Ready, steady, green for go... Sheeran's proud of roots
Eric Gardner, Glasgow.
More letters...
Play for today
While I don't always agree with him, there is no denying that Neil Mackay rarely misses and hits the wall.
I completely concur with his recent contention about the wealthy ('Us vs them: why the rich like Musk and Bezos are destroying our world', The Herald, August 7).
My support for this point of view was fortified having seen 'Make it Happen' the previous evening.
This superb play describes the rise and fall of the Royal Bank of Scotland, and the fate of its CEO, Fred Goodwin.
Having been economically active for the period covered by the play, I felt slightly disconcerted seeing those events, with the benefit of hindsight.
It is hard to explain the slightly deranged atmosphere of the time. But it was like watching the proverbial frog boil until the water becomes scalding and its time to leap clear.
The hubris of that time was encouraged by Gordon Brown, who declared the end of the boom-and-bust era.
We could apparently look forward to ever increasing prosperity. It was going to be sunshine and lollipops all the way… until it wasn't.
Inevitably, the Greeks have a word for what happened next: aporia.
This is the state of intense puzzlement when our certainties fall to pieces and we suddenly are caught in an impasse, at a loss to explain what our senses are telling us.
At these rare moments, aporia humbles us and prepares our mind for previously unbearable truths. September 2008 was such a moment.
We have never fully recovered from the mayhem and carnage that ensued, but inevitably the rich do not suffer as much as the rest of the populace.
They don't do austerity.
Keith Swinley, Ayr.
Mind your language
I'VE read with increasing dread and dismay the comments of your columnists, notably Kevin McKenna and Carlos Alba, as well as the extensive coverage of the Sandy Peggie tribunal (''Peggie case has escalated a shameful anti-trans campaign'', The Herald, August 11).
I assume the majority of your journalists to be cis, heterosexual men. (I note Carlos Alba only applies 'the public has a right to know rule' to former politicians, and not to journalists with a powerful platform to shape public discourse…)
Can I suggest some training in basic concepts and contemporary language around sexuality and gender identity. The resources produced by the Time for Inclusive Education (TIE) campaign, whose tenth anniversary you recently celebrated, would be an excellent starting point.
Simply reading the articles you published in your own paper explaining the history of section 2A/28 (a period we are rapidly returning to on trans issues), and the impact that media and public discourses had on those of us growing up queer in the 1980s, might give pause on recent commentary.
To explain (again): non-binary gender and rejecting the idea of a straight / gay sexuality binary are entirely separate concepts, and in any case, politicians' identities, declared or otherwise, have no bearing on their ability to shape policy.
Indeed it is the straight, cis allies in parliament, in the press and elsewhere, who we need now more than ever to resist the legislative and media backsliding on decades of progress on LGBT+ inclusion.
Pam Currie, Millport.
Road rules
The Labour Party's current stance on eyesight testing focuses on ensuring drivers, particularly those who are over 70-years-old, can safely operate vehicles by meeting minimum vision standards for all drivers, namely, being able to read a car number plate at 20 metres.
I agree with the thinking on this issue, as eyesight deteriorates as one gets older.
What I don't agree with is the misconception that those under 70 should have no eyesight test, other than on the day of their driving test.
Once you reach 70 you apply for a three year licence to drive your car, and you complete the application form with no input from your GP or Optician.
Meanwhile, foreign visitors and workers can drive with their licence for a year. After that, they are required to sit a test.
My point is that there are considerable issues involving both drivers and driving licences, which need to be improved long before we focus on eyesight tests for over 70s.
Especially self-assessment without any intervention from a doctor or optician; allowing visitors to drive in this country for a year with their current licence; and holiday makers from around the world driving on their national licence.
It's time that the government addressed these issues instead of prioritising testing the eyesight of the over 70s.
Neil Stewart, Balfron.
Dubious dialectic
If a shopkeeper hangs a sign describing shoplifters as 'scum', the police will advise him to take it down.
If he puts up pictures of suspected shoplifters, the Information Commissioner will threaten him.
But if your phone is stolen with all your personal data on it, the authorities will most likely do absolutely nothing.
Behind this absurd behaviour is Marxist thinking, which divides us into categories of oppressors and the oppressed.
The 'scum', usually drug addicts who shoplift, are viewed as the oppressed. They are not to be held morally accountable, as it is their disadvantaged circumstances which have led to their misconduct.
On the other hand, the law-abiding person is not disadvantaged, and as such their misfortune is of no concern to the authorities.
This is all the more so when they belong to an oppressor category such as small-business people.
There is only one word that fits this ruinously destructive thinking, and that is evil.
Life will only start getting better in Britain when the authorities revert to traditional moral thinking, which rewards hard work, thrift, honesty and public spiritedness, and punishes anti-social and destructive behaviour.
Otto Inglis, Fife.
Moggies go wild; birds have banging time (Image: Cats Protection Scotland)
Blast off
It is ironic that Clark Cross should write of cats "decimating our wildlife" (Letters, August 13), when the same edition's front-page photo is of the 'Glorious' Twelfth!
George Morton, Rosyth.
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The Herald Scotland
12 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Will this be peace in our time or just ice cold in Alaska?
I decided to let my imagination run riot, and devise an alternative solution. Before leaving Ukraine, and Europe in general, to their fate, President Trump, as a self-identified dedicated peacemaker, might want to consider the following alternative deal. (And if not, would he be prepared to explain his rejection, as it essentially mirrors his own proposal.) The USA and Ukraine have similarities in their respective territorial relationships with Russia; both govern land previously controlled by Russia. (America purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867.) President Trump would surely gain a better understanding of President Zelenskyy's position if he were to consider an alternative land-swap deal. One which may find favour with Russia and Ukraine. Such a deal would involve Russian forces retreating from Ukraine ,while the USA returns to Russia an equivalent area of Alaska. Any security concerns America might have could be dealt with if the same parties cobbled together an appropriate memorandum, along the lines of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, which was meant to secure Ukraine's sovereignty within its existing borders. What could possibly go wrong with that? Alan Fitzpatrick, Dunlop. More letters... Church leaders need to get rid of the assumed superiority and become part of the people Golf should target the spitters Alex Salmond top Scots figure? No, that's Gordon Brown, without question Defensive behaviour With reference to a recent front page article ('Highest level of nuclear incident reported at Faslane', The Herald, August 14), if nuclear power is so safe, efficient and popular, why is the Ministry of Defence so secretive about their recent "incidents" on the Clyde? Is it gaslighting, ignorance or deceit? Allan McDougall, Neilston. Potato poverty There is little doubt that the SNP can spend money, as is evident in the latest GERS (Government Expenditure and Revenue for Scotland) report (Letters, August 14). But they fall well short on supporting the very Scottish companies that creates their income. The SNP spent £2700 per head in Scotland more than the rest of the UK. If they weren't bailed out by the UK treasury, the SNP would have had to borrow the 11.7% shortfall to make ends meet. This underlines the complete folly of Scottish independence, as it would reduce Scotland to humiliating poverty and back on to a diet of neeps and tatties. Dennis Forbes Grattan, Aberdeen. Transparent not apparent In one of her many media interviews, Nicola Sturgeon at last come out as a republican. For years, when there were votes to chase, she waffled and prevaricated, clearly desperate not to ruffle the feathers of monarchists or republicans. 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The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Sturgeon attainment gap mistake could 'punish' SNP
In the party's 2016 election manifesto, the SNP also pledged to 'substantially' eliminate the gap by 2026. Ms Sturgeon shared her regret at failing to reduce the attainment gap, writing in her memoir that it was 'only possible if we do more to tackle poverty itself'. Exam results revealed the difference in attainment between A to C grades in pupils from the most and least deprived areas stood at 16.6% for National 5, 12.8% for Higher and 17.1% for Advanced Higher. Dr Fraser McMillan, a researcher at Edinburgh University and contributor to the Scottish Election Study, analysed the former first minister's public perception during her time in office and the impact her exit has had on the SNP. Read more: He told The Herald: 'There has been a lot of talk about her legacy and a big chunk of that is to what extent she is responsible for a drop in Scottish Government approval and SNP support.' The party's decline 'definitely started under her and then obviously the circumstances of her resignation and the arrest reinforced the ill-feeling,' he added. 'It's something the SNP have never really recovered from. John Swinney has steadied the ship but it's not like he is making major strikes forward in terms of how people think the Scottish Government is doing. 'When it comes to policy stuff people really don't think she kept her promise on education and the attainment gap in particular.' He added: 'I don't think you can underestimate the disappointment on the SNP's record on the attainment gap with Sturgeon as first minister. The numbers really don't lie and she had overpromised in the attainment gap regard. Read more: 'She said 'judge me on my record on this' and I think people did judge her and they did so pretty harshly.' In the June 2023 Scottish Opinion Monitor, public perception on how the Scottish Government handled education fell compared to 2021. By 2024, Ms Sturgeon was out of government, however the Scottish Election Study surveyed the public on the Scottish Government's record on education since 2019, with 73% arguing it got worse. Earlier this week, the former first minister described her failure to eliminate the gap as "possibly one of my biggest regrets". She added: "At the time I made the promise of probably not appreciating as much as I quickly can to do the factors that would influence that. "And that was not just about issues around the curriculum in schools, but what is the driving cause of the poverty related attainment gap in our schools? It's poverty, it's the conditions children grow up in, outside school." However she cited policies such as the Scottish Child Payment and the Baby Box - essential items gifted to parents for the first six months of a newborn's life - as helping to lift children out of poverty. But Dr McMillan told The Herald current First Minister - and education secretary under Ms Sturgeon - had work to do to win over voters. He said: "It has undoubtably damaged the reputation for competence that got them elected in the first place. "Until after the 2021 election, pro-independence voters were reluctant to blame the Scottish Government for any issues, but that began to change under Sturgeon's watch and that, combined with the internal chaos and scandal that followed her resignation, undoubtably hurt them in the 2024 [general election]. "Swinney has arrested the decline but it remains to be seen if he can improve the country's mood and its assessment of SNP performance in office." It comes as polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice told The Herald's Unspun Live podcast at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe it was "most extremely unlikely" the SNP would win a majority next year.
Belfast Telegraph
a day ago
- Belfast Telegraph
‘Completely unacceptable': Unionists hit out after flag stolen from Orange Hall in Co Antrim
South Antrim MP Robin Swann said the vandalism, which is understood to have occurred on Thursday night, should be roundly condemned. 'The destruction of the flagpole and theft of the union flag at Mossley Orange Hall is incredibly disappointing to see and should be condemned by all,' he said. "This vandalism, carried out last night, is completely unacceptable and I urge anyone with information to speak to PSNI. "My colleagues have been in contact with the Lodge following this attack on their hall, and I will be offering to give my support however I can.' Antrim and Newtownabbey UUP Councillor Robert Foster said there had never been an incident at the hall before. "This is a resource used by the whole local community, and recently the District and Lodge have held proactive outreach nights exploring the origins and history of the Orange Order as part of their work to strengthen community relations,' he said. "The lodge will have my full support and assistance in replacing the flagpole and flag as quickly as possible.' DUP MLA for the area, Trevor Clarke, said the attack was an example of 'sectarian vandalism'. "This is petty, pointless sectarian vandalism, and it's part of a worrying trend of sectarian attacks on Orange Halls across Northern Ireland,' he said. "I've spoken with the Lodge, they've contacted the PSNI, and I'll also be writing to raise this with police leadership. We need stronger, visible efforts to tackle these blatantly sectarian crimes before tensions escalate further. We need your consent to load this Social Media content. We use a number of different Social Media outlets to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. "And to the sectarian idiots behind this, one day, you'll be caught. "One day, you'll sit in a job interview and have to explain why you've a criminal record for a hate crime, theft and criminal damage... because you 'struck a blow for Irish freedom' one night by breaking into an Orange Hall, destroying a flagpole and stealing a Union Jack just because you are filled with sectarian hatred. Well done.' Why is the M3 closed this weekend ? The PSNI has been approached for comment.
