Sir, – Galen Milne, (May 14) is right about majority governments bringing in bad legislation north and south of the border, and, while the Tory Party’s omnipotence is new-found, it is something the SNP has had at Holyrood since 2011.
But numerical superiority relies on being able to dragoon the troops into voting for things they wouldn’t normally agree with.
This leads to bad legislation and also injustice.
Take the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.
The OBFTC Act seems to have been dreamed up by Stephen House, then chief constable of Strathclyde and Kenny MacAskill, then justice secretary, and was pushed through the Scottish Parliament despite being opposed by every opposition MSP, the football clubs, supporters’ groups and most right-minded people.
Just because the police want new powers and laws is hardly a good reason to legislate and this was the case with the OBFTC Act.
It made Scotland unique in the world in criminalising one very small group in society (football supporters mind, not rugby or cricket fans) for a new crime of “offensiveness”.
This new crime of offensiveness is defined by the opinion of police officers from a specially set up Football Co-ordination Unit Scotland group.
FoCuS’s enforcement of this legislation brought organised, peaceful, political protests from football fans, which was dealt with in a brutal manner akin to what might happen in Third World police states.
I have no doubt that there are Tory MPs in England who will see their Westminster majority as the signal to push for bad legislation on ECHR and fox hunting, simply because they can carry the vote.
As with the SNP and the OBFTC Act, laws and policies being pushed by the hang ‘em and flog ‘em brigade will end up being opposed by the people on the streets.
Tom Minogue. 94 Victoria Terrace, Dunfermline.
Equal access for atheists
Sir, – I see the Rev David Robertson (May 16) thinks that the British Humanist Association is attempting to indoctrinate children by sending a copy of a book by an atheist scientist to every school in Scotland.
Leaving aside the heavy irony in his statement, is this the same David Robertson who wrote to the then First Minister Alex Salmond in 2008 demanding the Scottish Government return some schools to control of the Free Church, as in pre-1872 years, and for all schools to be run on strict Calvinist biblical principles?
In your article, Mr Robertson claimed: “Fundamentalist atheists do not want any religion or philosophy taught in Scottish schools, except their own,” yet it appears that this is Mr Robertson’s position when it comes to his own fundamentalist form of Christianity.
I propose that we fundamentalist atheists be given exactly the same access and influence in schoolsthat Christianity currently enjoys, so that Scotland’s schoolchildren get a fully rounded and balanced view.
Would Mr Robertson not agree with this suggestion?
Alistair McBay. National SecularSociety, 5 Atholl Crescent, Edinburgh.
I was purring with delight
Sir, – I had to write in to say what a great photo of Larry the cat from Number 10 Downing Street being stroked by a policeman (May 13).
It made my day.
A. McIntyre. 33 Feus Road, Perth.
Pavements should be clear
Sir, – I can almost guarantee that not one of our political representatives, who claim to work on our behalf, will take the slightest notice of Malcolm McCrow’s letter entitled, Rash of bins pose danger in Dundee streets (May 15).
I, and a few others, have had letters published concerning the inconvenience and danger of our pavements being used by inconsiderate motorists, cyclists and for wheelie bin collection; of particular concern to the blind, disabled and to young mothers pushing prams.
The general public are not interested and our councillors, MPs, MSPs, MEPs and police who have the power to rectify the situation, prefer to turn a blind eye.
All we are asking for is that our pavements be used for the sole purpose for which they were provided.
Ian M Malcolm. 2 Morton Crescent, St Andrews.
Benefit of zero- hours contracts
Sir, – Over the last few electioneering weeks we have been hearing all about zero-hour contracts as if everyone working without guaranteed hours is being exploited, which is simply not true.
On being made redundant, the first thing I did was to enrol with an employment agency.
In my case it was Manpower and I was asked what kind of work I was willing to undertake.
I was a class-one lorry driver and the only condition I insisted on was that I would not drive any animal to its execution.
This was not a problem for the agency.
The then Employment Exchange were aware that I was registered with an agency and so were able to pay for days that they could not find work for me.
I do not know if this kind of trust still exists.
To cut a long story short, I was placed with a well-known super-market where I was eventually given full-time employment, the best I’d ever had, all because of what could be called a zero-hour contract.
But the real benefit was that the employer knew what they were getting and so did I.
G. Stewart. Springbank, Clayholes, By Carnoustie.
Danger roads in Dundee
Sir, – The other day I was almost run over, when, after a day in Edinburgh, I crossed the dual carriageway to make my way into Dundee city centre.
This was because I thought I saw a green light ahead of me but, in fact, this was a slightly askew vehicle light and there was, of course, no pedestrian light at the expected height.
Dundee’s system of only having pedestrian lights at hip height can be seriously misleading, not least if one has just returned from elsewhere where they have normal pedestrian lights.
Antony Black. 79 Blackness Avenue, Dundee.
Give them enough rope
Sir, – Leslie Liney (May 13) assumes I am ademocrat.
Perhaps someone could tell me what democracy is.
It certainly did not show its face in thegeneral election.
Numbers from your other correspondents show that.
It is certainly notthe rabble rousing ofthe Scottish National Party.
It is certainly not in the United States, for instance, where apresident can be elected with fewer votes than his opponent and where a non-party candidate has no chance, regardless of his credentials.
That problem applies here as well.
Your correspondent Colin Stewart wonders what no voters hoped to gain by voting SNP.
Perhaps all their supporters hoped for was a big fling before the debt collectors turned up.
I did not suggest elected SNP members should be banned from Parliament.
What I was suggesting was that candidates for election to the United Kingdom Parliament should be pre-qualified and allegiance to the UK would be at the top of the list.
I repeat that it isridiculous that someone who wants to break upan organisation should be allowed to help to run it.
Sinn Fein at least take sensible action.
Prime Minister David Cameron’s best course is obvious.
Give the SNP full fiscal powers for a fixed,limited period, say three years, but be fully ready to take them back.
RJ Soutar. Camperdown Street, Dundee.
No clear SNP mandate
Sir, – I do wish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would stop claiming to speak for what the Scottish people want, demand and voted for.
She does not speak for the 50% of the unionist voters in the general election, nor does she speak for the Scottish people who voted no by a large majority in the referendum to keep most fiscal and welfare issues out of the hands of grievance-mongering ideologists.
It could be claimed on the referendum results that Ms Sturgeon only speaks for the four out of the 32 areas that voted yes.
As far as the general election result goes, it would appear that roughly the same numbers voted SNP as voted yes.
With a turnout of around 70%, this indicates that the SNP got votes from 35% of voters.
This is hardly something which Ms Sturgeon can claim as a democratic mandate to justify her increasingly strident demands.
SNP control over National Insurance, welfare, taxation and pensions is the stuff of nightmares for most of the population.
The SNP haveshown themselves to be unworthy of the powers they have had for years and have presided over catastrophic declines in standards within the education and health sectors.
The thought of them being given more powers is horrifying.
Donald Lewis. Pine Cottage, Beech Hill, Gifford.
Different result under PR?
Sir, – I was intrigued by the result produced at the general election under our first-past-the-post system.
I wonder if anyone has calculated what the result, in terms of seats for each political party would have been under the various systems of proportional representation?
Fiona Hannah. 71 Burghmuir Road, Perth.