Readers' Letters: Slashing welfare bill a heartless move

Anyone who has cared for a disabled person knows they need more in the way of provision, facilities and resources, not less. Slashing funding in the way Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall proposes is as heartless as it is despicable and demonstrates just how far to the right Labour have moved since Sir Keir Starmer became leader. Ms Kendall's cuts will cause pain, distress, hardship and, inevitably, avoidable deaths. We can only hope sufficient Labour MPs will have the integrity and backbone to rebel on this issue and force a rethink.

One question has still to be answered in relation to the austerity drive evidently being pursued by Sir Keir and Rachel Reeves and that is: which group will they target next in their desperation to squeeze money out of the system? From what we have seen up to now it would appear that only those who are in the millionaire to billionaire bracket can consider themselves safe!

Alan Woodcock, Dundee

Missed opportunity

Project Willow is dead in the water even before the publication of the document. Just review the facts whereby Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney published an addendum to the SNP energy paper just prior to her resignation in 2022.

This addendum recognised that increasing Scottish debt by £540 billion to install an additional 45,000 MW of wind capacity would not keep the lights on under “dunkelflaute” weather conditions, hence the need for a further debt of £300bn to build 25,000 MW of hydrogen-fuelled gas turbine plant.

All Holyrood politicians were aware of the impending shutdown of the Grangemouth refinery yet, three years on, not a single piece of turf has been dug to provide the hydrogen electrolyser units at Grangemouth.

Such a project would have kept the staff facing redundancy in work for the next 25 years. In addition, running hydrogen pipework to the power station sites at Methil, Kincardine, Longannet, Cockenzie and Torness to generate 5,000 MW at each location would mean no need for grid upgrades if existing facilities were utilised to feed them power into the grid.

A simple solution to the needs of Grangemouth yet, in all probability, not a single member of the Civil Service has been working on such a plan over the past three years, during which time the SNP has utilised dozens of staff to draft independence papers that no one ever reads.

Surely it is time for light to be shed on the reasons why Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney failed to initiate such a project, contained in their own energy plan, to save the jobs at Grangemouth.

Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway

Restore UK

It is very obvious that the SNP is falling apart. Resignations amongst MSPs are rife, especially amongst “weel-kent” faces. It could be said that some have moved before they were pushed.

For there to be any justification for a continuance of what has deteriorated into the comedy of a Scottish Government there will have to be a change of emphasis politically back to a less controversial form of government, with a Labour/Liberal coalition, as was the case when the then-Scottish Executive held its first meeting on 12 May 1999, with Donald Dewar as first minister.

Most aspects of the current Scottish Parliament have been disastrous under SNP leadership. And their case has not been made easier by having to pander to the “unelected” Greens.

As probably very few people are unaware, historically Scotland joined the UK in 1707, through the Acts of Union, primarily drawn by economic hardship, fear of Catholic Stewart restoration and the desire for access to English trade and colonial markets.

Now, after all the humbug created by the SNP, the time is ripe for there to be a major restoration of the island nation known globally as the UK.

Robert IG Scott, Northfield, Ceres, Fife

Democracy fans

Henry McLeish ends an otherwise acceptable analysis of current threats to democracy by attacking Reform UK, which he describes as a threat to it (Perspective, 20 March).

Reform advocates proportional representation at Westminster elections, to ensure far fewer votes are wasted. That would raise turnouts considerably, strengthening the mandate of future governments and thus respect for democracy, the lack of which he bemoans.

George Morton, Rosyth, Fife

EU snub

It is interesting how the Europeans – and, in particular the French – are refusing to allow the UK to be part of the European Defence Fund, which is supposed to defend Europe, not just the EU bit. The French, it should be remembered, are supposed to be our allies.

At the same time as President Donald Trump is throwing Nato into confusion, clearly the EU in general and France in particular have the same odd idea of preserving their values by snubbing their friends and allies. Even so, the cheeky blighters want us to defend them with our nuclear deterrent! No doubt we should throw in our fishing grounds and emulate Sir Keir over the Chagos Islands by paying them for the privilege?

I take a deep breath before reading the news nowadays. We have a Government which is actually trying to negotiate a deal with a pseudo-country called Europe which wants said fishing grounds, to keep OUR Northern Ireland and have a border in the middle of the Irish Sea. You couldn't make it up.

Here's an idea. We tell the Europeans that they can offer us a free trade agreement, move the border with the Irish Republic to the actual border and use technology to watch said border. I actually have that technology at my front door, so I know it works. We might then consider including them in what we protect. Otherwise, they can look after themselves.

Our defences will go a lot further if we aren't protecting them, and we can buy all our defensive technology from our own defence industries or Aukus.

Also, next time round, we can allow anyone who conquers Europe to keep it. It’s less trouble.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

Tour de holes?

The Scotsman reports with understandable enthusiasm (20 March) that Scotland is to host the Tour de France start in 2027 and that this will “deliver a multi-million economic windfall to Scotland”. It is to be hoped that this will enable the country to improve the quality of our roads sooner rather than later. Forgive us if we shout “Hoy!”

After all, we cannot have the world’s leading cyclists and their spectators coming to grief in Scotland’s potholes and other road defects, can we?

Peter B Freshwater, Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Spokespeople

Whatever the first stage route it is welcome news that the Tour de France 2027 Grand Depart is planned for Edinburgh. However, it would be a pity and a massive lost opportunity, if the first stage was anything other than “Contre le Montre”, ie an Individual Time Trial twice round Arthur's Seat and up the Royal Mile, finishing on the Castle esplanade. When the Tour started in London it was with an ITT.

Three reasons for it to be an ITT are: safety – much reduced risk of crashes; spectacle – increased ability and opportunity for spectators to identify teams and individual riders including, I hope, Scotland's very own Oscar Onley; if it is a mass start, how much will be neutralised? Edinburgh is likely to see very little of the race itself.

Bill MacDonald, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian

Angry Canada

I should be flattered Robert Menzies (Letters, 19 March), bothers to read and remember my essays to the extent he can take out of context something I said about Canada in 2021: “The Canadians are far too good-natured – and confident in their own skin – to need to’ feel resentment about the US.

In 2021, the Canadians had not suffered, as they now have, extreme provocation from the Red Queen in the White House, with the sudden imposition of harshly punitive tariffs and the claim that Canada should really be the 51st state of the US. Even the most good-natured and confident neighbours of the US were always likely to feel indignant about that and to act accordingly.

As for Mr Menzies’ need for evidence about Scottish nationalists’ hatred towards England, I suggest he immerse himself in the cesspit of social media, where he will find pride in Scotland very quickly morphs into resentment towards England, based on dishonest separatist propaganda about “the English” allegedly “stealing our resources” and “exploiting and oppressing Scots”. Which is nonsense.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Save the date

As Nicola Sturgeon announces the publication date of her “tell-all" memoir, it'll be interesting to see if her notoriously poor memory has improved and whether her book includes anything she was unable to recall under oath at an official inquiry.

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire

Scarlett woman?

Oh dear! Nicola Sturgeon has entitled her autobiography “Frankly”. This unfortunately leads to the well-known Gone With the Wind line, “Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn”.

Is Ms Sturgeon's book going to be gone with the wind, straight to the remainder pile?

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

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.