Readers' Letters: Government wastes millions as Scotland burns

Firstly, as we stare into the financial abyss, it is reported that Swinney and his entourage spent £24,000 on flights to lobby the US president on whisky tariffs. Obviously, using Zoom would have made the business lunch costing, it’s said, £1,200 a great perk missed. And the photo ops at a reported cost of £1,800 would also have been missed, I am sure he learned from Nicola Sturgeon that they should always be a priority.

Secondly, we can be sure that there will be even more benefit handouts to keep the votes of those too idle to get off their backsides and do a day’s work.

Thirdly, his “government” starts the next challenge to the Supreme Court ruling on gender and trans prisoners, with more money heading round the “S” bend, while For Women Scotland await the £450,000 in costs from the last legal debacle.

Fourthly, the obscene amounts of money being wasted in the Scottish benefits agency as highlighted in Scotland on Sunday (11 January). The figure that, in one case, staffing levels are 5,200 per cent higher than in England and Wales is frankly beyond belief. And at the same time, with all those staff, their refusal to pursue £36 million on false benefit claims.

Staggering numbers, I am sure one would agree?

No, the head in the sand brigade staggers on, destroying every facet of life in Scotland while lining their pockets with pay rises for doing nothing of any worth whatsoever.

And the worst of it is, allied to the talking head Keir Starmer, we won’t even be able to drown our sorrows, as the equally fiscal illiterates in Westminster do their best to shut down every pub in the UK.

I look forward to being told I’m wrong…

David Millar, Lauder, Scottish Borders

Justified anger

John Swinney has apparently angered senior medics with his claim that Scotland’s corridor care levels in A&E departments were being managed “sustainably”.

No wonder the medics are angry; his words are tantamount to suggesting that nothing needs to be done there and that it is a perfectly acceptable situation. They can carry on spending our taxes on their priorities and pretend embassies and ferry fiascos can proliferate and the NHS is left to wither on the vine.

It will all be blamed on the UK government anyway.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

No business

As mentioned in The Scotsman’s recent editorial, economic growth is proving an elusive prospect for our politicians.

The forecast from the Fraser of Allander Institute, coupled with the alarm bells ringing from the Scottish Chambers of Commerce and the Hospitality industry, must surely be a wake-up call. Could a major problem be that none of our front bench politicians have ever been in business and should listen more to Sir Tom Hunter and other entrepreneurs who recognise the real issues and fully understand the forthcoming budget implications.

D G McIntyre, Edinburgh

Dead end

The irony could not be clearer. John Swinney keeps asking Scots to give the SNP five more years yet many on NHS hip and knee operation waiting lists will have no choice: five more years it is (your report, 12 January).

Mr Swinney would rather talk about a hypothetical independence referendum while real Scots suffer. There are still four months to go before the vote. Every day until then contains a potential banana skin for 18 years of SNP rule. Perhaps the corner has been turned, but is it to a dead end?

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Women unite

Rarely have I read so much sense about contemporary Scotland as in the article by Jenny Lindsay (“The lessons I learned as a naïve former Yesser”, Perspective, 12 January). She rightly cites the “ongoing but unnecessary divisions in Scottish politics” and comments that most of us will have felt let down by what’s happened politically ever since 2014.

Many nationalists are indeed scunnered by the SNP’s failure to achieve another referendum, and pro-UK people are scunnered by the fact that that subject still dominates public discourse, especially if, like me, they “very strongly opposed Scottish secession [and] didn’t even want to be having the discussion in the first place”.

Further, Ms Lindsay is correct in saying that the “gender identity” spasm that continues has felt foundationally insane at times. She says that every emphatic win by the women’s side of the argument which has been disregarded or denied by the trans activists has led her to appreciate how frustrating it’s been for those who support the union, who successfully won that argument, then had to endlessly repeat themselves, for over a decade.

Ms Lindsay is heartened by the way in which women from several parties, and across the constitutional dividing line, have made common cause in defence of women’s safety, dignity and privacy. This is correct.

Nevertheless, the faction that opposes these women’s rights lies largely on the pro-secession side of the line. It is the SNP and the Greens who also push for the erosion of women's rights, and who are the main pro-secession parties. I wonder if the women supporting these parties really know that these parties' aim is to enable biological men to invade their changing rooms, refuges and prisons? And that the SNP is spending our money to try to keep biological men in women's prisons?

We have to make sure that they do, before May 2026.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Welcome support

With reference to a news item in The Scotsman (“Police probe ‘racist’ posts after Islamic Centre visit”, 12 January), I and all the people at the mosque are thankful to Melanie Ward, our MP, for her support.

It was indeed very caring of her to come to the mosque accompanied by Church representative, local councillors and police after the incident you report. It has given us satisfaction and strength.

We hope that this incident is an isolated one and will not be usual. Fife people are very fair and welcoming and we have found them very cordial and smiling and I hope this will continue in future as well. We support our MP fully and welcome her visit and support.

Hasan Beg, Kirkcaldy, Fife

Trust people

Protests continue unabated in the streets of the cities and townships of Iran in what is fast becoming a revolution. The contribution of brave and inspirational women should not be underestimated.

“Elsewhere in Europe, women rule their countries” said one female dissident. “Iran deserves that. Women are leading these protests.” The aim of the protests is to topple the ruthless dictatorship of the Ayatollahs, but not to replace them with another dictatorship in the shape of the former Shah's son. Their vision is an elected democracy.

The last thing Iran needs is a hamfisted bombing by Donald Trump's America. Iran's future must be settled from within, and we can trust these protesters, male and female, to play their irresistible and inspirational part.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Stand firm

With a new year heralding a dangerous world crisis, let it be known that the devious Donald Trump is only in politics to make business deals, from which he and his family can benefit. However, with failed deals in Ukraine and Palestine he has turned his attention to imperial ambitions in Cuba, Canada, South America and Greenland.

Since Trump has effectively abandoned Europe and Nato, it’s time for the world to stop pandering to him and to stand firm on international law and democratic principals.

In truth, Presidents Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin have just one thing in common and that is self-preservation; as such they are indeed a danger to world peace.

If Britain and Europe cannot unite and support Ukraine to negotiate a just peace, Russia will surely take it over, along with perhaps the rest of Western Europe!

Grant Frazer, Newtonmore, Highland

Collecting Tories

As the world is plunged into chaos by Donald Trump and his handlers it is a relief that Reform are providing some badly needed amusement in their “We take absolutely anyone” approach to recruitment.

Having managed to secure the services of such political heavyweights and members of the previous triumphant Tory government as Liz Truss, Nadine Dorries, Danny Kruger and Andrea Jenkyns, it can add to that list the formidable ex-Chancellor (for all of two catastrophic months) Nadhim Zahawi, who may or may not be advising on tax affairs.

Should the one-issue Reform party be the next government it has an oven ready cabinet to take over from where it left off in 2024, with the economy tanking and the country in turmoil. Farage now needs only to chalk up the powerhouses that are Suella Braverman, Therese Coffey and, whisper it, Boris Johnson for the full set of failed Tories. As if Reform wasn’t chaotic enough.

D Mitchell, Doune, Perthshire

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