Sir, – Nicola Sturgeon appears to be framing a narrative in which any person or entity opposed to independence is a “threat to democracy”. Meanwhile, of course, it is to Nicola herself we must look at as the saviour of democracy in Scotland.
Last week she condemned the UK Government as having “no respect for democracy” and “no regard for the rule of law”; at FMQs on June 16 she claimed the leader of the Scottish Conservatives is “not a democrat”.
Despite undeniable flaws in the various processes involved, the UK Government, Scottish Government and all members of both parliaments are democratically elected and ultimately answerable to the electorate at the ballot box.
To paint an alternative reality denying this fact is, at best, obstructive to useful debate.
More seriously, it leans uncomfortably towards the language that led to the despicable scenes at the US Capitol last January; the disinformation promulgated by the Putin propaganda machine (fighting Nazism?); and the stark “them and us” world view which underpins the worst forms of far-right British nationalism.
Sturgeon is well aware of the inflammatory potential of the tone she has chosen to take, and of her ability to obscure the facts in the minds of many of her supporters.
While she may believe this serves her purpose, I would urge her – and leaders on both sides of the debate – to avoid such irresponsible rearranging of reality.
In the past decade we have seen too frequently the unfortunate and sometimes tragic consequences this can have.
Caleb Whiteside. The Seaberries, Boddam.
Squalid scene at 10 Downing Street
Sir, – Imagine the squalid scene that confronted the cleaning staff on the morning after a night of drunken debauchery by the inhabitants of 10 Downing Street. Wine stains on the walls, pools of sick, empty bottles filling the bins, and mounds of detritus on the floors.
This is the heart of government, the place where you’d hope for sobriety in the middle of a pandemic, which was effectively turned into a vomit-splattered disco.
The only heroes in Sue Grey’s investigation into partygate are the security staff who suffered considerable abuse when they tried to break up the illegal gatherings and the cleaners who had to mop up.
When trying to picture the scenes of all night boozing, puking, punch-ups vandalism, and law-breaking, you could not imagine such a scenario under any other prime minister, this type of situation has never happened under any of Boris Johnson’s predecessors and, as such, is only influenced by the man at the top.
When that person is Mr Johnson you get a culture of selfish, arrogant, entitled, amoral narcissistic rule breaking that combines in the true spirit of the “Bullingdon Club”, snobbery and yobbery, and caused the office of prime minister to be despoiled.
John Reid. Regent Court, Keith.
Britain did some good in the world
Sir, – There seems to be a campaign by columnists in The Press and Journal these days telling us how shameful it is to be British, most recently columnists Kirstin Innes (P&J, June 2), Catherine Deveney (June 10), and W Dunbar, letters (June 10).
They cherry pick some of the worst episodes of our history to tell us how awful it is.
Mr Dunbar has focussed on our profiteering and causing periodic famines in regions of India.
Well there is some truth in that, partly due to dependency on cash crops, but life expectancy improved in India under the British thanks to the introduction of water sanitation, medical campaigns, irrigation and infrastructure creation like harbours, urban development and thousands of miles of railway.
They also clamped down on practices like female infanticide and “Suttee” where a widow was thrown alive on her husband’s funeral pyre. Thanks to a liberal administration via the Indian Civil Service with our judicial system it became the largest democracy in the world and I suggest better than the countries of South and Central America left by the Spanish and Portuguese.
As for paying back colonial debt, you don’t hear the woke brigade mention that Britain spent much of the 20th Century close to bankruptcy as a result of defending democracy in two World Wars, our wartime debts only paid off in 2006 in the lifetime of a current school leaver.
You have to take a balanced view of these things.
Not much chance of that with these columnists and I shudder to think what the SNP’s school history curriculum says.
What did the British ever do for the world? Rather a lot actually.
Morris Kay. Lochview Place, Bridge of Don.
Indyref budget could fund bridge
Sir, – It has been recommended that the Clodach Bridge at Birnie will not reopen for vehicles and could be closed altogether. It would cost £3 million to replace but due to cuts in council spending by the Scottish Government, Moray Council have to find £20m in savings over the next few years .
Nicola Sturgeon has put aside £20m on an indyref that isn’t going to happen, £3m of this could be used to replace the bridge but that’s not going to happen as Ms Sturgeon’s indyref overrides all.
Ian Gray. Mosstowie, Elgin.
Time for younger minds to prevail
Sir, – Though the June 21 solstice does not harbour hope, we must prevail, as in the P&J’s hugely uplifting Lindsay Razaq piece, and her quote “we do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”.
Today’s Channel 4 news piece on UK economics and cost of living was uplifted by the concise, thoughtful, youthful Torsten Bell; contrasted with the archaic John Redwood falsely implying that EU VAT rules give current high fuel costs.
Rishi Sunak reduced “UK duty, the biggest tax item” and fuel cost by 3.5%.
He could at a stroke reduce cost by 5% via VAT reduction, fully within EU rules; why did he not?
Why do Boris Johnson’s backers like Redwood and the ERG focus on the EU for all economic ills?
Even part-hard Brexit has shown zero economic benefit, probably never will, and is costing us dear as the rest of the world are not our “buddies”.
Speaking as an OAP, it is long past the time to drop aged support of the archaic Johnson and ERG and the colonial past, to let people of younger mindset determine their future, as per Lindsay Razaq and Torsten Bell.
Mike Hannan. Earlswells Place, Aberdeen.
Referendum will happen
Sir, – Regarding comments made by Mr Grattan (EE, June 20) he forgets that the reason we’ve had an SNP Government for so long is the people who voted SNP require independence.
That’s why we will have our referendum, regardless of the cost.
We will be far better off away from “Wastemonster” and the Tories.
B Lynch
OAPs stuck
Sir, – I wish I had an employer to negotiate with, and I wish I had a strong union to negotiate for me.
But I don’t have either. I’m a pensioner and, sadly, have to accept what pension I’m given, state or private, well below inflation with no power to negotiate, and I’m not quite sure how effective a strike of pensioners would be.
It’s very frustrating.
LH, Aberdeen
Let’s put focus on job creation
Sir, – It’s disappointing that not content with destroying thousands of highly-paid jobs in the north-east in the oil and gas industry, our MSP Maggie Chapman is now doing her best, despite support from the political spectrum, to torpedo our bid for freeport status.
She disputes the claim that the project would create up to 30,000 jobs.
May I suggest to Ms Chapman that she actually reads the regulations of a freeport and visits the freeport on Teesside which has helped to regenerate the area beyond recognition
May I suggest to this MSP to focus her time on creating jobs instead of destroying them.
James Noel, Leggart Terrace, Aberdeen
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