What price loyalty?
Spare a thought for poor Ian Murray, the sacked Scottish Secretary, who over the past year had faithfully obeyed instructions and faultlessly read the script provided by his boss Sir Keir Starmer.
Now Sir Keir has awarded Mr Murray's loyalty by dumping him (“Alexander returns after Murray axed as Scottish Secretary”, The Herald, September 6).
The Prime Minister has undoubtedly been looking at the opinion polls, which show Labour trailing way behind the SNP for next year's Scottish Parliament elections.
However, parachuting Douglas Alexander into the job is reminiscent of rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic, and with the same result; Labour's doomed ship will sink.
Ruth Marr, Stirling.
More letters...
Ian Blackford's hypocrisy has come back to bite him
A tale of lies, deceit, denial and disregard for health warnings
Trump's win should be a reality check for our leaders
Angela was a class act
So the Labour Government has lost its most authentic working class voice.
Angela Rayner’s resignation became inevitable when the Ethics Adviser found that she had broken the ministerial code (Letters, September 5).
Our country was at least doing something right when, with her working class background, Ms Rayner was able to reach such a high level in politics.
She did well in her trade union and political careers, but had to go, and probably now regrets her investment in the Hove property market.
I hope that her family will be left alone to get on with their lives and not be subject to any further intrusion.
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.
Labour isn’t working
Soon after winning last year’s general election, Labour declared the UK is “broke and broken”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves outlined a £20 billion shortfall in public finances.
Fast forward, and today it is speculated by one economic think tank that the figure, although rubbished by the Chancellor, is now £50 billion.
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride accused the government of not having a plan and stalling the Budget “in the vain hope things might get better”.
Even the Labour leaning press are headlining a crisis which has engulfed Keir Starmer’s party, with his deputy being forced to step down after breaching the ministerial code.
Keith Howell suggests that the SNP prefer to focus on an idealised view of the future, rather than confront the harsh realities facing us (Letters, September 6).
Really?
Alan Carmichael, Glasgow.
Norway is the best way
Guy Stenhouse identifies Ireland as the number one "trump card" for Scottish independence supporters (“Ireland’s economic ‘miracle’ is not all it seems”, The Herald, September 6).
He goes on to assert, first, that Ireland is not as prosperous as it seems.
Secondly, that Paris and Brussels, full of "rage and fury" at Ireland's success in setting up a corporate tax haven within the EU, have now blocked off that route, so Scotland could never follow it.
Actually the number one poster country for Scottish independence supporters has, for fifty years, been Norway.
Norway, carefully husbanding the other half of the same oil fields squandered by the UK Government. Norway, nationalising its oil fields in the same way as the Callaghan Government promised, but didn't. Norway, setting up an oil fund as the SNP urged Labour to do.
Norway despite its high latitude and relatively infertile topography becoming one of the richest countries in the world.
Norway is what Scotland (according to the Government-commissioned and Government-suppressed McCrone report) could have been, had we won independence back in the 1970s.
It is what Scotland still could be, if we win our independence in time to stop the UK Government selling off our renewable energy, as they did our oil and gas.
It's true that Ireland is also sometimes used as an example by Scottish independence supporters.
Like Norway, it's a small country which travelled from poverty under foreign control into prosperity as an independent country.
What all this shows is that small countries get on better when governed by those who live within their borders and who share the hopes and values of their fellow citizens.
Which will be why, of the many countries which won independence from Britain and other empires during the 20th century, not a single one has ever asked to be taken back.
Mary McCabe, Glasgow.
Drilling down to the facts
I am a regular reader of Andy Maciver’s articles.
His recent piece, I think, represents the views of many in the country and is a show of common sense which seems sadly lacking in many of the politicians who rule us (“Is an energy policy for Scotland that creates jobs and cuts bills too much to ask?”, The Herald, September 5).
I’m a great believer in supporting Scotland, its industries and people, whenever possible, as well as reducing the effects of climate change. This article was a prime example of the way we should be thinking.
We allow other nations to make a profit, supplying us with gas and oil, and causing yet more pollution with its delivery.
Yet what we need, and will need for quite some time, is in our waters and relatively local, and provides jobs.
It would be wonderful if some of our leaders would read this, come to their senses, and agree with the final line of Mr Maciver’s article: “Drill, baby, drill and blow, baby blow.”
I don't suppose he would like to be First Minister by any chance!
Stewart Little, Bridge of Weir.
Playground prattle won’t work
Neil Mackay’s column drips with hysteria and perfectly illustrates how spooked the Left has become by Nigel Farage’s growing popularity (“Farage in the US: ‘He looked like he had sucked a bag of lemons’”, The Herald, September 6).
Instead of addressing Farage’s arguments, Mackay resorts to playground insults and name-calling, clutching at the words of a partisan American ideologue as if they carry more weight than the views of millions of Britons.
The truth is that Farage spoke with clarity in Washington about the dangers of censorship, while Mackay’s response exposes the real problem: the Left can’t win on substance.
They’d rather demonise Farage than confront their own catalogue of failed policies.
Britain is not fooled. Across party lines, people are rallying to Farage precisely because he articulates the frustrations of ordinary voters ignored for too long.
Mackay’s sneering dismissal only proves one point: the Left and their media allies are terrified.
The British public have had enough of spin and excuses.
They want real change, and Farage is giving them a voice.
Ian Lakin, Milltimber, Aberdeen.
Foreign affairs still matter
I find the emphasis on ‘home issues’ from some of your recent contributors, who cannot see beyond the borders of Scotland or the United Kingdom, to be tedious in the extreme.
It would not bode well for the future of Scotland if we were to be obsessed solely with ‘home issues’, ignoring the impact of events overseas, which are likely to have an even greater influence on our future.
My vote in next year’s Holyrood election will take into account each party’s attitude to the Gazan genocide, a measure of the extent of their humanity.
For instance, Farage’s attitude on this matter does not meet with my approval. But then none of his views do.
It is enough to persuade one to vote for Independence, in desperation, if he represents the way an inward looking United Kingdom is heading.
John Milne, Uddingston.
Share