Copyright scotsman
In 2015 the SNP’s Hannah Bardell, then an MP, called for the “antiquated Westminster tradition” of using division lobbies to vote to be scrapped. She hailed the electronic voting system Holyrood uses, claiming Westminster would get more business done if it chose to live in the 21st century, not the 17th. Yet on Wednesday, due to a Microsoft IT outage, democracy ground to a halt in Holyrood with the Presiding Officer declaring that voting would be scrapped for the day. No such issues in Westminster. Apparently the Bureau (the group which is responsible for proposals on business in parliament) couldn’t come up with any solution to proceed. Have they never heard of pen and paper or a show of hands? Would democracy have halted in Scotland if this outage had gone on for days? Actually, thinking about it now, might that not have been an improvement? Jane Lax, Aberlour, Moray Jobs blow Petrofac, an employer of thousands in the oil-gas industry, has plunged into administration. We are told it is because of a cancelled wind turbine order. Be that as it may, there will be a haemorrhaging of jobs. The SNP-Green administrations' continual antagonism to oil and gas over several years – and more recently, Labour's jump onto the anti-oil bandwagon under Ed Miliband – are to blame. As it was with Grangemouth, what employer in their right minds in the oil and gas industries will invest in Scotland with that kind of antagonism in the ruling administration? And where are Ed Miliband's ''thousands of clean energy jobs'' to replace the oil and gas work loss? Blowing in the wind, perhaps? To say it is a devastating blow is an understatement. Alexander McKay, Edinburgh Buy expertise Robert I G Scott insinuates the SNP would be woefully inadequate at creating a Scottish currency in an independent Scotland (Letters, 30 October). These comments are a throwback to the Better Together era before 2014 that kept telling Scotland that as a people we are too wee, too poor and too stupid to run our own country. Indeed we are unique in the world in that we are incapable of self-government. Really! The SNP are a political party and like every other political party in the UK would not have a clue how to set up a new currency, so they would use experts. The independence movement has this expertise and has detailed plans on how to create a Scottish central bank and our own currency. Since 1990 in Europe many countries have moved to a new currency and created new central banks as they became independent from the USSR and also Yugoslavia. Why could Scotland not manage this? As to the statement about frequent changes in leadership made in the last sentence. Let’s look at facts. Since 1999 when Holyrood got started the SNP has had four leaders of the party (one held the post twice). In that timeframe in Scotland the various branch offices of the English political parties have seen ten Labour, six Conservative and five LibDems leaders. Robert Anderson, Dunning, Perth and Kinross Minority report I note that in his letter of 29 October on the Caerphilly by-election Stan Grodynski made no reference to the action by the Welsh Labour Party in agreeing to modify the voting arrangements for the May 2026 election. This is to ensure that, unlike the voting at Holyrood, Welsh votes will ensure a closer match to seats won by each party. Here in Scotland, a discredited system for the 2026 election, if poll predictions are correct, will result in the SNP winning around half the seats with support from only a third of the voters – and that is said to be democracy at work! A simple solution is to match Holyrood constituencies to those for Westminster elections and increase the number of List MSPs to match the drop in Constituency politicians. Surely a simple task to achieve before May 2026 but one that seems to be beyond the abilities of the 129 MSPs currently in post. That indicates another five-year term for a minority group, which raises the question as to why are they imitating the actions of the USA President rather than listening to the people of Scotland? Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway Hobbyhorse This week a lady went to the Dundee branch of Hobbycraft and found a member of staff wearing a badge which sported the words: “No TERFS, no Tories.” We should all be able to express our views about matters freely, but surely, there is a time and a place for such things? A shop should definitely not have staff wearing that sort of badge! The customer is said to have “challenged” the member of staff and the reaction of the manager was not only to tell her to leave (twice), but to “read a biology textbook”. Quite. Hobbycraft should discipline the member of staff who was tone-deaf enough to wear such an appalling badge and give the store manager a quick lesson in biology, as he or she is clearly badly in need of one. They can then fire him or her. Peter Hopkins, Edinburgh Tax the rich It’s no surprise many Scots don’t want to pay more tax right now. Many families are already running up a down escalator: their incomes squeezed by rising bills. But let’s not forget that tax funds the things we all rely on: schools, hospitals, care, housing and green public transport. Calling it a “burden” feels wrong. If Scotland is serious about tackling poverty, climate change, the social care crisis and other key challenges, the real question isn’t whether tax should rise, but who should pay more. Over time, many of us may have to do so but currently the richest 2 per cent in Scotland hold more wealth than the poorest half combined. That gap isn’t only unjust, it’s unsustainable. Next month, the UK Chancellor can help rebalance a system tilted towards the wealthiest. Fairer UK taxes on wealth could raise up to £60 billion more per year. Here, Scotland’s slightly more progressive Income Tax already means lower earners pay less while higher earners contribute more, raising crucial extra funds for public services. The First Minister has restated there will be no Income Tax changes before the Scottish Election, but manifesto promises without pounds to back them up won’t be credible. Beyond taxing income from work, better taxing wealth – including property – and pollution is essential. All parties must produce detailed plans to replace Council Tax and commit to fairly taxing the super-polluting private jets clogging Scottish skies. Fairer taxes won’t solve every problem, but they can help deliver lasting change for everyone. Jamie Livingstone, Head of Oxfam Scotland and Member of Tax Justice Scotland Scottish voices It is easy to find something to whinge about if you draw your terms of reference narrowly enough, as Neil Anderson shows (Letters, 29 October). He tells us the BBC has never had “a newsreader with a Scottish accent as a flagship presenter in at least 50 years”. OK, perhaps that is true of the main evening news. But perhaps we could consider some of the many Scottish presenters on the BBC’s prestigious news programmes: Andrew Marr, with Eddie Mair as his stand-in for a period of illness, followed by Laura Kuenssberg, on the Sunday morning show; Donald McCormick, Andrew Neil, Gavin Esler, Eddie Mair, Gordon Brewer presenting Newsnight; James Naughtie hosting The World at One for many years; Eddie Mair as host of PM; Adam Fleming and Laura Kuenssberg as two of the three presenters on Newscast. There have also been high-profile Scottish foreign correspondents: Allan Little in Moscow, South Africa and Paris; Laura Bicker in the Far East; Quentin Somerville in Afghanistan and Ukraine; Nick Eardley, political correspondent, regularly reports from Downing Street and elsewhere. There are probably others whom I have forgotten. Talking of “reflecting people across the UK”, Mr Anderson conveniently forgets the now disgraced Welshman Huw Edwards, with a Welsh accent, was for many years the BBC’s main anchor on its leading news programmes and prestigious outside broadcasts. Why are Scots so ready to take offence, even – or especially – when there is little cause to do so? Are we not sufficiently confident and proud of our achievements to be able to recognise them without having also to disparage people from other parts of these islands? Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh Some solution For over two years we have witnessed the torment of the Palestinian people and of the families of Israeli hostages. The plight of Palestinian civilians has grown exponentially with each day. Politicians posture and bluster – achieving little. The situation spirals as Israel takes US silence as a tacit go‑ahead. The United Nations tried to help but were blocked. Donald Trump’s peace plan looks set to “succeed” – with only one side surviving. He will revel in self‑congratulation and compose his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize. In Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu will bask in the admiration of sycophants, enjoying the illusion of being freed of both Gaza and the West Bank. What he has gained is not peace, but “prime real estate”. Robert Burns was right: the worst ills are those we owe to our own folly and guilt. So how will this be remembered — as a peacemaker’s victory, or as US-approved genocide? Judith Campbell, Portree, Isle of Skye Write to The Scotsman We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to lettersts@scotsman.com including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments, and avoid 'Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters' or similar in your subject line – be specific. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.
