Sir, – With a run of difficult matches in the near future the Dons will most likely struggle to get into the top six never mind achieve European football for next season.
I was an advocate for Derek McInness to be moved on but the chairman’s choice is certainly not convincing anybody he is the solution for this uninspiring team.
Alan Joiner, Skerry Drive, Peterhead.
You’re fooling no one, Sir Keir
Sir, – During his repeated calls for Boris Johnson to resign, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer continually accuses the PM of treating people as fools. What then was going through his mind as he welcomed Christian Wakeford, who memorably crossed the floor from the Tory benches to join his party?
Did he not realise this honourable member had been elected by Tory voters who were now being treated as fools or did he think these voters were fools in the first place for voting Tory?
Mr Wakeford is a disgrace and if he had any decency would resign (where have we heard this call before?) and contest the by-election in Labour colours.
It disappoints me that a man of such high ideals as Mr Starmer, who apparently hates voters being treated as fools, should welcome this individual with open arms.
Thankfully many true Labour activists share my opinion of the honourable member for Bury South.
Ivan W Reid, Kirkburn, Laurencekirk.
The real threat from Russia
Sir, – Reading Dr Richard Marsh’s comments I wondered why he had a sudden concern about President Putin. However, all became clear when realising this is just another scare story we have heard before from Dr Marsh regarding our quest to be a normal independent country.
I would like to remind Dr Marsh that Putin has now been the president of Russia since 2012.
During his tenure, the UK Government facilitated a referendum to leave the EU and the people of the UK as a whole (not Scotland) voted to leave in 2016. I wonder if Dr Marsh was so concerned about Putin’s intentions at that time and the weakening of a united Europe.
Successive UK Governments have made it easy for Russian oligarchs to wash their loot through the light touch regulation of the UK – the same ‘dark money’ benefiting party coffers from eye-watering donations passed above the table.
It is the UK Government that invites these dangerous characters to take control of UK assets, not the Scottish Government, nor the SNP. If Dr Marsh has concerns about Russian involvement in Scotland then perhaps he would like to join the growing numbers of us that shun the laundering of money through the UK and stop the political advantage that the laundry service buys at Westminster.
Here is the threat from Russia and no, I don’t believe we can stop it now either, but, I know that we can retire our membership of the UK and build a more secure country.
Ken Reid, Inchmarlo, Banchory, Aberdeenshire.
Extra bin may turn out to be a waste
Sir, – Grace Hendry seems to have missed the point. The council say the extra bin will increase the recycled material. What I said was how is splitting it up going to increase it.
By the way she is lucky to have her garden waste and glass picked up. We have to take ours to a recycling centre.
Colin Johnson, Station Road, Banchory, Aberdeenshire.