I’LL start by saying I have never felt the need to complain about any broadcaster in my life.

I watched the Sky Sports News build-up to the Euros 2020 and was absolutely disgusted to see the constant backdrop to the presenter counting down the exact days, hours, minutes and seconds to England’s first match.

I am not sure if Sky are aware, but two other home nations are also competing in these championships. In fact, Wales’s opening match is 24 hours before England’s, so if there was any countdown, it should be to that match, or even fairer, a countdown to all three home nations’ matches.

Sky appear to be completely unaware that customers from all corners of the UK fund them. I for one will be removing that custom and I am not alone, many of my friends and family here in Scotland have already switched off their shamefully biased and disrespectful Euros coverage.

Stephen McDowall

via email

I HAD to have a wry smile to myself when I read Neale Hanvey’s contribution to The National on Thursday (A safe space for vigorous debate can see Alba take on the independence mantle, June 10). The only “vigorous debate” I have ever encountered when engaging with that party’s supporters is of just how bad they believe Nicola Sturgeon is. Its almost like a competition for them, with none wishing to concede another dislikes her more than them.

When contributing to the debate on an Alba-friendly site there are certain givens that must be accepted. These being that Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP leadership are corrupt, that SNP politicians are “troughers”, that the SNP are secretly Unionists, that all SNP policies are bad and that anyone who doesn’t agree wholeheartedly with any of these allegations is naïve/stupid/corrupt/etc. Anyone expressing an opinion that counters these allegations is instantly piled on, abused and frequently banned from the site.

It hardly bears out Mr Hanvey’s claim of a safe haven for actual debate. They are more like echo chambers that only welcome those who are already like-minded. I’m not claiming that there are no sites from a SNP point of view that are intolerant of those that denigrate their party of choice. It’s just that the contributors to pro-SNP sites tend to extol the virtues of independence and criticise the UK Tory government when left to themselves, while the contributions to pro-Alba sites are almost entirely anti-SNP with very little content making the case for independence or criticising Unionist parties.

At the moment, there is more “open, honest and robust debate” on broad church, progressive, pro-SNP sites than there are on the far narrower, more conservative, pro-Alba sites. Until Alba supporters such as Mr Hanvey tone down the anti-SNP rhetoric, such as he exhibits in his column, and engage with pro-indy supporters who do not share their grotesque vision of the SNP and Greens, there is little chance of there ever being a “safe space for vigorous debate” about independence with them involved.

Stuart Allan

Perth

KATHLEEN Nutt’s article (Devine slams version of UK history covered by test material, June 9) certainly raised my blood pressure, not just because of the offensively Anglo-centric nature of the Home Office’s citizenship test she reports on, but because she refers to Flower of Scotland as Scotland’s national anthem!

It is not, and it is shameful that the Scottish Government has allowed it, by default, to be presumed to be so. It is a popular folk song but a bit of a dirge, with maudlin lines such as “wee bit hill and glen...”. Scotland deserves much better. Scots Wha Hae is superb with jauntier tempo and written by our national poet, but we have outstanding musicians and composers who should be tasked by parliament with making recommendations. Otherwise we are condemned to Jimmy wigs, too-long kilts, silly bunnets and a moany “anthem”. This is not a good look for a grown-up nation.

Which, apparently, we are not, as the SFA are still putting out our national team in dark navy, powder blue or anything to avoid the correct sky blue/azure . Why are they allowed to get away with it, Culture Secretary? Enough is enough.

David Roche

Coupar Angus

JOLYON Maugham QC appears surprised to have found that the BBC has revealed itself “as a defender of power rather than as interested in the accountability of power”. As the state broadcaster the BBC has always disseminated propaganda but because there was public approval of the propaganda turned out between 1939 and 1945 as a nation we have become too accepting of this role, if not oblivious to it. It is good to see that more and more of us in Scotland are waking up to smell the coffee, particularly with an independence referendum just around the corner. We know the BBC will be taking sides and we know they will not be on the side of a free choice.

Ni Holmes

St Andrews