Sir, – With a Brexit deal voted through the UK parliament and Covid-19 vaccinations under way, attention will turn to the 2021 Holyrood elections.
Latterly, much focus on Scottish independence has been on how we secure a second referendum. It’s clear that Boris’ Tories are not going to grant a Section 30 order anytime soon. It’s outrageous that MPs in England can block Scotland’s right to self-determination.
The UK has become a country where poverty and inequality in society has become acceptable.
Foodbanks are the norm. Homelessness is everywhere. In the past, this would prompt the populace to take to the streets in protest; and when Covid-19 is over, we should. The Tories have blamed the EU and migrants for much of our woes. It will be interesting to see who they blame now.
If Scotland were a normal independent country, then we would have the ability to make different choices.
Colin Alexander Storrier.
4/7 Arneil Place,
Edinburgh.
Knee-jerk reaction to Erasmus Scheme
Sir, – In her typically knee-jerk reaction, describing the replacement of the EU’s Erasmus Scheme by the Turing Scheme as “cultural vandalism”, Nicola Sturgeon ignores three factors.
Erasmus was limited to European universities while Turing is global; Erasmus favoured students who attended private school as their foreign language abilities are superior; and in several surveys no European university appears in the world’s top 10 or 12, which regularly feature eight or 10 USA universities along with Oxford and Cambridge.
In other surveys, only ETH Zurich is 6th or 14th out of 20.
John Birkett.
12 Horseleys Park,
St Andrews
SNP’s ‘blunder’ worst since 1979
Sir, – In Scotland Boris Johnson is dismissed as a buffoon. Yet he won the 2016 referendum, the Tory leadership, renegotiated the “non-negotiable” EU withdrawal deal, gave Labour its worst defeat in a general election since 1935 and pulled off a Brexmas trade deal.
This so unhinged First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that she ordered her troops to vote against the Bill in the Commons – and presumably for “no deal”!
As she had sunk our best chance of a soft Brexit in the spring of 2019 – when the pro-European, One Nation Tory Ken Clarke’s option of staying in the customs union while leaving the EU’s political project was beaten by six votes – the SNP’s position is farcical.
It’s their greatest strategic blunder since 1979 when they voted with the Tories to bring down Jim Callaghan’s Labour government and clear the way for Margaret Thatcher.
Dr John Cameron.
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
Right-minded people wanted neither deal
Sir, – Boris Johnson’s Westminster Tories, Ruth Davidson’s Holyrood Conservatives and Keir Starmer’s Westminster Labour Party have all voted for the dreadful Brexit deal.
Their ridiculous logic is that anyone who didn’t vote for the deal must be wanting no deal.
They don’t seem able to accept that all right-minded people want neither deal.
Harry Key.
20 Mid Street,
Largoward.
Time for an end to ‘theatrical’ speeches
Sir, – When will you, Ian Blackford, ever cease making a fool of yourself and Scotland? As an ex-banker, you know perfectly well the situation that Scotland would have been in, outside of the UK, had the 2014 referendum been a Yes vote .
Happily for the people of Scotland, we knew better than you and your self-satisfied bunch of SNP so-called politicians, more interested in self-promotion than taking care of Scotland through the devolved powers at Holyrood.
Please explain to me how precisely Scotland would have defended itself in matters of finance and resource during the Covid period were it not a part of the UK?
Derek Farmer.
Knightsward Farm,
Anstruther.
