Readers' Letters: Burnham cares only about appealing to England's 'Red Wall' voters

Mr Lloyd mentions the fury over Westminster's attempt to remove the Winter Fuel Payment from all state pensioners as an example of poorly thought-out policy. They did a partial U-turn on that and, instead of leaving it as a universal payment, allowed it to continue only for those with low enough income to be eligible for Pension Credit – meaning folk who had put enough of their salary into compulsory work pensions rarely qualify.

But we're led to understand Ministers get their guidance from the Treasury and, if the guidance asked is always “how can we reduce benefits?”, the Treasury is unlikely to suggest a particular cash-raising, as opposed to cash-saving, pensions-related option. That choice would be to remove the pension tax relief currently given to the highest-earning people at rates above the basic level of income tax. That relief costs at least £15 billion a year, vastly more than costs attributed to the triple lock.

Then again, if it's not just about saving money, but about playing young against old (again!) and, in the process, hoping to find yet another way to appeal to England's “Red Wall” voters who have shifted allegiance to Reform UK, there's little hope for any progressive thinking from either politicians or Treasury.

Ian Waugh, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway

Cheers Andy!

Andy king-in-the-north-of-the-very-far-south Burnham has an interesting plan for older people. People in Scotland will have the value of their pensions steadily eroded to help pay for a national care service in England.

Thanks, Andy. Scotland loves you.

Ni Holmes, St Andrews, Fife

Tax on Scotland

It has been indicated that the cost of the proposed free social care in England will be met in part by scrapping the triple lock and taxation.

As free social care is already in place in Scotland, funded by the Scottish government, can we assume OAPs and taxpayers will be exempt from scrapping the triple lock and any related tax increases to fund free social care in England?

Paul Lewis, Edinburgh

Delivering drivel

“Make Renfrewshire great again” was the clarion call of George Adam, SNP MSP for Paisley, just one of several mainly SNP MSPs who stood up for their constituencies in Tuesday’s Empowering Communities debate. Over two hours, with about 20 members in the chamber, MSPs had five minutes of fame on how they were “delivering best value” or “delivering for my community”, and why investment should come to their local area. The debate centred on public service reform to empower communities and strengthen local democracy. Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Reform Ivan McKee outlined proposals for a three-month consultation period, a restructuring involving regional and community authorities, and bespoke arrangements for island communities.

Three months of enduring MSPs arguing why their region is so important and how they are making such a difference. I have heard more interesting filibustering. Watching the overt self-adulation was marginally more entertaining than the football but why we taxpayers tolerate this self-righteous drivel when public services are failing, I don’t know.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Laughable lessons

I am not sure what Nicola Sturgeon can teach anyone (“Nicola Sturgeon ‘to teach masterclass for women on leadership under pressure’,” 28 September). She was able to walk into a role that was set up for her, but she did nothing with it, ignored every problem gathering around her and then fled the stage with no explanation when it became clear that the walls were closing in on her from all directions.

For the people of Scotland, she let all our public services deteriorate, and for her own party and followers, she missed the one opportunity presented to her to get what she spent her whole political career saying she wanted. Bruce and Wallace would have not missed the opportunity.

Nicola Sturgeon was not a political leader of any great substance, and too leaky a vessel for people to be putting too much hope in. Quite why anyone would follow her now, I am not sure.

She was able to maintain a pretence for a while, but that did not last for long. Leaders need self-awareness, but Sturgeon has none of that. As such, I think I would be concerned for her future if she has no-one around her who can properly inform her of her actual worth to others.

Victor Clements, Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross

Fire failings

Just a few days after Scottish Fire and Rescue announced that a helicopter would be made available for wildfires in Scotland, a nationwide notice was issued to the effect that much more was needed to be done to combat wildfires in the UK as they are expected to increase in number and severity. No doubt the helicopter will be based in Glasgow, along with Police Scotland’s agricultural tractor, both poised for immediate despatch to all parts of Scotland, arriving in minutes.

In the meantime not a peep was heard from the Scottish government, with its coiled-spring ministers poised for instant inaction in the event of a crisis. No matter that an area of the Highlands the size of a Central Belt town, something to which they may relate, was destroyed by wildfire, the only comment likely to come from Holyrood is to restrict muirburn even more. No doubt , if they are briefed by their civil servants as to what is happening in their departments, we might expect a comment, but only if they can pull themselves away from planning Indyref 2,3,4 or even 5 or 6.

John Marsh, Firthmuir of Boysack, Angus

Go global

Is it time for Scotland to open its doors to worldwide talent? As I write, I note that Scotland's 100 per cent native football team is losing to Switzerland, which seems to include three Nigerians, one Senegalese, one Angolan, one Chilean and one Albanian. The remaining four may well be native Swiss.

Alan Gall, Edinburgh

Airport errors

I have had to use Edinburgh Airport on several occasions recently. The experience has invariably been profoundly disappointing, depressing and costly. The drop-off charge of £8.50 is absurd, the airport itself is dirty, smelly, overcrowded and has inadequate staff. The air bridges or steps are invariably desperately slow in arriving and the baggage handling is similarly inefficient (40 minutes recently). Finally, to have to pay for the use of a trolley is nothing short of usury. The only bright notes are the security and immigration staff, who are polite, helpful and prompt.

Edinburgh is our capital, its airport is the first (and last) experience for many visitors. Other countries of similar size have clean, fast, efficient and friendly services, Edinburgh does not.

I understand that new developments are contemplated. However, the management team currently seem more interested in profit than serving their staff, customers, Edinburgh and Scotland.

Colin Robertson, Westruther, Gordon, Scottish Borders

Stop the glottals

I don't know if it is purely a BBC problem, but I am having a Jamaica Inn moment watching its drama Vigil on catch-up. The main thing viewers complained about in the former programme was dark screens and indistinct speech. The thing I have noticed generally is that speech in many shows nowadays is difficult to understand. I should stress that I don't need a hearing aid and I regularly hear the latest concert at Murrayfield beamed into my house even if I don't want to. Vigil poses a bit of a challenge and I am not entirely convinced the leading actresses normally speak with all the glottal stops that pepper their speech, rendering comprehension problematic.

As you will gather, my problem with Vigil and many other programmes of UK origin is the absence of the 20th letter in the alphabet in much of the dialogue. Ever since Lorraine Chase performed her Estuary English intro when explaining she hadn't been “wafted here from paradise” but from “Lu'on Airport”, it caught on, swiftly followed by other favourites like “haitch” and, in Scotland, at least, preceded by “jai”. Luckily, Americans, Aussies etc haven't (yet) been infected, so imported series remain unaffected.

What has occurred to me is that there is a gap in the market for an app to step in when such series come on. You press a button and, lo! Suranne Jones and Rose Leslie can be easily understood without the need to rewind and puzzle over what on earth they just said. Come on, someone! I can’t be alone in this.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

A word, please

Whilst having every sympathy for Steuart Campbell over how the word “multiply” is used (Letters, 30 September), I’m afraid that joins other words in a similar situation. “Immigrant” when it should be “emigrant”, “female actor” when it should be “actress”, “decimate”, that is reduce by one tenth, not to one tenth.

I’m sure readers will have their own examples of misused words.

Charles Lowson, Fareham, Hants

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