Sir, – I yet again smell the rank odour of hypocrisy eminating from the usual British nationalists over Alec Salmond’s independent production company doing work on RT.
RT was given a licence by the British Broadcasting Authority.
Leading politicians from all the main parties, including their leaders, appear on it.
It didn’t appear to bother David Cameron to almost beg Mr Putin to come out and support the No side in 2014, and Ruth Davidson stood on the same platform with Cameron. The fact that Mr Salmond managed to have an interview with Carles Puigdemont shows how inept and state-controlled British media can be, who offered no such outlet for his story.
Mr Salmond is now a private citizen who runs an independent production company.
Perhaps if the British media had given him a fair crack of the whip instead of demonising him, his programme could have gone out on the BBC. As usual the hypocrisy displayed by some of the British nationalists is astounding.
Mr Salmond’s programme may be good or it may be bad, and should be criticised on content, but if you condemn him for being on RT then you condemn many politicians and leaders of all parties.
Could it be that there are many political leaders and others just terrified he gets out a positive and interesting message?
Bryan Auchterlonie.
Bluebell Cottage,
Perth.
Nationalists’ constant failure
Sir, – Your correspondent Mr Ken Clark (November 16) seems to be perpetually confused in attempting to interpret my views and opposition to nationalist movements that seek to fragment and disrupt democratic sovereign states.
The failure of those who support nationalist causes is their inability to show what the future benefit would be to the democracies infected with the scourge of nationalism, should the secessionists have their way.
Mr Clark seems to look at the world through rose-coloured glasses and to largely ignore the lessons of recent history in respect of the outcomes of nationalist movements.
They have all failed to deliver on the promises made to populations who wake up to find that the reality falls far short of the ideal.
It is unclear from where Mr Clark gets his idea of “Post-Brexit English Nationalism”.
He probably means post-Brexit British nationalism, ie patriotism to the UK as a democratic, sovereign state in full control of its borders and laws.
He forgets that the SNP persuasion towards Scottish independence failed, and not everyone in Scotland voted to remain in the EU; certainly not those in my neck of the woods who have traditionally earned their living in the fishing industry, largely decimated in this part of Scotland due to over-fishing under EU regulations that many foreign trawlers ignore.
One would think, from reading Mr Clark’s choice of comment, that we have been living in a Zimbabwe-style dictatorship, always discriminated against by the dastardly English, even though we have representation in the Westminster Parliament that could be so much more effective for Scotland if it were only used properly and positively by Scottish MPs.
Derek Farmer.
Knightsward Farm,
Anstruther.
Missed revenue opportunity
Sir, – The Courier report (“Revenue lost after paper disc ends”, November 17) is hardly surprising.
DVLA has information on every vehicle’s insurance and MoT status to allow or prevent road taxation.
How many owners are “forgetting” to tax, insure or MoT their vehicles? Government has missed an opportunity to ensure that vehicles display tax, insurance and, where necessary, MoT status.
It has inadvertently facilitated more evasion and made our roads more dangerous, all for a “saving” of £7 million.
C J Allan.
Mansefield,
Tealing.
Was it about tax avoidance?
Sir, – I had often wondered why the very rich and powerful in the UK seemed to be so strongly in favour of a Brexit which will almost certainly severely damage the British economy, and impoverish the majority of the population for a generation at least.
Then when the Paradise Papers were released, divulging the numbers of the great and good in the UK involved in tax avoidance, including the Queen, the enormous amounts of tax lost to the country, and the UK’s central role in the worldwide network of tax avoidance/evasion, I remembered an article I had read about a plan for an EU directive that would end tax avoidance practices amongst its member states.
This was first mooted in 2013, and the EU draft proposal for The Anti Tax Avoidance Directive was completed in January 2016.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and his government fought against this measure from its inception and, within a month of the draft proposal being presented, he had announced the date for the EU referendum.
The campaign to leave would never have prevailed without the support of the Sun, Daily Mail, Sunday Times, Daily Express and Telegraph, all of which are owned by tax-avoiding media tycoons.
If it is indeed the case that the British establishment have sought to protect and maintain their power and wealth by deliberately damaging the country, it is a sad day for democracy, and a further blow to the UK’s already tarnished reputation in the world.
Les Mackay.
5 Carmichael Gardens,
Dundee.
Population growth taboo
Why is population growth and control a taboo subject for politicians?
The world’s population is 7.6 billion and expected to be 8 billion by 2025 and 9 billion by 2040.
Unsustainable.
Sir David Attenborough said, “The climate, the economic situation, rising birth rates: none of these things give me a lot of hope or reason to be optimistic”.
International aid should be linked to birth control, and in the West families should not be subsidised for having children.
Clark Cross.
138 Springfield Road,
Linlithgow.