Readers' Letters: 'Stop Trump from visiting Scotland' calls counterproductive

Left to his own devices, Trump could be very dangerous and, as we've all too often seen, a loose cannon, most recently in his bombing of Iran. The only effective way is to engage with him, not to fawn over him, but to rein him in. That's the role of the all too often bypassed Congress at home and his fellow leaders abroad.

It may appear a strange thing to say, but I think Donald Trump has a huge inferiority complex. The so called millimeter miracle almost exactly a year ago, when he so narrowly escaped an assassination attempt, has had an understandably profound effect on him as a man and President. It's a reminder, if needed, of just how vulnerable our leaders really are.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Question for MPs

The news that 60 Labour MPs have written to the Foreign Secretary urging immediate recognition of Palestine raises the question, do Scottish MPs support this call? Scouring the list of signatories, two Scottish MPs’ names stick out… but what about the other 55?

With the daily killing and destruction of infrastructure in Gaza and the terrible plans emerging from the Israeli Government and many people describing their actions as genocide I would hope they do support this call. Let’s ask them all, not just the Labour side but all parties representing the Scottish population, because this is not a party issue it’s a human issue and we are all sickened and feeling helpless as this atrocity goes on and on. Recognition of Palestine now draws a line in the sand for the UK and sends a powerful message to the Israeli Government

Over to you, MPs...

Donald Stavert, Bathgate, West Lothian

Time for change

The political scene in Scotland is in dire need of change. Following the inauguration of the Holyrood Parliament in 1999 by a coalition of Labour and Liberals, the Scottish Executive was formed. Later the Holyrood Parliament became the building in which matters defined in the Scotland Acts were formally debated. But thankfully Westminster remained the Parliament for the whole of the UK. Unfortunately, the SNP has found it difficult to accept that they are not the ultimate authority north of Gretna.

My prediction for 2026 is that we Scots will see marked changes in the political scene in Scotland. A Labour/Liberal coalition will once again form the majority in the Scottish Parliament; the SNP will experience the same fall in support that they did at Westminster; the Greens will simply hang around in their somewhat meaningless position.

It should be obvious to most people that Scotland is in dire need of a change of direction from the misguided policies of Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney. What a truly uninspiring bunch of hypocrites!

Robert I G Scott, Northfield, Ceres, Fife

Toilet trouble

Reem Alsalem, a senior United Nations official, has told the Scottish Government to end its delay in upholding women's rights to single-sex spaces.

Three months on from the Supreme Court ruling that access to female-only facilities is restricted to biological women, the stupid excuse for the delay from the SNP government and Nicola Richards, the Scottish Government's Director of People, for their lack of action is that they are waiting for fresh guidance from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission.

What guidance is needed? The law is crystal clear. The Supreme Court said biological sex trumps transgender identity. Surely Ms Richards and Ministers, all earning over £100,000 a year, and their army of highly paid spin doctors are able to understand the law which is fully understood by those lesser mortals who pay their salaries? Roll on the May 2026 Scottish elections.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Don’t blame SNP

David Millar (Letters, 12 July) has completely misunderstood the situation as regards NHS apps. The problem of NHS Scotland and NHS England not talking to each other is largely historical and predates devolved governments. It's nothing to do with the SNP. It is frustrating, but the two systems are totally different in structure, organisation and, to a certain extent, outlook.

Mr Millar's miracle-working app could not function in Scotland. In fact, practically the whole of his letter is based on a false premise. Like a lot of anti-SNP propaganda!

Brian Bannatyne-Scott, Edinburgh

High price

Brian Monteith floated the idea that the UK could require a bailout by the IMF by the end of the current Labour administration (Perspective, 15 July). This could well become a reality if debts not detailed in his article are included.

The Office for Budget Responsibility published a paper in the Spring of 2024 that estimated UK debt would treble to achieve net zero, ie a debt increase from £3 trillion to around £9trn.

Note that the annual interest bill would increase from £120 billion to £360bn, which would have a knock-on effect for the budgets of the NHS, Social Welfare and Education.

Surely this requires a debate as to whether the net zero policies driven by Ed Miliband and John Swinney are worth the loss of jobs in steel making, coal mining and refineries, plus 200 a week staff cuts in the North East of Scotland.

At least voters in Scotland and Wales can send a message to Holyrood and Cardiff over the net zero policies being implemented by the current administrations in May 2026!

Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway

Oscar worthy

Does Scotland deserve the Tour de France? The cycling challenge has a powerful case to be considered the world's premier annual sporting event. A few months ago it was announced that Edinburgh had been invited to host the 2027 Grand Depart.

At the end of the first nine days of the current Tour we have a young Scot in seventh place, almost unprecedented. Whatever happens now, whether or not he can sustain the level all the way to Paris on Sunday 27 July, this is a magnificent performance by Oscar Onley.

His neglect by Scottish media, particularly BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland sports reports, and TV – which spends extravagant amounts of time on tennis, football out of season, cricket, rugby, women's boxing and golf – makes me wonder whether we deserve to have the honour of this showcase charismatic event for some of the finest and toughest athletes in the world.

Bill MacDonald, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian

Measles tragedy

It is heartbreaking that some children are seriously sick and a child has died from measles at the Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool.

Vaccines are the most successful and effective public health measure against infectious diseases. Measles is a highly contagious acute viral respiratory infection which is a primary cause of morbidity and mortality among infants and children under five, especially those with a compromised immune system or are malnourished.

It can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, diarrhoea, dehydration, ear infections and irreversible vision loss.

More than 90 per cent of susceptible individuals around an infected person can catch the virus.

Vaccine hesitancy is one of the top ten global health threats on a par with climate change, lethal pathogens and HIV/Aids.

It’s time to raise awareness about the importance of vaccinations in combating infectious diseases, saving lives and protecting children, families and entire societies.

(Dr) Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London

Trusted robot

Wishing to renew my membership using a debit card I phoned the number given on our reminder letter from the National Trust for Scotland. Over the period of two days I have been unsuccessful in speaking to a human being. Just a nice recorded message “thanking me for my patience”!

I do hope other visitors attempting to get information using the number given have more luck. Not impressive!

M Blair, Greenock, Inverclyde

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