Sir, – Former prime minister Gordon Brown admits that he and Tony Blair were naïve to believe that devolution would strengthen the union.
So he is waking up at last?
Why not just say “Tam Dalyell was right”.
The West Lothian question has never been answered.
Having a party in power in Scotland that does not want to make devolution work, because all it wants is Scexit, is a disaster for both Scotland and the UK.
Blair and Brown imagined that Holyrood and Westminster would work together. Fat chance.
Scotland and the UK have been damaged – I hope not fatally – by Blair and Brown, and also by Cameron who insouciantly allowed Alex Salmond to choose the terms of the 2014 referendum.
Boris Johnson could perhaps have chosen his words more judiciously when he called devolution “a disaster”, but it seems that he is by no means alone in his view.
He is not, however, to blame for the mess that we are now in, as a result of the SNP’s constant undermining of the UK.
That responsibility lies squarely with some of his predecessors.
Jill Stephenson.
Glenlockhart Valley,
Edinburgh.
Inquiry into PPE procurement
Sir, – A cynic might suggest that the slew of grandiose spending announcements emanating from the UK Government over the last few days is designed to divert attention away from the brewing scandal over so many lucrative PPE contracts being awarded to companies with Tory connections.
Whether that is the case or not it is imperative that an independent public inquiry is set up, urgently, to investigate the precise criteria for awarding these contracts including the value-for-money aspect.
We also need to know why in February/March Matt Hancock gave assurances that there were adequate stocks of fit-for-purpose PPE when that was clearly not the case.
Alan Woodcock.
Osborne Place, Dundee.
Only sensible goal is to kickstart economy
Sir, – The fears keeping Scots awake at night include jobs, health (especially if they have elderly relatives in care homes) and their children’s education.
Low down on the list of priorities for most will be another referendum or, at the start of a long winter, the “threat” of global warming.
As most Scottish politicians never had a real job, one shouldn’t expect them to share all our concerns.
Despite Covid-19 transmission rates being high enough in the SNP heartlands to justify a full lockdown, the sole focus of the first minister’s daily show is breaking up Britain. But without the UK Treasury, she couldn’t help anyone.
And after 13 years of nationalist rule, poverty in east Glasgow is unmatched in Europe, while male longevity is on a par with sub-Saharan Africa. The only sensible goal is to try to steer us out of this Covid mess and to kickstart the economy.
The Rev Dr John Cameron.
Howard Place, St Andrews.
Less gobbledygook, just plain English
Sir, – In rejecting Aviva’s plan for a wind turbine at its Pitheavlis site in Perth, the Scottish Government’s appeals division states: “The potential impact of the rotating and vertical form of the turbine would be diametrically opposed to the horizontal emphasis and linear built form of the listed building.” (“Aviva wind plan vetoed”, The Courier, November 20).
Such pompous gobbledygook is worthy of a Golden Bull award from the Plain English Campaign and I shall nominate it accordingly.
Why not just say: “A turbine would look wrong there.”?
Iain Stuart.
Oakbank Crescent, Perth.
Fools are those who vote for poor leaders
Sir, – Alex Bell (Courier, November 19) makes the error of describing some of our political leaders as fools.
They are not fools, but clever enough to get plenty of fools to vote for them.
Jim Sneddon.
Annsmuir Park, by Ladybank.
