What is the point of Scotland's 36 Labour MPs? I say 36 because there is one, Brian Leishman, who has been prepared to stand up to the leadership and say what he thinks. But the invisible 36 have obediently fallen into line with a government which has no moral compass, no coherent strategy, no competence. Surely the Scottish public deserve a few more Labour rebels who will speak truth to power?
I recently asked a friend how she thought the new MP in her constituency was performing and she had no idea who her MP was. I would also struggle to name more than a few of the new intake.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves didn't seem to realise that putting a tax on jobs would have a damaging impact not just on private business but on local government, the voluntary sector, universities. So there should be no surprise at job losses.
Child poverty issues seem to be regarded as something that might be dealt with in the future. After all, what are another five years to children? They are not even trying to pretend that climate change and other environmental issues have any priority.
And the shame of Palestine. No matter how appalling the war crimes in Gaza and now the brutality extended to the West Bank, the Starmer Government has given military support and maintained "co-operative" relations with the Israeli state. No question of sanctions. Only mealy-mouthed statements when some distancing couldn't be avoided.
Maybe more rebels will emerge but I don't think Scotland can expect much from the invisible 36.
Isobel Lindsay, Biggar.
SNP diminishes life in Scotland
Neil Mackay regularly deploys hyperbole in his columns. Today’s column (“Labour has sold out Scotland. No wonder we demand indy”, The Herald, February 11) is no exception.
Whilst trying to accuse Scottish Labour of deserting Scotland’s workers over the closure of Grangemouth, he ignores the elephant in the room, which is the 17-year-long maladministration by the SNP (including the SNP/Green coalition, which didn’t mind if the refinery shut). Aside from his column, your paper is replete with examples of failings in Scotland caused, to varying degrees, by the SNP. Teacher numbers being cut, ferries that aren’t built, and when they are, don’t sail or can’t berth, a lack of nous on industrial policy which sees Scotland missing out on wind power investments. And that’s just in today’s edition.
To be sure, these are not as headline-grabbing as Grangemouth shutting down, but the cumulative effect of the small and not so small missteps by the SNP diminish life in Scotland, just less visibly, so that independence supporters apparently don’t notice.
The most insidious act of all was the nine-year freeze on council tax. A cynical political move designed to woo middle class voters, its cumulative effect will be felt for years to come.
Such articles like today’s do little to diminish the splits that have occurred in Scotland over the past 15 or so years. They simply foment more division. Some nuance and balance wouldn’t go amiss.
Stuart Brennan, Glasgow.
Read more letters
- Carping about the Glen Sannox is ludicrous. The problem goes back decades
- If things are as bad as they say, why can't politicians work together?
Does it have to be Heathrow?
Ever since the Government confirmed that a third runway would proceed at Heathrow, a proposal that would bring much more trading profit to Britain, I have wondered why improvements to other airports around Britain would not achieve the same instead. In particular the volumes of whisky and salmon which apparently pass through Heathrow could surely go direct from Scotland if so organised.
Both major parties have claimed to be following up a process of "levelling up" to allow all home countries and their regions to catch up with the much more prosperous London and Home Counties. Surely the Heathrow promise does just the opposite?
Some Scottish businesses are claiming that expansion to Heathrow is good for Scottish trade. Are they happy to get a trickle of the claimed extra business through London? The rest of Britain gains much less by the Government putting all its eggs in the Heathrow basket.
Are they happy to see expensive demolition and reconstruction work being limited to the southern counties – not to mention all the eventual new jobs which the servicing of more flights will bring to Heathrow?
JB Drummond, Kilmarnock.
The ScotWind disaster
Re Mark Williamson's article today ("Bill-payers shouldn't have to stump up for the SNP's green energy failings", The Herald, February 11), there is no mention of the horribly botched ScotWind auction in 2022 which lost us some £15 billion (according to Common Weal). Of course bill-payers weren't the direct victims but the public at large, to the tune of some £3,200 for every adult.
Auditor General Stephen Boyle is quoted pontificating on the Scottish Government's policy failings; I suggest he focus on the day job, in particular getting the Government to implement the Land Commission's proposal in 2022 that a cadastral survey be carried out.
After all, no auditor of a private company would be content not to know the value of a client's primary asset; in the Scottish Government's case, land and natural resources.
George Morton, Rosyth.
NHS woes down to Holyrood
NHS Grampian has been put into “special measures” like a naughty child for what the Scottish Government claims is financial deterioration, meaning that the health board will now face more scrutiny. An overspend of £77 million is forecast, well above the £15.3m limit set by the Scottish Government. The forecasted overspend for 2025/26 is put at £140m.
Eight of the 14 Scottish health boards are currently under Stage Three support measures. Perhaps the SNP Government needs to be put into special measures itself as it's clearly not asking why more than half of our health boards can’t stay within their budgets. Could it be that the boards are having to deal with the large pay awards negotiated by the Government without getting enough budget to cover this and other increased costs?
Jane Lax, Aberlour.
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Rethink entire ferries set-up
Ferguson Marine Engineering Ltd (FMEL), CMAL and CalMac have one thing in common, they are publicly-owned entities whose sole shareholders are the ministers of the Scottish Government.
Just when we thought this debacle had turned a corner for the better, we are now informed that the Glen Rosa will be further delayed, shattering the seven years' late record set with the Glen Sannox. The Glen Sannox will drydock soon for one week to replace the anchor winch gypsies. The winches would have been specified before the anchor chain was ordered, the gypsy is precisely engineered for the anchor chain links which are of a standard size.
Why was the wrong size chain ordered, requiring the gypsies to be replaced rather than the more expensive chain? More importantly, why was this not picked up by FMEL or CMAL or CalMac which had contract representatives present throughout construction? The independence of those representatives seems to have been too cosy or too lazy. By the way, the Glen Rosa gypsies will also have to be replaced.
Whilst the Glen Sannox is undergoing this drydocking, the Isle of Arran will sit in but run from Troon. The Isle of Arran has 90 car deck spaces versus the 123 of the Glen Sannox but because she will be running from Troon will be only able to carry out three return journeys per day as opposed to five return journeys from Ardrossan, reducing the route capacity by 360 car journeys per day. The cost of this reduction of service will be aggravated because the vessel will be travelling 19 rather than 13 miles per journey, adding fuel and wear, but this does not seem to bother CalMac or CMAL. Why are CMAL and CalMac not being taken to task on these blinding cost and operating inefficiencies? It seems the residents and businesses of Arran do not figure in any commercial planning.
So three Scottish Government-owned companies continue their management and commercial incompetence yet as their sole shareholders the Scottish Government does nothing except support their poor performance rather than represent the people of Scotland in ensuring efficiencies of cost and operation.
It is time for a root and branch reformation of all four organisations, something that is long overdue.
Peter Wright, West Kilbride.
A solution for Ardrossan?
I completely agree with Alistair Macfarlane’s comments (Letters, February 11) about the current set-up of Ardrossan Harbour, with its right-angled turn into the Arran ferry berth.
However, it appears increasingly unlikely that this incompetent administration will spend the vast sums required to turn the port into a functioning entity. Where will it find the money?
I have asked the question before and I ask it again: would a solution not be to deploy one of the smaller (awaited) Turkish ferries from Ardrossan, or is there a reason why this is simply not possible? The silence from CMAL (again) is deafening.
John NE Rankin, Bridge of Allan.
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