Readers’ letters: Calling Donald Trump – the UK needs your help

First job is stopping the boats – some success on the border with Mexico suggests he knows how to get started (some illegal immigrants are actually buying their own flight tickets to go back).

Second would be to derail the eco zealots, in particular Milliband and the SNP/Greens up here, and get the gas and oil we need to get the economy off its backside.

Thirdly, perhaps his various business skills (in the US you are not considered successful until you have been bankrupt at least once) could be put to good use in kickstarting major housebuilding projects. It is a well known fact of life and business that if you have a flourishing building programme, it transforms the country from lethargic growth, if any at all, to the beginnings of prosperity and rapid growth.

And finally, could he perhaps spend a few moments in the “temple of doom” at the foot of the Royal Mile, and teach the economically, socially and financially bereft inhabitants how to abide by the law as decreed by the Supreme Court regarding the use of toilets, as this seems to be completely outwith the limited intelligence of John Swinney et al.

I know President Trump is busy at the moment, but I’ll forward this on to the Oval Office in the hope he may take pity on our little country and Union. I fear there is no other hope with the asylums at Westminster and Holyrood incapable of doing absolutely anything whatsoever.

David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders

President’s agents

Behind the scenes there were many who made the Gaza “peace” deal possible. To get to phase one, the ceasefire, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were said to be pivotal. Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, with Witkoff, his special envoy, met with Hamas and, we are told, sealed the deal.

Both of these men are Jewish. Trump may not be Jewish himself but his daughter is and his brother joined the Jewish fraternity Sigma Alpha Mu. It’s logical that because of that they collectively added influence over Israel having to compromise on the part withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and releasing more than 1,000 Palestinian hostages and prisoners. Many word argue Kushner and Witkoff, not Trump, deserve more credit for this.

Trump is the big winner, however, while Benjamin Netanyahu faces an uncertain future Trump stands not just to gain mass adulation from world leaders and its media but a major boost to his personal popularity and wealth. Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, has benefited as well given his growing business interests with Qatar, itself a key influence in bringing Hamas to the negotiating table.

Meanwhile Netanyahu stands to lose out at elections next year – polls show 64 per cent of Israelis think he should resign. Perhaps there is hope for justice yet as democracy takes its course.

Trump might say, given the failed assassination attempt, God “brought me to this high position I have today so that I could save the lives of many people” (Genesis 50,20). Not a saviour indeed, and time will tell how long the truce lasts.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Summit charade

The West has dehumanised itself by turning its back and shedding crocodile tears for the horrors endured by Palestinians. Human rights and international humanitarian law have become a joke, and the peace summit in Egypt headed by President Trump was simply a charade.

The West has supplied Israel with lethal armaments that were used in genocide and ethnic cleansing against Palestinians. Gaza is not an abstract word. Gaza has symbolised hunger, starvation, death, destruction, desolation, displacement, dispossession, decimation, despair, diseases and everything that is wrong with the internatonal order. It is famine, malnutrition and mental and physical scars that need generations to heal, and the West is complicit in those calamities.

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London

Logic v fantasy

This week both John Swinney and Donald Trump have laid out their vision of the future.

Trump’s view is based on the logic that if the Middle East countries can reject the fanatics on all sides and concentrate on co-operation and the hard work of rebuilding their economies, they will all have a bright and prosperous future.

Swinney’s is based on the fantasy that listening to a small group of fanatics and separating from the UK will solve all our problems.

Mark Openshaw, Cults, Aberdeen

Parody Corner

Thank you for including Parody Corner in your Letters (14 October). T Lewis treats us to a highly amusing character sketch of John Swinney, lauding his “many talents” and recommending him for a major international role.

Mr Lewis is perhaps wide of the mark in describing Mr Swinney’s campaign for a separate Scotland as his “day job”, but it certainly would benefit Scotland considerably if Mr Swinney were no longer “overlooked globally” and were able to desert Scotland for the world stage.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Disqualified

T Lewis rather startlingly suggests John Swinney’s apparently considerable talents merit future appointment as ambassador to the United States or UN.

Leaving aside for the moment scrutiny of such talents, Mr Lewis overlooks one fundamental obstacle: “Big John” (to borrow his terminology) recently declared he is not British but is a Scot, thus ruling himself out. What a relief.

Jack Davidson, Edinburgh

Devolution’s failed

From those critical of the performance of the SNP in government, apart from vacuous soundbites where are the insightful proposals that could realistically mend Broken Britain and where is the justification, based on examples from Wales or Northern Ireland, for believing that devolution can work for Scotland?

Prices continue to rise while the UK economy is stagnant and public services across the UK are on “life support”. The Scottish NHS is generally performing best, although is still short of meeting some challenging targets (media fixation with relatively isolated examples continues to deplorably undermine the excellent work of NHS staff and denigrate overall service delivery). PISA scores have fallen across the UK, even in England where objective selection of schools for testing has been questioned and where there is still no commitment to a more holistic curriculum. Potholes are evident in every corner of “Great Britain”.

While “once in a generation” rings out as a frankly rather pathetic plea to maintain the constitutional status quo of one of the most unequal states on the planet, most have already assessed that while the infamous Vow has not been honoured there has been substantial change in the UK since the last referendum, not least of all the adverse consequences of a calamitous hard Brexit. Furthermore, for around a million Scots a second constitutional referendum will be the first opportunity for their generation to express their view on how Scotland should be governed in future.

Then there is the absurd, desperate claim that because the SNP government has performed poorly (within the strict limits of UK devolution) this indicates that a future independent Scottish government led by different parties would fail. Based on the actual poor performance of the Labour Welsh government over more than two decades, that illogical opinion would infer that the Labour Party should effectively be barred from standing candidates in UK general elections, as well as in Welsh and Scottish elections.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

One obsession

After the all-too-predictable nationalist conference, I think some things are now set in stone in Scottish politics.

The SNP has one obsessional interest only: the break-up of the UK. That is what the vast majority of their members want from politics, no more, no less. In general, there is little or no serious interest from nationalists in the NHS, or in our roads, even our industries. When they do show interest, it is almost always obliquely in furthering their core raison d’être.

As was shown in the Census debacle and elsewhere, and in the treatment and care of our addicts, they have no interest whatsoever in co-operating with the rest of the UK even in the best of causes, other than what they perceive as being gained by grievance.

It is a hell of a way to carry out politics.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Boundary reform

Sir John Curtice (Scotsman, 15 October) makes no reference to a voting system that, based on current polling, will give more than 50 per cent of Holyrood seats to the SNP on a one-third share of the vote.

In addition, there was no recommendation that the Boundary Commission be instructed to align Holyrood constituencies with those that apply for Westminster elections. The reduction in the number of constituency MSPs could be matched by an increase in the number of list MSPs.

Since the current arrangement hits only the Alba, Green, Liberal, Labour, Reform and Tory candidates why are these parties refusing to demand a level playing field in May 2026?

Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway

Write to The Scotsman

We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to [email protected] 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.