Readers Letters: Andy Burnham's grand plans for Scotland ring hollow

Specifically, vagueness about when, how, or indeed if, Andy Burnham’s plans for Scottish devolution will be shaped by the democratically elected members of the Scottish Parliament. Mr Burnham makes promises – or threats – which won’t land in Scotland the way he presumably hopes they will in England.

The “nerve centre” of a rewired Britain will be Manchester, 2 hours, 19 minutes by train from Euston. Not Plymouth (3 hours); Bangor, N. Wales (3 hours, 19 minutes); Inverness (8 hours, 7 minutes); or Derry – 10 hours, 57 minutes by car plus ferry. The geography of the UK isn’t on Andy’s side in his perceptions of its “centre”; the devolved nations and regions know this.

This new nerve centre will strive for “equivalent living conditions in all parts of Britain”. If the UK parliament has failed for 300 years to deliver this equality – a major argument for independence – why would a No10 northern office block hold the key?

Mr Burnham’s examples include Germany – a powerhouse of the EU which an independent Scotland would immediately apply to rejoin – and Dundee, whose people “feel just as distant from Holyrood” as they do from Westminster. Presumably wanting to feel closer to Manchester is the reason 57.35 per cent in Dundee voted Yes in the 2014 referendum.

Mr Burnham also cites Aberdeen as a city willing to participate eagerly in his energy vision; Scottish Labour came fourth in the recent Aberdeen South by-election. He sees (correctly) that more social housing is needed but doesn’t ask how Scotland has succeeded in delivering 40-47 per cent more affordable and social rent housing than in England.

Looking forward to ten years in power, the not-yet PM declares “the political direction I set is not up for negotiation” – but Westminster has form for anointing prime ministers whose essence turns out to be rather less than meets the eye. Mr Burnham’s unionist pretence that the UK has not already fractured is debunked by nationalist administrations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Failure to continue the devolution journey in Scotland might blow a fuse in Burnham’s rewired Britain.

(Dr) Geraldine Prince, North Berwick, East Lothian

Fact free

Stan Grodynski’s letters are usually devoid of fact, consisting mainly of rose-tinted views of the promised land where instead of playing its part in the UK where it has delivered several prime ministers, Chancellors and other influential members of a UK Cabinet, Scotland would be truly independent.

Except it won’t – because he also wants to rejoin the European Union where Scotland would be a rule-taker, rather than a rule-maker, and have a tiny membership and very little say in a large EU parliament.

Mr Grodynski paints a vision where this massive EU export market would lead to Scotland’s success, forgetting that despite 40 years of the UK’s EU membership, well over half of Scotland’s exports still go to England.

Any facts that support Scotland being part of this Great British island without borders, with a common language, and our 700-year history, don’t get mentioned.

His latest letter, though (26 June), goes further than painting a vision – it is merely a rant, albeit one devoid of facts. That at least is consistent.

Brian Barbour, Haddington, East Lothian

King’s speech

King Charles’ encouragement to the Holyrood Parliament in your sister paper, Scotland of Sunday, to “debate with respect' is as close as today's Monarchy can come to "For God's sake, get your bloody act together!"

I once worked in a university in a leading technology department.

One criterion for entrance into associated undergraduate courses included that applicants had never dabbled in BASIC computer programming language. If they had, there was too much unlearning to make their future studies worth the effort. This was true at the time, but software design practice eventually caught up

I wonder if the same dictum could be applied to Holyrood... if you're contaminated by the Westminster political modus-operandi, there's too much unlearning to make you of use here.

Until and unless you play meaningful catch-up, and restore Holyrood to what its founding fathers intended, you remain damned in the majority of the population's opinion. All of you!

Iain Masterton, Kirknewton, West Lothian

Nothing’s changed

Catriona Stewart’s article on social workers forced to take children home in the care crisis (front page, 29 June) is not describing a new situation, sadly.

As a young social worker in the1970s the harsh reality of lack of resources was ever present, especially when you had to cover weekend emergency duty.

I was called out very late one Saturday night to collect a mother and three small children who had taken refuge in the local police station, from a violent father at home.

My heart sank as I knew that all the available emergency accommodation had been filled up already that weekend. I could hardly ring a bed and breakfast at 3am on a Sunday to beg for accommodation, including a cot for the youngest child.

Language was also a barrier, but we had no interpreters then. Was I to take mother and children to my flat? I drove the family around Edinburgh streets until the morning and had no alternative but to return her and the children to the family flat and promise a visit from the hard-pressed local social work team on the Monday.

It still haunts me today.

Fiona Garwood, Edinburgh

Nature’s power

The Venezuela earthquake shows how puny Mankind's efforts are to prevent climate change. The devastation is there to be seen, with collapsed buildings and a death toll rising every day (Scotsman, 27 June).

Mother Nature cannot be tamed as she wreaks havoc all over the world. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, storms, tsunamis and more create greenhouse gases, yet politicians and the green apostles are strangely silent.

On 11 March 2011 earthquakes and a tsunami hit Japan, causing 18,500 deaths and much devastation. Just think of the greenhouse gases created when when the destroyed infrastructure was rebuilt.

It’s strange that no one tells us about the volume of greenhouse gases created by these events.

When are our UK politicians going to realise that the UK cannot possibly “save the planet” while Mother Nature laughs at our puny efforts.

We are being told to eat less meat, buy electric vehicles, cull cows and other livestock, cycle, buy heat pumps and install solar panels.

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has expressed his intention to ban heated towel rails, new sales of certain underfloor heating systems, certain gas heaters, and impose a ban on tumble dryers.

Meanwhile, most of the rest of the world, emitting more than 90 per cent of global greenhouse gases, drives their economies by harvesting, burning and exporting fossil fuels.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

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