Sir, – The blatant disregard shown by the UK to commitments already made by it in negotiations on a future trade deal with the EU has broken new ground, even for this government.
Months were spent in negotiating the Withdrawal Agreement and the Northern Ireland protocol, preventing a hard border within the island of Ireland and providing assurances in the areas of citizens’ rights and Britain’s financial obligations.
The Withdrawal Agreement is not optional.
It is a treaty which was ratified by the current British Government, and which the same government is now seeking to undermine through publishing legislation that will attempt to override it.
To think this government is prepared to shirk its responsibilities to two international agreements to satisfy rabid Brexiteer concerns is deeply troubling but not unexpected.
With the stakes upped and as we hurtle towards a potential no-deal Brexit, it will be the UK and the businesses and citizens already adversely impacted by the consequences of this that will be affected most.
The UK must abide by what it has agreed to do, to stand by the Withdrawal Agreement it negotiated, indeed renegotiated, and protect the interests of those in the UK.
Should it fail to do this and we end up with a no-deal Brexit, the British people will only have the UK Government to blame for this.
Alex Orr.
2/3 Marchmont Road,
Edinburgh.
Best thing for the indy cause
Sir, – How low can the British Government fall in the eyes of the world?
The people of England and Wales voted to leave the EU, Scotland and Ireland voted to remain and in Scotland the vote to remain was comprehensive.
However, as we are part of the UK the vote to leave was accepted, as long as it wouldn’t harm people’s rights and business.
Now we find out that after signing the Withdrawal Agreement the British Government want to renege on it.
It’s like someone leaving the golf club and still wanting to play for free.
It’s little wonder that a poll commissioned by Conservative Party head office found that support for independence was at 56%.
This bunch of charlatans in Westminster talk about saving the union.
Their shambolic governance, from their handling of the Covid-19 pandemic to Brexit and infuriating the Scottish National Farmers Union is the best thing that has ever happened to the independence movement.
Bryan Auchterlonie.
Bluebell Cottage,
Perth.
Impossible to get a Covid test
Sir, – Is Scotland trying to hide its true rate of Covid-19 infections?
I have just returned from holiday to find I have to self isolate.
If that isn’t bad enough, trying to get a home test kit is impossible.
My wife is a key worker and needs a test ASAP.
We tried to order one online to be told there were none available.
How can that be possible?
When we phoned NHS 24 we were be told we can only get one online – caught in the never-ending circle.
If you can’t get tested then how on earth can the Scottish Government give any form of accurate account of infection rates, or provide statistics that are credible?
Mark Devereaux.
67A Sandeman Street,
Dundee.
The devil in the distancing
Sir, – Observing successful European economies, the government wants staff back at their desks before our urban centres become ghost towns.
The main problem north and south of the border is that our political leaders decided last spring to “ignore the science” and the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that a “safe distance” of one metre was enough.
Offices and classrooms can operate at 50% capacity but our unilateral social distancing rule of two metres instead of one metre requires a no-go area of 12.5sqm instead of 3sqm and restricts numbers to less than 20%.
PwC economists estimate the impact on the supply chain of auxiliary services around offices in our town centres is an annual hit of £15 billion on our GDP.
The other problem, of course, are the unions, that nightmare of the Sombre Seventies.
The civil service unions have successfully encouraged their members to stay at home while the education unions have trawled the rule book to find every excuse to prolong disruption to our children’s education.
Dr John Cameron.
10 Howard Place,
St Andrews.
Can’t deny we’re ‘better together’
Sir, – It still seems not to have occurred to Alan Hinnrichs (‘Yellowhammer’s warnings on hard Brexit, Letters, September 8) that we have yet to see a clear case, backed by evidence, for the independence cause, instead of the good-times speculation that is the hallmark of SNP policy.
I have previously questioned the value of the devolved assemblies created by the Blair/Brown Labour government.
The recent divisive approaches over Covid management that ignore the commonalities in the UK population amply illustrate the dangers that were totally unforeseen by the architects of a commendable idea that has been hijacked by people who choose not to consider the benefits of “better together”, but insist upon increasing social divisiveness by propaganda campaigning.
Derek Farmer.
Knightsward Farm,
Anstruther.
Deflection and politicking
Sir, – It is worrying that a number of unionist commentators are using forums such as this to undermine our first minister’s efforts at keeping the Scottish population safe.
Victor Clements’ crude attempt at encouraging Scots to ignore Nicola Sturgeon’s daily press conferences (‘Nicola needs a new Covid-19 messenger’, Letters, September 7) has more to do with his political beliefs and the frustration felt at the effectiveness of her approach by her political opponents.
Mr Clements’ own Tory Party’s omnishambles, led by a man-child posing as a statesman, suffers horribly in comparison.
As a leading member of Scotland in Union, a Tory-funded group of letter writers whose coffers have recently been augmented by their wealthy patrons in the aftermath of recent pro-independence opinion polls, Mr Clements risibly takes it upon himself to be the voice of Glasgow, while resorting to a crude stereotype of how Glaswegians think.
He claims that: “Listening to radio and television interviews recently, it is increasingly obvious that a significant proportion of the population are switched off to all Scottish Government Covid-19 messaging.”
This is wishful thinking on an Olympian scale, concealing a dangerous agenda.
It is an undoubted tragedy that our English neighbours have been disastrously served by their own government, but Mr Clements and his fellow Tories’ attempts at deflection, combined with crude politicking aimed at Scotland’s own leadership, is beyond contempt.
Ken Clark.
15 Thorter Way,
Dundee.
