Copyright scotsman
The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 was passed as a law, creating a licensing system for the purchase, possession and use of certain fireworks, and prohibiting the supply of fireworks to those under 18. Ash Regan, while an SNP MSP back in June 2022, said: “Without the protection that the bill provides, many people and animals will continue to be deeply affected by the use – and deliberate misuse – of fireworks and pyrotechnics.” SNP MSP Stuart McMillan said: “The bill is also an important step towards reducing the burden on the emergency services of preparing for and responding to fireworks-related incidents.” In 2023, the SNP announced a slight delay to the licensing system. Siobhian Brown, the SNP’s Community Safety Minister, has now clarified that they “will not progress plans to implement a fireworks licensing scheme or restrictions on the days on which fireworks can be supplied and used’.” Nothing has changed. Most of the public are still fed up of fireworks being sold to people who terrorise their communities for weeks before and after Bonfire Night. Emergency services will still have to deal with the antisocial behaviour and the injuries sustained by fireworks being misused. Unlike many of the SNP’s bird-brained ideas, this was a sensible Act and yet now they are going to permit our communities to be hounded by those who have no regard for others, or the emergency services that have to manage the resulting issues. Jane Lax, Aberlour, Moray Fishing for help Once again our Scottish fishing industry and coastal communities sail into stormy waters, with a paltry allocation of eight per cent of the UK fishing fund. Having already weathered the storms of Brexit and restricted quota allocations, and the destruction of fishing grounds due to offshore windfarm developments, it seems incredible that an industry which contributes 60 per cent of UK fish landings and 60 per cent of UK seafood exports is treated so unfairly. Many of our islands and coastal communities are economically fragile and the industry is the lifeblood of their survival. One hopes the representations made by Orkney and Shetland MP Alistair Carmichael and his Westminster colleagues for an urgent review of these allocations are successful, otherwise an already key industry for our island and coastal areas will face further decline and lose employment opportunities for generations to come. DG McIntyre, Edinburgh Strangely silent Reform’s only female MP, Sarah Pochin, is fuelling controversy again by declaring that “it drives me mad seeing adverts full of black people, full of Asian people”. This follows her question to the Prime Minister in June asking whether he would ban the burka. Reform’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, resigned after condemning the question as “dumb”, but was persuaded to return by Nigel Farage – Yusuf was considered vital to the success of the Reform project. Ms Pochin has apologised for her language but insisted her comments were based on fact after a Channel 4 survey found that over half of adverts featured Black people in 2022, up from 37 per cent in 2020. The 2021 census found only 4.2 per cent of the population considered themselves to be “Black, Black British, Caribbean or African”. She has not, however, backed up her point about adverts being full of Asians. According to the census 9.3 per cent identified as Asian, over twice as many as identified as Black, yet the research showed those identifying as Asian were in far fewer adverts. The disabled, pregnant women and those aged 70 and over were heavily under-represented, yet Ms Pochin was strangely silent on these groups. Labour’s Wes Streeting called Pochin’s remarks racist, while colleague David Lammy suggested she resign. Conversely, Tory shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the remarks did not have racist sentiment, claiming they reflected “legitimate concerns the public have about mass migration”. The Tories echo Reform’s stance on immigration, aiming to be a coalition partner in a Farage-led government, given Reform’s growing lead in the polls and the Tories desperately trying to stay relevant. Neil Anderson, Edinburgh Beware Reform It's certainly a wake-up call that Reform UK are set to be the second-biggest Party after the SNP in next year's Holyrood election (your report, 27 October). The Conservatives take the biggest hit, but Labour suffers too. Up until now, we thought that Scotland was immune to Reform UK's charms, dismissing it as an English National Party. The shock result in the Caerphilly by-election, where they took a respectable second place, should have sent warning signals. It's significant that they were disappointed. It's difficult to see this poll as other than disillusionment, and even anger, at the “major” Parties. Both Scotland and Wales, which pride themselves on being left of centre countries, must be shocked out of any complacency. On a more worrying level, there is the lingering smell of racism which Reform UK, to their deep shame, exploit. Reform MP Sarah Pochin bewailed the fact that far too many Asians and Black people feature in TV adverts. She was forced into a reluctant and empty apology. The English, councils led by Reform UK, are, without exception, a shambles. I would say to anyone thinking of voting for Reform UK, be very careful for what you wish for. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh It’s complicated Regarding LibDems MP Christine Jardine’s column about the lack of welders in Scotland (Perspective, 27 October), yes, it is sad that Scotland has lost the trade of welding, at least in the significant numbers to meet the needs of the current boom in warship building. So why have we got to this sad situation? At its core is the general deindustrialisation of the whole UK started by the Margaret Thatcher government from 1980 onwards. Earlier than that, shipbuilding on the Clyde, and in general across the UK, started its decline due to the lack of investment in covered all-weather docks. Businesses went to new post-war shipbuilding yards in other countries with cheaper labour and fewer safety rules for new ships. Hundreds of manufacturing businesses went to the wall in Scotland between 1980 and 2005 in this cull of capabilities – more than 430 between 1980 and 2005. Each employed over 450 people. We face the same situation America finds itself in now. It is the loss of mass, of a hinterland of manufacturing that is the cause of the loss of many trade skills such as welding. The specific example is the welding needs by BAE; your report says 300 foreign welders are being drafted, but these workers could never be recruited in the UK due to the timeframe and urgency. Even BAE systems, who want these skills, cannot afford the 5-7 years’ minimum recruitment and training efforts. The delay is not economically viable. To blame the current Scottish Government for this situation is laughable and shows Christine Jardine has no idea about the country she lives in and its recent manufacturing massacre. The article is just political posturing from a party that, if in power, could do no better. Robert Anderson, Dunning, Perthshire Litany of failures Westminster has failed Scots, says John Swinney with no sense of irony (your report, 25 October). Might I suggest he look in the mirror and admit that 18 years of SNP Government has failed Scots? The NHS, waiting lists, policing, local government funding, the Deposit Return Scheme, Scottish Ambulance Service, failure to fund hospitality, gender recognition, and of course, the ferry fiasco. Despite record funding from Westminster, the litany of failures from the SNP is painful to read. Many pupils starting working life, if they can get a job, have never experienced anything other than the SNP Government which, let’s face it, is hardly stuffed with clever people with any sense of how to grow the economy to provide the jobs, businesses and tax income needed to help those in genuine need. Even if Westminster has failed the UK, the impact of the SNP on Scotland has been disastrous, with their constant harping on about independence and divisive policies that drive a wedge into the Scottish population. I can only hope that so many who voted SNP come to their senses and help kick them out of power at the next election. It’s time to give someone else a chance, anyone – well, apart from the Greens. Brian Barbour, Haddington, East Lothian Flying low The Scotland on Sunday article about Edinburgh Airport struck a real chord with me (26 October). In more than 35 years of professional and leisure travel through 50–100 airports worldwide, I can safely say Edinburgh is among the worst. It’s dirty, litter-strewn, half-finished and plagued by queues and temporary barriers. The scene leaving the new baggage reclaim hall says it all: a dark, filthy corridor lined with sleeping passengers, leading outside to an area littered with cigarette butts and overflowing bins. And this is part of the so-called “modernised” section, too! For the CEO to think the priority should be expansion, rather than fixing the existing facilities, shows just how out of touch he is with customers and shareholders. Edinburgh Airport should first aim to make what it has world-class, to stop it being a national embarrassment, before worrying about getting any bigger. Chris Hilton, Edinburgh Write to The Scotsman We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to lettersts@scotsman.comlettersts@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.
