“Scotland The Brave?” Really? We have just watched our timid football team crash out of the Euros having spent three games passing the ball across the midfield, or back to their defence. Only a total of THREE shots at the opposition goal during those games. I’ve seen this mentality repeated for decades.

We watched our nation avoid becoming one of the richest on Earth when we discovered massive oil reserves off our coast and, timidly, allowed these revenues to be sent south to be squandered, while our food banks multiplied.

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We watched Margaret Thatcher trash our large industries for political purposes while we timidly stood by and did nothing.

We have timidly allowed Tory governments to rule us for 70 years even although we don’t vote for them.

We let Unionist media propaganda intimidate us during the independence referendum and adopted a franchise system that was not permitted for the Brexit vote. We remain a Westminster colony even although 53% of Scots-born voters said Yes.

Although 68% of Scotland voted Remain we have timidly permitted our country to be taken out of the EU, with consequent damage to our economy.

We talk about getting a majority of seats at this coming election for independence parties but, when they won 56 out of 59 seats in 2015 we timidly asked politely if we could have a referendum.

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We won an overwhelming victory at Holyrood for independence parties but cringingly used that mandate for everything but independence.

We went to the Supreme Court to politely ask if we could have a referendum rather that telling Westminster that we are going to do it anyway and, if they want, let them try to stop us at any court they choose.

Countries smaller than us, such as Ireland, have booming economies. Countries much smaller than us, such as Croatia, stand tall at international football competitions.

We’re not brave. We’re just cowed and apologetic for existing, after centuries of being dominated by our Big Brother.

Alasdair Forbes
Farr, Inverness-shire

ON Thursday night a hustings was held at Greenbank Parish Church in what is arguably one of the most wealthy parts of Edinburgh. The panel of 10 candidates consisted of five men representing Reform UK, the LibDems, Labour, Conservatives and the Scottish Family Party, two men as independents, and three women representing the Greens, SNP and Alba (declaration of interest: I stood in for the Alba candidate who was unable to be present).

One candidate brought three paid bodyguards with him! Topics covered included climate change, fiscal policy, trust in politics/politicians, Ukraine/Gaza, and VAT on private school fees. All the “conventional” candidates were adamant about more weapons for Ukraine and paid lip service to the terrible suffering in Gaza whilst prattling on about a two-state solution as if the carnage of the last eight months had never happened.

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The independents (one had served as a reservist in the military) and the women were all very clear that diplomacy and an end to fighting was urgent and vital. I was astonished, as a member of the Church of Scotland myself, that one candidate who was a church elder did not share this perspective and that large sections of the audience, some of whom must have been church members, also had a bias towards Ukraine and swallowed the conventional parties’ lack of perspective on the Middle East, buying into the attitudes expressed about Iran, Hezbollah and other “players” without apparent acknowledgement of the origins of these conflicts. But I suppose this is to be expected given the nature of media coverage and a general lack of empathy.

I continue to be bitterly disappointed in the failure of the BMA and Royal College of Surgeons to speak out about the torture and murder of medics, and to that list I must now add the Church. So much more could be said and done. The words of Christ on the cross, as immortalised in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral, come to mind: “Father forgive”.

Marjorie Ellis Thompson
Edinburgh

IN accord with the Tory manifesto I have received an election leaflet which tells me no more than that I must vote for a Tory candidate of whom I have no knowledge other than his name, which is the only information given to me. There is no mention of his background or politics. It seems I must vote for him to prevent the break-up of the United Kingdom.

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If I did not fervently desire the break-up of the United Kingdom, I think I would have found this appeal insulting and been offended that he holds my political awareness in such low regard.

As it is, I am merely irritated and amused that the Tory party has such poor awareness of this constituency (Stirling and Strathallan) that it goes to the expense of sending such nonsense to me, a loyal supporter of our excellent MP, Alyn Smith.

K M Campbell
Doune