‘DAN Walker hopes Michael Gove is ‘OK’ after car crash BBC Breakfast interview’ (thenational.scot, May 11). He need not worry as the explanation is quite simple: RP English is not Michael Gove’s native tongue, and under pressure, he momentarily lost sync with what is in effect his second language.
As an Aberdeen loon brought up north of the “F Line” he appears to believe, like others before him, that the eradication of any remnants of Scottish grammar and accent makes them more acceptable for high positions in the UK Government.
Michael Gove knows that it is widely reported even today that in 2005 Boris Johnson wrote that it was outrageous that Gordon Brown should ever become prime minister for a variety of reasons “... but mainly because he is a Scot, and government by a Scot is just not conceivable in the current constitutional context.”
READ MORE: Baffled BBC host hopes Michael Gove is 'ok' after car crash interview
If the mask slips, the Prime Minister might have him promoted to leader of the Tories’ Scottish branch, relieving him from ministerial office so that he can lead the fight against independence in the lead-up to the referendum.
Who knows, if a by-election to the Holyrood parliament could be arranged by promoting the present incumbent in a safe Tory first-past-the-post constituency to the Lords, Michael Gove might soon be the next Tory to claim that they will be First Minister of Scotland.
John Jamieson
South Queensferry
MAGGIE Chetty (Letters, May 10) is hurting following the local election wipeout of Alba and that’s understandable, but her assessment of loyalty and vindictiveness is not. Has she simply forgotten the personalised attacks on the First Minister from her party leaders and colleagues that have also been sustained by their regular contributors to The National? None of that reflects the qualities she now claims to hold dear.
The absence of a single elected Alba representative at any level of government in Scotland suggests that the people of Scotland know better. The party’s over. Archie Drummond
Tillicoultry
I ENJOYED reading Cailean Gallagher’s piece on Joe Hill ('A man sacred and secular, canonical and communist', May 7). When I was a young trade union activist many years ago, I had a great interest in the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), aka Wobblies. Although their organisation’s leadership had little faith in electoral work, their organisational and strategy abilities were remarkable and excellent as well as effective. It was to learn lessons from what they did and achieved which attracted my interest.
My reading included a book by an American writer about Joe Hill’s trial and books about other great men and women of the organisation.
READ MORE: The man in the song every Scottish trade unionist will have heard
Regarding the Ballad of Joe Hill, I have never actually heard the Paul Robeson version, but Arthur Johnstone and The Laggan’s version is superb. I’m sure Cailean won’t mind me mentioning Joan Baez singing it at Woodstock after telling the audience that her husband was on hunger strike in prison after being jailed for anti-Vietnam War activism.
Can I also mention that there is a film about Joe Hill by a Swedish director and also a film documentary by the United Auto Works of America trade union specifically about the IWW (Wobblies).
The Wobblies had a slogan – EDUCATE. AGITATE. ORGANISE – which is as relevant today as it was back then.
Bobby Brennan
Glasgow
THE shooting of a member of the press in Palestine highlights the differences in attitude towards military invasion and illegal occupations! Two countries are invaded by hostile forces – both these occupiers have nuclear weapons.
In the first and longest war of occupation, the invaded country are labelled terrorists and ignored by the West. In the more recent invasion, the invaded country is lauded as heroic defenders. The invader of one scenario gets hit by sanctions and named a pariah state, the other gets huge loans and weapons from the West. Why are our responses to Russia and to Israel so different?
Rab Doig
Bo’ness
WATCHING Wednesday’s lunchtime news on STV I was appalled to see a conversation between the show’s presenter (the word “show” used deliberately, as the programme can barely pass as journalism) and a financial “expert” about how the public can manage what has come to be known as the cost-of-living crisis. Solutions proposed included shopping around for a cheaper broadband subscription and avoiding using our credit cards.
This so-called “expert” has clearly failed to understand that the people hardest hit by the London government’s financial policies do not have the resources to possess broadband or credit cards. Our country is run by and for people who have no concept of the poverty on their doorsteps. The closest some of our politicians will ever get is a photo opportunity at a food bank.
The best solution to the cost-of-living crisis is to break ourselves out of the toxic union so that we can set about building a just and compassionate society in an independent Scotland.
Ni Holmes
St Andrews
IT appears the UK Government is hostile to a windfall profits tax but some energy companies are not. If the Scottish Government and these companies were to explore raising such a tax, specifically designed to help consumers within Scotland, would the UK government step in to block it?
Bruce Crichton
Hamilton
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