Readers' letters: Corbyn could be the kingmaker at Holyrood with his new far-left party

The biggest loser, however, would be the SNP. Polling suggests they may lose around a third of their vote share in Scotland. If that was to be translated into seats at Holyrood it would jeopardise their chances at next year’s Holyrood elections. With Corbyn’s party decimating the Greens, the former Labour leadercould hold the balance of power.

Of course one poll may be of little consequence but should the SNP fear a far-left party most, given their own inability to deliver independence? Corbyn is on record for respecting the democratic right to hold an independence referendum so could become kingmaker. A Reform-led government in Westminster would, according to recent polling, push support for independence close to 60 per cent – that would be difficult to ignore. Farage supports English nationalism so why not Scottish nationalism too?

Extremist populist parties are set to greatly influence politics and through their polarising views they would present a danger to mainstream democracy, having undue influence. The US people are recognising this with Trump’s approval rating at negative 16, far lower than Biden or Obama at this point in their presidential terms. Time to get real Mr Starmer.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Predatory birds

John Lloyd’s letter (7 July) about scavenging seagulls is symptomatic of coastal towns. Here in Tenterden, we are only a few miles from Rye, so seagulls perch on chimney pots and squawk as they dive for whatever food they can get. But no record of attacking humans.

We used to go annually to stay with close friends for a couple of weeks on their 50ft Beneteau yacht permanently moored in Antibes.

In Antibes’ market square there was a fishmongers’ stall with a tented roof; on top of which, seemingly permanently, was the largest seagull (think pterodactyl) I’ve ever seen, with a beak designed to commit serious bodily harm.

Anyone who went to buy fish was alerted by a fluttering of huge wings that this was a bad idea; the gull moving edgily from massive webbed foot to massive webbed foot. Now and again, it treated itself to its fish of the day. There was a sign in French, warning customers to “beware of the gull”.

In Fowey, Cornwall, there were notices saying “Do not feed the seagulls”. Each and every one of these predatory, malevolent, creatures, feasted on unwary holidaymakers’ edible items. Fish suppers were regularly hijacked from the unwary.

I share John’s somewhat jaundiced view of this predatory bird.

Doug Morrison, Tenterden Kent

Food supply

I have read with interest your coverage on problem gulls.

I have just returned from a trip to Japan where I found no trace of any litter, graffiti or discarded take always etc. Even more surprising was that there were no trash cans as everyone took any rubbish home.

Surely if we adopted a similar culture here gulls would not become urbanised as there would be no food incentive to do so.

Gerald Grieve, Dalgety Bay, Fife

Balfour’s legacy

Ian Petrie (Letters, 8 July) asks for a homeland for the Palestinians (or to give them their original name Philistines) when they are in fact are occupying the original Philistina – Gaza.

They still live in their original area, not evicted as were the Jewish people. And just as they want to live in ancestral lands, so too do the Jewish. Historically, who has precedence?

The Balfour Declaration was an attempt to resolve that question, but everyone except the Jewish did not want to know. This became very apparent in 1948 with the invasion by Arab states as soon as Israel came into being, and continues today.

C Lowson, Fareham, Hants

Two states

So the current situation in Gaza is Israel’s fault ? If only Palestine had a state of their own there would would be peace. Seriously? There have been numerous offers of statehood.

In 1947, the British asked the UN to find a solution to the continuing tensions. The UN voted to create two states. The Jews accepted and the Arabs rejected it. They then, along with other Middle Eastern countries, launched an all-out war. Israel won and got on with the business of building a new nation.

Then in 1967 the Arabs led this time by Egypt, joined by Syria and Jordan, sought to destroy the Jewish state. This ended in a stunning victory for Israel. Israel offered to return the West Bank to Jordan and Gaza to Egypt. This two-state solution was dismissed.

In 2000 we have Camp David, when PLO leader Nasser Arafat was offered a state consisting of almost the entire West Bank and Gaza along with East Jerusalem as a capital. According to President Clinton he was there for 14 days and said “no” to everything. Instead the Palestinians launched a bloody wave of suicide bombings in Israel killing over 1,000. Another rejection followed in 2008 when Israel offered to include additional land.

Why then is there so little mainstream media coverage highlighting the fact that the Palestinians’ ongoing statelessness is down to their own inflexibility along with repeated terror campaigns against Israel.

Lewis Finnie, Edinburgh

Safety first

The world is no longer a safe place hence the branding of “Palestine Action” as a terrorist organisation (Letters, 8 July) Peaceful protest appears to be long gone.

No more just placards, now it is almost undisguised hate coupled with destruction of property and vilification of businesses depending upon whom they trade with. Supermarkets are being targeted should they stock goods from the “wrong” country and even politicised chanting at music festivals is getting rapidly out of hand.

A small minority is trying to influence the vast majority yet all problems, especially in the Middle East, are truly complex and simply heaping the blame on one side only is far too imprecise.

At the end of the day, Israel is an ally and a friend of the UK, Iran is not, so it is in the interests of the UK to curb the abuses of the protestors. A peaceful society here depends on mutual respect. Right now that has gone missing.

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Cheap at the price

So we learn that, while Nicola Sturgeon is charging £75 per meet and greet at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall, a hospitality company is charging £3,500 for attendees to have a photo taken with Barack Obama at events in London and Dublin.

I’d initially thought 75 quid to meet Sturgeon for a brief minute or two a complete rip-off, but I now realise that, comparatively, it’s an appropriately miniscule amount.

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Scottish Borders

Stop point-scoring

Alan Woodcock (Letters 4 and 7 July) seems determined to establish that poverty levels are worse in England and Wales than in Scotland. Congratulating oneself about relative poverty in 2024 being 21 per cent in England and Wales but only 20 per cent in Scotland is a hollow triumph, but certainly Mr Woodcock is correct in saying that child poverty in England and Wales was appreciably higher, at 31 per cent, than in Scotland, at 23 per cent.

Claims of Scotland “outperforming” other jurisdictions are surely not the main issue here. Poverty is a serious matter and not one to be used for scoring constitutional points. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) report ‘Poverty in Scotland 2024’ begins: “This… continues the trend of showing little change in the unacceptable levels of poverty in Scotland, with over a million people living in poverty, including around a quarter of a million children.” The Scottish government’s interim targets for poverty reduction are “likely to be missed”. Child poverty, which fell from 1996-99 and 2010-13, thereafter rose again from one in five to one in four, and has remained stable since then. That is, there has been no improvement in child poverty in Scotland over the last decade.

This is a problem that needs to be addressed throughout the UK. Those of us living in Scotland expect Holyrood to implement effective measures.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Turbines trauma

I wish to protest in the strongest possible terms about the wanton destruction of hedgerows and verges along the A714 between Bargrennan and Newton Stewart. I appreciate that both South Ayrshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council have given planning permission for the extensions to Killgallioch and Arecleoch wind power stations. However, I do not believe that ether council anticipated the appalling damage visited upon the sides of the road. If it was necessary to widen the road to accommodate giant turbines it could have been done sympathetically by proper tree surgeons to ensure the minimum long-term damage to ancient woodland and what used to be a pleasant drive along the side of the River Cree.

Instead, a flail mower hacked through everything in its path, leaving devastation in its wake. Nesting birds and other wildlife (in the height of the breeding season) stand no chance of survival. All this in the name of saving the planet or, much more likely, making a huge profit.

Christopher H Shaw, Glentrool Forest, South Ayrshire

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