“LET’S be clear”, to use a Labour favourite cliche. The longstanding Labour MP, now Speaker of the Hoose, overruled parliamentary rules in the interests of protecting all members of the said Hoose from the peaceful pro-Palestinian protesters outside the Hoose. What government on earth could sustain itself after changing its protocol to appease threats from terrorists?

Since the SNP cannot get a hearing inside the Hoose, or any legal or democratic route to independence, are they better off outside the Hoose to demand basic democratic, rights? So, to be clear, the Palestinians, who did not want to be bombed any more, opposed the SNP motion not to bomb them, in favour of a Labour Friends of Israel amendment by threatening all members of the Hoose, while at least 40 Palestinians were bombed over the SNP’s cancelled opposition day?

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Perhaps all Scottish peaceful protests should be non-peaceful protests, outside the Hoose, if they could afford the train fares and London hotels and cuisine, unlike the paid expenses of those inside the Hoose. Should we feel sorry for the Speaker, who will not be pit oan the Buroo, or oot o’ his Hoose, cos he cannae pay the rent or mortgage. Whatever happens, we all know he will receive his reward in Labour heaven, the Hoose of Lards, or some Labour institution,or well-paid cushy joab created by Sir Keir.

I remember taking the Winnie train, accompanying Winnie doon tae London, and how terrified the Met forelock-touchers were. Winnie then stated that she was only going tae the Hoose tae get oot o’ the Hoose. She also cracked the old lawyers’ joke, that there were more people in the bar than at the bar in the Hoose.

So, whilst we were all dry inside and getting wet outside, the MPs at the bar were getting wet inside.

The Speaker of the Hoose was missing inside the Hoose, whilst Stephen Flynn repeatedly demanded the whereaboots he wis in the Hoose, to be told by deputy dawg that he would speak to the party leaders in private, the moarra. He then came back tae the Hoose tae tearfully tell everyone that he was only guilty of protecting everyone in the Hoose and that he owned up tae his mistakes. Mistakes? He did it on purpose. There was not a dry eye in the Hoose.

“Let’s be clear”, if the poor peaceful hunger marchers of the 1920s got nowhere efter marching tae the Hoose, should we be better emulating John MacLean by staying put and demanding a Scottish Workers’ Republic?

Donald Anderson
Glasgow

THANK you for your article “Voter ID rule saw hundreds turned away from polling station, Feb 25). Though you report that nearly 300 were turned away at Rutherglen, that does not include the number who did not go to the polling station because they knew, or feared, they did not have voter ID.

You report from the Electoral Commission that accepted forms of ID include a driving licence, a passport, an older person’s bus pass and a Young Scot card. A large part of our population has none of these. The Electoral Commission kindly points out that people may apply for free voter ID at electoralcommission.org.uk/voterID. But what if someone has no computer access, or are simply too poor, too foreign, too forgetful or too frantically busy at work to do all this?

So they are of course disenfranchised and this is yet another way in which Westminster rules us. The Scottish Government could and should make it very clear that this is an important issue, as well as making voter ID easily and simply available.

Another even greater help to the independence morale would be if an alliance was formed between Alba and the SNP (and veteran independence supporters like Angus Brendan MacNeil) so that they could stand together at the forthcoming General Election.

Heaven help us if we don’t!

L Scott Moncrieff
via email