TO retain credibility a politician must be consistent in their views. Nicola Sturgeon obviously feels this rule does not apply to her.
In her London appearance she has stood up for the 62 per cent of Scots who voted to remain and the 48% of Britain who voted likewise (“Million-strong march of the people as Brexit boils over”, The Herald, March 23)
The First Minister is simply ignoring the 55% of Scots who voted to stay British in 2014 which , by definition, makes taking only the Scottish viewpoint on Brexit out of context not justifiable.
Not content with ignoring that decisive 2014 Scottish referendum result, Ms Sturgeon is about to compound the chaos of Brexit by plunging Scotland into an unwanted further independence referendum, with all of the concomitant problems that must arise.
In addition, there is no clear-cut route to either staging this referendum or having the unassailable blueprint to carry out a positive response should it occur.
If the First Minister can preach against the “evils” of Brexit, just how is her plan for independence different? This is simply inconsistent.
Dr Gerald Edwards,
Broom Road, Glasgow.
RODDY MacDonald draws attention to the “urgent need for a written constitution” (Letters, March 23). However, it’s no accident that the UK government lacks such constraint on its powers.
By basing its processes upon (English) precedent it can choose at will to fall back on the practices and powers of more authoritarian times. We saw this recently with the Prime Minister bypassing Parliament in the name of “Henry VIII powers”.
So it is against the interests of the UK governing elite to introduce a written constitution and it will never happen. Our only hope of a truly democratic 21st century system of governance lies with a fresh start in an independent Scotland.
Mary McCabe,
25 Circus Drive, Glasgow.
PATRICK Harvie, Greens co-convener, clearly felt he’d done well forcing party budget concessions from the SNP in exchange for his party’s support, without which Derek Mackay’s budget wouldn’t have been passed earlier this year.
Since then, however, the SNP has dragged its heels on key Greens demands. We have learned that the tourist tax is to be delayed by the SNP until at least 2021, denying councils the right to generate much-needed income. Now the seemingly unpopular workplace parking levy apparently requires so much consideration that it has to be delayed until 2022 – after the next Holyrood election.
It would appear that, as far as the SNP is concerned, once the Greens have served their purpose, they’re ignored.
Martin Redfern,
Woodcroft Road,
NICOLA Sturgeon does not know that any new independence referendum will fail. Nobody but God “knows” what will happen in the future. Douglas Cowe (Letters, March 22) might, with somewhat more realism, commit himself to the opinion that the First Minister believes that any new referendum will fail; but for my part I think his imagined insight into the workings of her mind has led him astray. My conjecture is that she sees a successful outcome to a new referendum as an entirely realistic possibility; and Mr Cowe may be assured that very many people, both supporters and opponents of independence, see it the same way.
As to his further prediction that she is afraid to fire the starting gun, I predict that he will be proved wrong very soon.
Derrick McClure,
4 Rosehill Terrace,
THANK you for brightening up the Brexit gloom (“Sturgeon bids to give Scotland greater influence on global issues”, The Herald, March 21). Tears of laughter rolled down my face. This from the party which is parochial in name and most certainly in practice. Of course Scots will continue to excel in industry, finance, culture and sport (except football obviously) but single-issue politics, incompetence and talking drivel are practices we should keep to ourselves.
Iain Walker,
69 Schaw Drive,
Bearden,
Glasgow.
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