Sir, – I watched Sophie Raworth throw the TV interviewer’s equivalent of a Line of Duty “spike strip” in David Lammy’s path as he irascibly tried to “mansplain” his way out of her questions on Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner’s Durham drinkies, and the Labour Party evasion on national insurance increases.
Inevitably he careered into a car crash interview. Shadow foreign secretary? God help us.
Allan Sutherland, Willow Row, Stonehaven.
Unionists display short memories
Sir, – We get regular diatribes from the minority unionist support in regard to SNP failings, the latest being the unfortunate situation at Ferguson’s shipyard on the Clyde.
They have short memories.
What of the £40m Parliament building, which ended up costing more than £400m (plus repairs), or the Edinburgh trams, with its eye-watering overspend? Weren’t those unionist party-led projects?
When we look at the issues in our southern neighbour, where virtually every service is in a worse state that those in Scotland, how anyone can hold up the unionist parties as messiahs beggars belief.
While no party or government can ever be perfect, we are lucky to have the SNP in Scotland. Given at all elections they receive – by a mile – more votes than any other party, the majority of the Scottish public seem to agree.
Ron Campbell, Richmond Walk, Aberdeen.
SNP waste money the NHS could use
Sir, – I fully support the Friends of Insch Hospital in their attempt to have local hospital facilities reopened. Chalmers Hospital in Banff is suffering the same fate.
Chalmers was expanded and upgraded several years ago with the prospect that clinics would be held there instead of ARI, as the new facilities were state of the art.
The accident and emergency department was surreptitiously downgraded to an minor injury unit which was then closed prior to the Covid pandemic. Similar promises were made to reconsider reopening the facilities by the preparation of a business case, which has been three years in the making and is still ongoing.
The decision to close these hospital facilities is a direct result of the centralisation policy of the SNP, away from local accountability and control.
Cash saved from the many headline-making SNP failed projects could have been used to support the NHS locally.
Mike Roy, Castle Street, Banff.
Defending the PM is just indefensible
Sir, – I have no idea of the personal circumstances or exact political leaning of David Philip, or other correspondents, other than what I can deduce from the subject matter and points of views in their letters.
However, I simply cannot comprehend why any rational, level-headed individual would jump to the defence of Boris Johnson when he is branded as a pathological liar, when that deceit and dishonesty are clearly causing great damage, not only to the institution of government itself but to the very fabric of our society?
Mr Philip may well be correct, insofar as there is no direct link between Boris Johnston’s scant regard for the rules of Westminster or the law and the mindless vandalism James Millar has experienced.
But when you have a Tory government which happily portrays itself as above the law, parading its wealth for all to see, seemingly accountable to no one, offering no help or hope for those on minimum wage, cutting benefits to those unable to find work, and paying people who have worked hard their entire lives a pittance of a pension, in a world where the very cost of survival (heating, housing, food) is soaring by the day, then is it really that difficult to see there may just be a connection there?
As the saying goes: “There are none so blind as those who choose not to see.” I believe that describes David Philip, and those of a similar mindset, perfectly.
Douglas Black, Kingsford, Alford.
Check the data on Covid vaccinations
Sir, – We are often told that the main benefit of the Covid vaccine is to reduce hospitalisations. Indeed current Scottish data states that hospitalisations per 100,000 people for those with one or more vaccine doses are between 6.1 and 21.9, while for unvaccinated it is 27.5.
It thus appears that the vaccine has benefits. However, it’s not that simple. These figures don’t include hospitalisations caused by the vaccine itself. A new Nordic study lead-authored by Oystein Karlstad analysed data for patients hospitalised post-vaccination with myocarditis or pericarditis, both serious diseases.
Of particular concern is males aged 16 to 24. Karlstad found 18.4 serious myocarditis excess events per 100,000 with the Moderna vaccine within 28 days of the second dose, and for anyone who had both a Moderna and a Pfizer it was 27.5 per 100,000.
Health services urgently need to look into this.
Geoff Moore, Braeface Park, Alness.
Bills raise fears of voter suppression
Sir, – Easy to miss among the claims and counter-claims about an increasing number of Tory politicians are the recent passing of Bills at Westminster, which will curb freedoms and make life easier for the ruling party there.
Take the Elections Bill 2021, which will shortly become law.
This includes measures purported to solve a problem of potential fraud at polling stations.
Given no evidence that this is a real issue (one prosecution over two elections in which 40 million votes were cast), perhaps other motives apply. What could these be, other than seeking to ensure the continued dominance of Tory power?
For example, pensioner bus passes will be acceptable ID, while student cards will not – could the explanation be that younger folk tend not to vote Tory?
Looks like voter suppression from the Trump playbook.
Then, there is the attack on the Electoral Commission. Much to the displeasure of many in Cabinet, the Commission fined the Vote Leave campaign for infringement of election law, and referred them to the Met.
So, a body which was set up to be independent and impartial will now be subject to the “guidance” (ie. control) of Michael Gove.
And, if you protest in public about this in England, be careful, as another Bill, about to be enacted, gives police the power to shut down protests they deem to be disruptive.
Democracy – the power of the people, as long as you support the current UK Government.
Roddie Macpherson, High Street, Avoch.