WITH British national hysteria cranking up this week to goodness knows what heights by the weekend, I do hope that The National will put the whole issue of a Scottish republic under the spotlight.

This past few months of shameless deviation and repetition of establishment exceptionalism and privilege means a new Scotland needs to be scrupulously clean of such moral bankruptcy and decay.

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I’ve nothing against the poor woman herself – after all, still working at 96 is some kind of institutional abuse of an OAP – but when the fairy godmother topples from the top of the British National establishment tree, we need to say enough and no more.

Our new Scotland needs to offer opportunities for a’ o Jock Tamson’s bairns and as the Bard reminds us “rank is but the guinea’s stamp, the man’s [and woman’s] the gowd, for a that”.

Iain Bruce
Nairn