Readers Letters: Why not send the rioting thugs to Rwanda

If England is the same as Scotland with its softly softly approach in sentencing, with criminals and offenders and not enough prison places available, what will the full force of the law look like? Will it be community service or something equally severe? Here is a thought, why not send them to Rwanda.

Michael Fraser, Tullibody

Shame on us

I cannot believe that anyone who has heard the report that our fellow Scot Humza Yousaf may consider re-locating to a foreign country because of the bigots and low grade low life types out to upset Scotsmen and woman and bully them aboard because of their faith. We are all Jock Tampsons Bairns and that is best remembered.

Shame on these types, and shame on the rest of us for allowing these people who use their vile tactics against our fellow countrymen.

Michael Campbell, Leanaig

Attainment gap

When Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth was asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about the SNP administration’s failure to close the educational attainment gap, as demonstrated by this week’s Highers’ results, her Pavlovian response was to talk about the situation in England and Wales. What? Scottish education has been the SNP’s responsibility since 2007.

Nicola Sturgeon famously insisted that we judge her by her record in education and, in particular, reducing the attainment gap (though these days we have so much else by which to judge her).

Sturgeon, of course, sadly utterly failed our young students, and Humza Yousaf and John Swinney continued in the same manner. The tragic reality is that, despite 17 years of virtue-signalling promises from the SNP, if you are born into a poorer background or neighbourhood in Scotland, it’s still highly likely today, irrespective of your abilities, that you will have worse examination results than if you come from a middle-class background.

The SNP has failed us in so many ways, but surely blighting the life chances of so many youngsters over such a protracted period is the most unforgivable.

Martin Redfern, Melrose

Sturgeon fail

Nicola Sturgeon told us in 2015 to ‘judge me on education’. Nine years later, we are in a position to do that, and the ineluctable answer is: Fail.

After the evidence of a continuing decline in attainment in core subjects through the most recent results of the PISA assessment, we now have what experts dub a ‘disturbing fall’ in the number of pupils studying maths, sciences and languages, as evidenced by this year’s Higher results.

It is, of course, largely up to pupils what they study. If they opt for a ‘soft’ subject like Modern Studies rather than maths or French, that is their choice. Yet there is also the question of the supply of suitably qualified teachers in STEM and language subjects that require both expertise andapplication.

The problems lie particularly in primary schools, which explains the now widening attainment gap between those in schools in more affluent and those in poorer areas. What is there for secondary schools to build on if children do not receive a strong grounding in knowledge and skills at primary level? There is a need for an upgrade in the quality and training of primary teachers so that children from all backgrounds receive the best start possible. Some of us suspect that there is a culture of low expectations in some poorer areas which results in children there not being stretched to achieve their utmost and therefore not being adequately equipped to rise out of poverty. Education is – or should be – about opportunity. It is the surest way for youngsters to prosper. It really is time that Scotland once again took it seriously.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Swinney should act

Under the current SNP Administration at Holyrood there appears to be an impasse, with even the support of their unelected Greens less than enthusiastic. The latest in the line of SNP First Ministers, John Swinney, has yet to impress us with any positive actions or plans for Scotland’s future development. Perhaps, of course, all he has to offer is that ‘old chestnut’ Scottish independence!

Surely by now it has dawned on even the remaining members of the SNP that what the people of Scotland need most is sound government in all sectors of the devolved parliament, and also at Local Authority level. It has to be said that neither has been achieved by the SNP since they came to power.

The recent significant demise of the SNP at Westminster surely indicates that the Scottish electorate has had enough of their grossly inadequate form of politics.

Let the people of Scotland decide in an early Holyrood Election. Come on Mr Swinney – if you and your SNP compatriots really do care about Scotland now is the time to give the people the chance to vote for the political party they wish to form a government at Holyrood. Sitting it out until the Spring of 2026 is simply a case of avoiding the issue! A Scottish parliamentary election held in say the Spring of 2025 would be all round more acceptable and give you a chance to prove your mettle.

Robert I G Scott, Ceres, Fife

Plus ça change...

Labour were elected on the promise of Change, so the electorate just have to accept whatever we have shoved at us under the guise of open, transparent change.

No money for anything except government worker pay increases and ancillary pension uplifts! But, lurking in the background is the mountain of debt left for us from the last time Labour were in charge and PFI was used to build new schools and hospitals etc. Plus, of course, the SNP who promised to change this monstrosity with a new, transparent, much improved version which was PPP.

It amounted to the same thing: loads of debt repayments.

Now we learn that these new schools etc are costing us billions of pounds annually decades down the road with really no end in sight and, to end these schemes, would cost billions more.

Debt is one of the reasons that our government has little leeway to improve our creaking infrastructure or education system, etc.

Is there an easy way out of this? Is promising change the magic wand we might ask; the sad response has to be a resounding no.

In our house we have a saying which runs “you make the decision and live with consequences”. Unfortunately, ordinary people have little influence on the decision makers but have to accept theconsequences.

There is a moral in all this but unfortunately it’s our politicians that will remain as the decision makers and it appears that they will continue to mollify, appease and put off hard decisions until they are no longer sustainable.

A Lewis, Coylton

High numbers

I note with interest the report from the DVLA that, in the past 10 years, a total of £1.2 billion has been raised from the sale of personalised vehicle number plates.

By any measure this is an enormous sum. It would be most informative to learn where exactly this money has gone and to what purpose it has been allocated.

From the crumbling and disgraceful condition of many of our roads and footpaths it seems unlikely that much if anything has been spent on improvements to these areas.

Perhaps someone from the DVLA would be able toenlighten us.

David M Steel, South Queensferry

Not useful

Why is it that most small or medium sized businesses will email out an invoice or a receipt without making any fuss at all, but the mobile companies and energy utilities don’t?

Telecoms and energy companies take your money usually by direct debit, but will they email you a bill each time? No way. Each of these arrogant leviathans requires you to sign in to ‘your’ account or download ‘the app.’ These come with the hassle of passwords and dual factorauthentication.

I am old enough to remember when utilities sent out physical bills. Now they don’t even send out electronic ones. This approach reflects the contempt in which they hold us, the little people, who pay their bills.

This arrogance should be ended by law. At the very least all the telecoms companies and the power utilities should be required to provide their domestic and small business customers with the option of free emailed invoices and receipts.

Otto Inglis, Crossgates

Some joke

Following Liz Truss’s recent Fringe performance at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, I see she has been installed as firm favourite to win the coveted Best joke of the Fringe award.

Johan Wann, Edinburgh

Gives us a like…

I quite like like and you know, but, like, how many like and you knows can you squeeze out of an Olympic interviewee, like, you know, when asked how cool they feel, having, like, you know, just won a medal?

S R Wild, Edinburgh

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