Sir, – The sheer gall of Tony Blair is staggering.
He is perpetually urging voters to build an alliance to stymie Brexit and further claims that Britain is being hijacked by hardline Brexit supporters.
The man clearly has no belief in democracy and will obviously go to any lengths to further his own vested interests.
We should always remember that this is the man who took us into an unnecessary war with Iraq on the flimsiest of information, with all the consequences of the sacrifice of human life and deterioration in international relationships thereafter.
Now he steps further to hint that he might be motivated towards returning to politics.
Of course we all know that Mr Blair has enjoyed a very lucrative relationship with the EU and as such it would hardly be expected that he would have anything but disgust that the country’s vote in the referendum was contradictory to these interests.
Given all the facts laid bare in the Chilcot report, you might have expected him to maintain a low profile but that appears not to be in the nature of the man.
I fear that any return to politics will have a counterproductive effect and result.
Together with the likes of Messrs Clegg, Heseltine and Major, he remains as yesterday’s man, vociferous, dangerous but contained.
David L Thomson.
24 Laurence Park,
Kinglassie.
Apologise and just go
Sir, – Since leaving Downing Street, Tony Blair is thought to have amassed a fortune cashing in on his political contacts, tried and failed as peace envoy for the Middle East and called for more wars in Iran, Syria and Yemen.
Now he is threatening to return to politics.
Mr Blair still sees himself as the leader of the Labour Party.
Labour and Tony Blair have been locked in an abusive relationship for two decades, enabling, explaining, convincing themselves that next time will be different.
How is it that Mr Blair routinely walks into softball media interviews?
Unless deprived of publicity, Mr Blair and his flunkeys will continue to pollute the discourse.
Mr Blair’s repeated refusal to apologise for Iraq is his most frustrating fault.
It is an apology he owes the families of those service personnel killed and the people of Iraq.
After that, Mr Blair should do the right thing and just go.
Alan Hinnrichs.
2 Gillespie Terrace,
Dundee.
Scotland faces savage austerity
Sir, – Your correspondent, James Stevenson, (April 22) complains about some specifics of what he perceives as Tory austerity cuts.
He may or may not be correct; I am unable to comment about his particular issue.
But what I do know is an independent post-oil boom Scotland, without the comfort blanket of the Barnett Formula, would experience Greek-style austerity, the like of which Scotland has never experienced under any UK government.
Martin Redfern.
Merchiston Gardens,
Edinburgh.
Keep public out of TV debates
Sir, – With the general election just a few weeks away, television programmers will be turning their attention to televised debates.
I hope steps will be taken to avoid repeats of such disgraceful scenes that the BBC allowed to happen in the second televised debate between Alistair Darling and Alex Salmond. There was orchestrated heckling and shouting down of Mr Darling.
Televised debates should be held without a studio audience and questions should be invited in advance.
There could still be viewer participation by phone-ins, texts or emails. This would allow panellists to make their points without interruption.
Panellists’ contributions, as a result, would hopefully be more substantive without relying, when in difficulty, on the same old distraction tactic of attacking Westminster, the Tories, bankers, Margaret Thatcher and the poll tax, all guaranteed to whip the baying mob into a frenzy.
I would also urge programme makers to invite people with knowledge and gravitas to sit on the panels and avoid so-called celebrities and comedians who are there for cheap laughs and who contribute nothing to the debates.
These debates are supposed to be for the enlightenment of the viewers and there is no place for the type of audiences that we now see on Question Time.
Donald Lewis.
Pine Cottage,
Beech Hill,
Gifford.
No place for party politics
Sir, – Your correspondent Hazel McKinnon is correct when she states that party politics should have no place in council elections. Local councillors should only be concerned with what is best for their local electorate and not what their party allegiance tells them to do. Time for party politics to be removed from local elections?
Bob Duncan.
110 Caesar Avenue,
Carnoustie.
Mrs May is not running scared
Sir, – Opposition politicians accuse Theresa May of running scared because she will not engage in TV debates.
I can’t be alone in wishing all the leaders would boycott debates.
They shed heat but no light, and degenerate into slanging matches, especially if Nicola Sturgeon is involved.
But why should Nicola Sturgeon be involved? She is not a candidate in the general election. Is Carwyn Jones to be involved in the debates? I don’t think so. Surely the SNP representative should be the depute leader and leader of the SNP group of MPs, Angus Robertson?
This is the same Angus Robertson whom Mrs May swats at PMQs. And why Jeremy Corbyn wants to debate with Mrs May is a mystery, given that he routinely sends Emily Thornberry to interviews in his stead.
The best test of leaders’ policies and mettle is to face individually a serious and well-prepared interviewer. The only name that comes to mind for that role is the outstanding Andrew Neil.
Jill Stephenson.
Glenlockhart Valley,
Edinburgh.
Unionists have a lot to learn
Sir, – I notice that the unionists keep calling for an end to divisive politics in Scotland during the election campaign.
If you have two opposing sides, you are bound to have division.
Don’t they understand that, or is their idea of politics about silencing those who don’t agree with them?
It is time for unionists to understand that almost half of Scotland rejects their narrow narrative of what Scots want and that many Scots will not buy back into their limited vision policies. Politics has always been about division. It is time for unionists to come to terms with the new, confident Scotland.
Bryan Auchterlonie.
Bluebell Cottage,
Ardargie,
CoCourier Perth.