ALMOST a decade ago, in February 2014, while making a speech on “the importance of Scotland to the UK”, then prime minister David Cameron said: “Our values are not just a source of pride for us; they are a source of hope for the world ... our values are of value to the world. In the darkest times in human history there has been, in the North Sea, a light that never goes out.”
The now Foreign Secretary is serving in a UK Government that has abandoned these principles in the darkest of times for the people of Gaza.
That light in the North Sea is still there only because of the determination of the people of Scotland, expressed on our behalf by people such as Humza Yousaf at Holyrood and Stephen Flynn at Westminster.
Scotland accepted Cameron’s advice in 2014 and remains tied to the United Kingdom; Scotland could be doing so much more to help others today if it had ignored his false promises and had now been negotiating as an equal with other countries in the United Nations, Europe and Nato.
John Jamieson
South Queensferry
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here