Tories have sunk even lower by claiming we can’t handle powers

Derision, insults, deaf ears and bullying – are these not the same methods that they they used with such success in fighting off the desire of all the colonies of Empire who were stupid enough to think of independence? They say that doing the same thing and expecting a different result is the stuff of madness, but it seems that for the Westminster government, 50-odd illustrations of the accuracy of this sentiment are not enough to learn from.

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Add to this that the surreptitious undermining of our economy, particularly since the last referendum, is picking up pace. A number of years ago this was illustrated by the three occasions on which the Scottish opportunity to trial our home-grown process of carbon capture was blocked, when it could have made Scotland a world leader. Now we have EU citizens who previously came to fill tourism and fruit-picking jobs blocked, sent home and in some cases detained for days before being sent back.

Moreover, the attitude to thousands who have lived here for years, contributed their labour and paid tax, and brought up families to provide the next generation of the workforce is, “OK we’ve had the benefit of your contribution for years now, but you’re foreign, so out you go.” That applies even to many who already have leave to remain, previously paid for and granted.

Now the Tory lickspittles with whom the BBC is being stuffed seem determined to return control of two BBC Scotland studios to London and to London-based teams, thus again impoverishing our economy by the loss of local jobs and contracts. That in spite of the fact that less of our licence fees is returned to Scotland than elsewhere.

When will people wake up to the fact that this is an ongoing, covert policy of reducing our economy, so that they can justifiably say we are too wee and too poor? Perhaps the Office for National Statistics figures quoted by Ian Rankine in his Tuesday letter should be displayed on billboards all over the country – OUR country, Scotland.

L McGregor
Falkirk

THE Holyrood 2021 election outcome was clear-cut in that the SNP would form a government of Scotland with the tacit assistance of the Green Party. What was also clear was that with a majority of MSPs from these two parties there would be an indyref2, preferably during the early part of this parliament.

Mr I Rankine in his long letter (June 8) highlights the need for clear, understandable, readily available and fundamentally honest published data on how Scotland plc works at present. Proposals for change then have a point of reference for the electorate when they are making decisions on both their future and their children’s future.

READ MORE: We need fiscal facts, not yet another independence team, group or taskforce

Now, the SNP/Green Party ethos still constitutes a fairly large umbrella of political viewpoints but was accepted by the electorate as the most capable to govern Scotland. The electorate made it all too clear that the width of this umbrella was in their view now at its limit, precluding any list MSPs from Alba being elected.

From this perspective it certainly looks as if the electorate is now ready for indyref2, but does need fundamentally honest data to work with, hence the Unionist drive to denigrate Ms N Sturgeon, the Scottish Government, and the SNP/Green Party generally, and crucially any data they may provide the electorate with.

Further overviews by yet more technical commissions/groups etc are somewhat scoffed at by Mr Rankine as unnecessary, which I tend to disagree with to some extent, but would agree that the electorate may simply ignore these as now being overtly politically skewed.

However, where data is submitted, scrutinised, and then accepted/declined by those with an interest in it being correct, there may well be a greater public acceptance/buy-in of the data. In applying for membership of the EU, the sorts of data highlighted such as the balance of payments etc highlighted by Mr Rankine might well then be given greater credence by the electorate.

So, it looks like perhaps the Scottish Government may have to make/publish a relatively detailed EU membership application for public scrutiny, ahead of indyref2, even though the EU would likely not entertain this formally until after indyref2/Yes2. The electorate’s acceptance of the submitted data being therefore genuine and fundamentally honest may well be crucial in getting Yes2.

Stephen Tingle
Greater Glasgow

NOT in my name and morally bankrupt! That was the message at PMQs from the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford regarding the UK Government’s inhumane cuts to overseas aid. The Speaker of the House had granted an emergency debate on the massive issue of a cut in overseas aid, but that emergency debate included no binding vote, only the opportunity for MPs opposed to the cut an opportunity to say “not in my name”.

I am sure the world leaders attending the G7 being held in the UK this week will be astonished that in the midst of a global pandemic the UK Government are cutting aid to the world’s poor and needy – it really does beggar belief.

The global pandemic calls for everyone in the world to be vaccinated if each one of us are to have a future, a future with Covid under control. So cutting overseas aid is cutting our chances of getting Covid under control.

Catriona C Clark
Falkirk