Sir, – The activists in something called the Northern Research Group are very upset because PM Johnson has decided to fly to Kyiv again instead of addressing them in Doncaster as promised.
On reflection, I’m sure the NRG will understand how important it is that President Zelensky is warned against joining the evil, undemocratic, socialist EU, as described in one of the two letters Johnson wrote before our EU referendum in 2016.
Instead, Mr Johnson will have offered to fast-track Ukraine into the Commonwealth.
William McLeod. Netherbrae, Turriff.
Too many questions unanswered by SNP
Sir, – The recently-published political paper from the SNP entitled “Independence in the modern world. Wealthier, happier, fairer: Why not Scotland?” is pure political propaganda of a high order with an outward pretence of academic research with a Scottish Government label. It still leaves too many questions unanswered.
The underlying theme is basically a hatchet job on the UK. This is pure SNP divisiveness and discord at it’s very worst. It should be appreciated that the UK has evolved over hundreds of years and does not fit neatly into the ideal European model. That probably explains partially why Brexit occurred. If they had stuck to trade it could have continued quite happily but the EU wanted more power and control.
We have a comparison of sorts between the UK and 10 adjoining countries that appears to show the UK as the laggard in all aspects examined. It should be appreciated that England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are all currently still very different parts of the UK. Each country directly contributes to the UK but even Scotland itself is not identified. Is that the reason for the low productivity and all the other ills, and unhappiness?
Would a vote for Scotland’s independence benefit the RUK the most? Stopping Barnett would make a considerable financial difference. Scotland itself is not assessed.
We remain no wiser on what the future holds for Scotland just that the UK is awful.
David Philip. Knockhall Way, Newburgh.
The last word does not make it right
Sir, – Your regular nationalist-remainer correspondent Peter E Smith shares a common trait among those of his ilk – he likes to have the last word. In his latest offering (letters, June 15) he takes issue with a number of points raised in a previous letter from Pauline Eggermont. His letter goes on at some length and offers nothing new to the debate, but I do take issue with his assertion that “thousands of travellers were stranded because of lack of airport staff who left after Brexit and were not replaced”.
This tired old refrain that the blame for everything should be laid at the door of Brexit is regularly presented as a fact, with absolutely no evidence to support it. The state that the aviation industry now finds itself in is almost exclusively as a result of the Covid pandemic, which as we all know virtually grounded aviation worldwide. Of necessity, there were mass redundancies in the industry which cannot be rectified overnight.
Brexit cannot be blamed in this instance as I suspect Mr Smith well knows but, as the saying goes, tell a lie often enough and people begin to believe it.
Mike Masson. Oak Tree Avenue, Banchory.
Totalitarian Tories need to be watched
Sir, – As Priti Patel’s plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda fall into disarray the usual opprobrium is directed at lawyers and others who do nothing but invoke the law to ensure that the process is legal. I think it was Tony Benn who said “pay careful attention to how your government treats refugees. That’s how they’ll treat you if they think they can get away with it”. Ain’t that the truth.
Boris Johnson has the European Court of Human Rights in his sights. Apparently some humans have too many rights. Not, predictably, the criminals who pocket the billions to be made from this abhorrent trade but their unfortunate victims. Indeed, London’s lax financial regulation makes it the money-laundering capital of the world and hence extremely attractive to such criminal gangs, as is their wealth to the City. If only Tory obsession with border controls was directed at money rather than the homeless.
Meanwhile, in other news, rumours that legislation is being introduced to make it illegal to score a goal against the England football team remain to be confirmed.
G Davidson. Birse, Aboyne.
Democracy not a political football
Sir, – Democracy. A word used often when it suits the first minister’s agenda, like when speaking about the democratic right of the people of Scotland to hold a referendum on independence when the British Government doesn’t appear to agree.
Not a word often used when it doesn’t suit the first minister’s agenda, an example being when the people of Scotland using their democratic right to object to and reject wind turbines being erected in unsuitable locations supported by the government’s own planning experts having their democratically-taken decisions overturned by a government minister acting on behalf of the first minister.
The dictionary describes the following – democracy, a form of government in which the people have a voice in the exercise of power; dictator, a ruler with total power over a country; a hypocrite, a person who says one thing and does another.
Which description suits the first minister?
Jim Leitch. Evie, Orkney.
No end in sight to police cash probe
Sir, – I refer to the ongoing and apparently never-ending saga of the so-called investigation by Police Scotland regarding the missing £600k from SNP accounts. A newly-qualified accountant and a raw detective could have solved this in a couple of weeks given the circumstances. Audit Scotland now say £2 billion of Covid money is underspent.
The mismanagement of taxpayers’ money by the SNP is unbelievable. Imagine how many nurses, carers, etc, could have been employed for that sum.
Bob Mackay. Silverburn Road, Aberdeen.
No magic wand for Union Street
Sir, – I seldom agree with items that your Scott Begbie writes on a Tuesday and, sadly, last Tuesday’s column was no exception.
Again he has been having a rant about the extreme importance of pedestrianising Union Street. OK, take the cars out and leave the buses and taxis to use the street. Union Street is wide enough to cater for buses and walkers alike.
At the risk of bringing on a sigh or yawn from him I will throw in a few facts. Aberdeen used to be the main fishing port in Scotland, had shipbuilding, five paper mills and a healthy oil industry, all now dead or in decline, social clubs with members queuing to get in and an indoor bowling club with a 10-year waiting list. No more.
Things have changed in Aberdeen and no magic wand is going to make it better. Scott talks about having a “plaza-style” place to meet and enjoy a cafe culture – surely we have enough side streets not a stone-throwing distance from Union Street to achieve that. Keep the place tidy but leave Union Street to look after itself.
Doug Haggart. Peterculter, Aberdeen.
Spend £20m on needy
Sir, – The people of Scotland would have much more respect for the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon if they decided to spend the £20 million budget planned for indyref2 on setting up a fund for the needy in Scotland.
The grim prospect of trying to have another expensive and divisive referendum in 2023 will end in the same result as in 2014 and the £20m costs will go down the drain.
Dennis Forbes Grattan. Bucksburn, Aberdeen.
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