Sir, Just where Andrew Lawson (letters June 13) gets his vague slur that some Scots presumably he means nationalists think they’re superior or that they think it’s all the “English” Government’s fault I don’t know.
Most Scots are only too aware of the British nature of our recent disastrous governments but if Scotland isn’t deprived when one in five Scottish children are classed as in poverty then when would it ever be? Where are the billions in oil revenues since 1974?
Making sweeping generalisations like that is totally wrong but it is par for the course sadly. It seems to me that all the Yes campaign want is the opportunity for Scottish residents to govern themselves. Westminster just isn’t working for Scotland and that has very little to do with Mr Lawson’s “imaginary” theories.
Unbelievably he seems quite happy with Westminster, with its moral corruption, sleaze, expenses and lobbying scandals. Then there’s the £300-plus-a-day gravy train called the House of Lords, for rewarding useless MPs.
MPs make £65,000 a year plus expenses and it’s expected they will shortly get an extra £10,000. Meanwhile, the Westminster Government has attacked the most vulnerable people in Britain whilst cutting the taxes of the highest earners, those who don’t need it. That’s obscene.
No system of democracy is perfect and no-one set of parliamentarians is superior to another but the Scottish Parliament is certainly far better suited to Scotland and its residents than Westminster and has proved it and deserves to take the final step to independence. So the question for us all is between a future of hope for a better society, or 10 years of austerity.
BJW Macfarlane. 10 Beck Crescent, Dunfermline.
All the blame and no credit
Sir, Stephen Hester took over a bust Royal Bank, finally wrecked when Fred Goodwin, urged on by Alex Salmond and Gordon Brown, absorbed the toxic Dutch outfit ABN Amro. Hester accepted the poisoned chalice after a brilliant academic and international banking career but the huge commitment cost him his marriage and he was subjected to endless abuse.
Tasked with scaling back its reckless expansion during Brown’s “boom and bust” years, he was blindsided by its IT crisis, insurance misselling and Libor fixing scandal.
He earned a lot of money but could have received far more elsewhere in an easier post and at less personal cost. I think he has done a highly creditable job. But the politicians who encouraged such recklessness and our dozy regulators find him a convenient scapegoat so he will continue to get all of the blameand none of the credit.
Dr John Cameron. 10 Howard Place, St Andrews.
Leave banks nationalised
Sir, The news that the government are thinking of returning RBS to the private sector set me wondering. Why? They are paying 2000 people off in order to make more profits for private buyers, shades of Thatcherism!
I hope they remember it was under private ownership of banks that the whole financial mess we are now in started, not Gordon Brown’s fault as the Tories keep going on about. Why not leave the banks nationalised?
They are now profitable, so use these profits to return some of the taxpayers’ money. It has been proved the banks are not safe in private speculators’ hands.
Alister Rankin. 93 Whyterose Terrace, Methil, Leven.
An uplifting experience
Sir, On Wednesday evening I went along to the Monimail Kirk to a production of Iolanthe, not knowing who was performing and came away uplifted.
The production was put on by the “bel canto Voices”, who are the Adam Smith Theatre Children’s Choir, a group open to young people aged 8 – 20, who meet every week. The standard and quality of voices and acting was excellent, the enthusiasm very apparent and they were a pleasure to watch.
With so much dismal news around at the moment it was wonderful to share in something so uplifting and positive and my thanks for the experience goes to all the players and organisers, all of whom obviously put a lot of time and effort into creating a production of that standard.
Thank you.
Katie Spencer-Nairn. Springfield.
Muddled view about religion
Sir, Unfortunately your correspondent June Reid (Letters, June 13) displays a rather muddled view of the place of religion in our schools.
For a start, there is no such thing as a protestant state school in Scotland.
The Education (Scotland) Act of 1918 allowed for the provision of Roman Catholic schools within the state sector, the remainder being non-denominational schools and not protestant, as Ms Reid would have us believe.
Secondly, she appears to confuse religious and moral education with religious instruction, which are two totally different entities.
Whereas religious and moral education has a legitimate place within the Scottish state school curriculum, religious instruction does not and is strictly the preserve of the churches.
Finally, her assertion that Scotland has been a Christian nation for thousands of years deserves comment.
The word “thousands” implies at least more than two thousand, yet Christianity spread to our shores a mere one and a half thousand years ago. “Thousands” is in danger of pre-dating the birth of Christ!
Bob Hutchison. 2 Rosemount Crescent, Glenrothes.