AS the Tory government spends approximately £30 million on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and cuts the Scottish block grant by 5.2%, Douglas Ross and his Scottish Tories moan and groan about the £20 million the Scottish Government have earmarked for an independence referendum.
Without going over old ground compared to what the Tories have wasted on PPE, Track and Trace, and of course the £1.5 billion they took by shaking the magic money tree for the DUP, this is a minor sum. Just look at what’s been spent on the Ajax project, and repairs to Big Ben.
READ MORE: Douglas Ross's independence referendum hypocrisy exposed – The REAL Scottish Politics
The Scottish Government mitigates bad laws introduced by the Westminster Tories to the staggering sum of £623 million per annum. We never hear Douglas Ross speak out about the injustice of that – laws that mainly affect the poor; rules and laws that make poor people poorer.
£20m to be spent over the next year for a referendum on a country’s future is in my book a bargain. Better value than £30 million over four days.
And of course, how much have the Tories at Westminster already spent on their Union department? Why is this once more going to court? Why will they not release the facts and figures? What are they afraid of? Why are the Tories spending money on a top-class and extremely costly QC to defend them?
Thank goodness for the grit and determination of Tommy Sheppard MP on this matter.
READ MORE: Scottish Government allocates £20 million for independence referendum in 2023
But what happens if we lose the next independence referendum?
Will the English government of the day close down Holyrood? Supported by both Scottish Tories, Labour and the LibDems. Their bile and bitterness may allow turkeys to vote for Christmas.
Would Scotland lose the power of being recognised as a country? Would we be consumed by England to be nothing more than a shire?
Let’s get working hard on pensions, currency and a plan.
We do not want beaten by lies again. We must stay one step ahead of the prophets of doom, and not allow them to use the old arguments this time.
Robert McCaw
Renfrew
THE cost to the taxpayer of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations is eye-watering.
I know the Chancellor put aside £28 million from the last Budget for the celebrations.
From that, £15m estimated for the pageant and £12m on a book for primary-aged children. We then look at the National Lottery funding, the Heritage funding, the Arts Council funds etc, and this is only what we know about.
READ MORE: Praise for Scot Squad's Nicola Roy as she makes case for £20m indyref2 spend
However, the Diamond Jubilee is thought to have cost between £1.2 billion and £3.6 billion (that’s £3,600,000,000) – we will probably never know how much this has cost, and will no doubt be told about the tourism and the souvenirs etc.
So when the Tories whinge about £20m for a second indyref they should be reminded about the cost of the latest party, which will be over in a few days. This official “party” knocks the Downing Street parties into a cocked hat.
Next time someone wants to have a celebration, be it a 21st birthday bash or a silver/golden wedding, let’s ask the guests to pay and see how that goes down. That is how you become the world's richest woman – get everyone else to pay.
Surely the world’s richest woman could have done something better and thought about her “subjects” unable to travel, unable to afford petrol and having to be supported by food banks. Instead we are “thanked” – what for? Could it be for not kicking up an almighty fuss?
Winifred McCartney
Paisley
WE are being inundated with bunting for Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne – with Marks and Spencer displaying Jubilee beer, biscuits, bags and cake.
The first of the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations took place with an ITV pageant in the grounds of Windsor Castle which the Queen attended, with actors such as Helen Mirren and Tom Cruise. It reminded me of the Edinburgh Tattoo and even had Scottish pipe bands. Tom Cruise mentioned the “united” kingdom, and four horses rode by fast with the flags of the four nations – all pulling together in a common cause. But this is not the reality at all.
READ MORE: Scotland Institute think tank founder given OBE for 'services to the Union'
The image I have is of a elephant (England) dragging the other three nations behind, dragging them in the dirt – because we’re generally ignored, stamped on, not listened to, disrespected and not treated as an equal partner. Scots look with envy to the equal partnerships in Europe (and Northern Ireland is not actually a nation, it’s a province).
Perhaps these speeding horses were once the image, but were they though? I read that at the time there were troops at the borders, and Scots lords were bribed (Burns’s Parcel of Rogues), and there were riots on the streets.
So what’s the true picture then? Scotland looks over at Ireland, which is treated as a respected and equal partner in Europe. And wish for this parity too!
P Keightley
Glasgow
ON Wednesday I flicked TV channels between Good Morning Britain and BBC Breakfast News in a fruitless attempt to avoid the Platinum Jubilee event.
And what did I get? Wall-to-wall Platinum Jubilee. It seemed like a concerted attempt by both channels to gaslight the British public into supporting the diminished reputation of the monarchy.
READ MORE: Prince Andrew to miss Queen's Jubilee event after 'testing positive for Covid'
The media are also using the Platinum Jubilee to rehabilitate the tattered reputation of the deviant Prince Andrew.
Why don’t the British media do a feature on the growing republican movement? Not a chance!
Me? Along with other like minded-people, I will be attending a pro-republican event at Calton Hill in Edinburgh.
Sandy Gordon
Edinburgh
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