the springboard for it to ultimately achieve absolute power. As this situation was never meant to happen in the devolved system is it not therefore time to revisit this referendum vote too, particularly as it also gave Holyrood tax raising powers which, as we are all aware, is a very contentious issue now?
Rather than demands for indyref 2 or Brexitref 2, how about devoref 2 instead?
Dr Gerald Edwards,
Broom Road, Glasgow.
EVERYONE knows the difficulties facing Nicola Sturgeon and her party, the NHS foremost among them. In the midst of this her administration has been handed an unlikely get out of jail free card by, of all people, the Tory Chancellor, "Spreadsheet Phil’’ Hammond. His extra £550 million will provide a few sticking plasters. Ms Sturgeon refuses to say how this extra windfall will be used.
Can anyone be in any doubt the reason for not explaining in detail where the extra cash will go has nothing to do with deciding priorities and everything to do with the petty and narrow nationalist politics of acknowledging the source of her bounty?
Is the NHS safe in the hands of such petty-minded people?
Alexander McKay,
8/7 New Cut Rigg, Edinburgh.
IT would be helpful in discussions about income tax (Letters, November 6, 7 & 8) if everyone, politicians, the media and others, made sure that when income tax is the subject, the word "income" always precedes the word "tax".
I am aware that some people in Scotland pay more income tax than people in the rest of the UK who have the same income. I am not convinced that the Scottish taxpayers in this group pay more tax in total than those in the rest of the UK in the same income group.
Alistair Dunlop,
8 Pipers Road, Cairnbaan, Lochgilphead, Argyll.
ALAN Cumming should have regard to the idiom that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones ("Cumming: I played the king in honour of my loathing of Rifkind and Forsyth", The Herald, November 6). To say that you loathe someone because of their accent is strong stuff. I am sure that the two former UK cabinet ministers can manage (maybe with a shrug of the shoulders) to cope with being hated by Mr Cumming and occasioning him to feel disgust. If he is consistent in his thinking, he should also be loathing the thousands of Scots who speak with an anglified accent. Maybe he does. He also needs to have regard to the fact that his own accent is far from being unreconstructed Perthshire.
Moreover, he is probably aware that there are Scots who are not prepared to lend a listening ear to those who are supporters and activists for Scottish independence while resident abroad for various reasons. Those Scots tend to favour the position originally adopted by David Tennant, once of Dr Who, who decided to stay silent at the time of the referendum in 2014, while saying he had no right to share his opinion because he no longer lived there.
Ian W Thomson,
38 Kirkintilloch Road, Lenzie.
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