Sir, – Those who delight in the result of the Colston case and apparently believe a jury’s role is to dispense a kind of generalised “justice” should have a care before offering unstinting support to such an ill-defined principle.
I lived in America at a time when southern juries routinely acquitted white defendants charged with murdering black victims.
I cannot understand why the trial judge allowed an academic to air his views on Colston’s role in the slave trade.
What possible relevance can such an opinion have in a case of criminal damage?
Verdicts that flout evidence or the law weaken the judicial process by undermining the confidence of the public, complainants, prosecution and police.
Rev Dr John Cameron. Howard Place, St Andrews.
Labour stands with Tories in support of capitalism
Sir, – So Red Tory (Labour) Rachel Reeves calls for a one-off tax on North Sea oil profits to alleviate the cost-of-living crisis now engulfing the nation.
This is nothing more than a sticking plaster on a gangrenous wound. The problem is capitalism.
The roots of the current crisis go back to 2008 when Labour bailed out the banks. This after Tony Blair and Gordon Brown pushed on with Thatcherite deregulation of the financial markets.
It ushered in the era of quantitative easing. The Bank of England printed money, gave it to the banks. Instead of lending to businesses, the banks bought back their own stocks. This caused an orgy of speculation that depressed wages in the real economy.
Labour will not dream of taxing the obscene fortunes of the pandemic profiteers at Amazon, Tesla, or the banks. Nor will they go after the Tory donor fatcats.
The Red Labour Tories want to be seen as better stewards of British capitalism. Before the 2015 election Ms Reeves even went as far as saying Labour would cut benefits by more than the Tories.
The call for a tax on the North Sea shows the absolute bankruptcy and moral vacuity with which successive unionist Westminster governments have treated the North Sea. Instead of establishing a sovereign wealth fund the unionist parties lied and squandered the wealth.
The Red Tories stood with the Tories to lie when claiming North Sea oil was running out. All to dissuade Scots from supporting independence.
Alan Hinnrichs. Gillespie Terrace, Dundee.
SNP will turn blame on local councils
Sir, – The old adage that the only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes will prove to be very accurate for those living in Scotland in 2022 as the brakes are now off on council tax increases, which combined with the highest taxation rates in the United Kingdom makes Scotland the most expensive devolved part of the UK.
The SNP has very cleverly reduced real funding for local authorities by ring-fencing the funding to support SNP policies whilst allowing unlimited increases in council tax.
This will divert Scottish taxpayers’ focus to blame the local authorities for increased local taxation whilst the real problem is being created by the Scottish Government by total mismanagement of finances.
Scotland deserves better.
Dennis Forbes Grattan. Mugiemoss Road, Bucksburn.
Put your feet up for some lollygagging
Sir, – My middle daughter has just spent the festive season with us. She has lived in America for 30 years.
She brought with her a word that was new to us and which I would like to share with Courier readers.
I am sure your wordsmith Steve Finan will be interested.
It is lollygagging. It is such a jolly word. It means dillydallying or time wasting or dawdling.
The sort of thing that most pensioners are good at.
Donald McDonald. Rose Terrace, Perth.
