Online attacks on MSPs cross the line of decent debate as hate almost triples
Even if we disagree fundamentally with some of our MSPs' political positions, they deserve to be safe at work, Record View says.
The number of abusive social media posts directed towards MSPs has almost tripled in the past year.
According to research, MSPs have been on the receiving end of 23,500 abusive posts – an increase from 8000 the 12 months before.
No matter your views on the performance of our politicans, this is unacceptable.
While robust debate should always be welcomed – and our MSPs should expect a fair amount of anger from constituents – this onslaught of online hate must end.
Even if we disagree fundamentally with some of our MSPs ' political positions, they deserve to be safe at work.
But it makes it almost impossible for them to engage with voters when they are on the receiving end of so much online abuse.
Some will argue MSPs should just get on with it and these hateful messages are nothing more than keyboard warriors letting off steam.
But we all know nasty bile poured out online can seep into the real world.
We saw the worst of this in 2016, when Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered just a week before the Brexit referendum.
If we want politics to make our lives better and spark real change,
then we need to engage with ideas and real debate.
We should disagree with our politicians. We should argue with them. We can think outside the box and put forward radical ideas.
But the minute we start to abuse, threaten and hate those we disagree with, a line has been crossed.
There is no excuse for it and those who engage in such tactics deserve nothing but disdain.
Stay sun-sible
Scots will be baking in the hottest day of the year so far today – with the temperature in Jedburgh set to top Tenerife.
With the mercury soaring as high as 29C, many of us will be heading for beaches and parks to enjoy the great outdoors and a few drinks.
With that in mind, many pubs are ordering in extra beer barrels to keep up with demand.
But although the sun has been a rare visitor so far this summer, it would be wise to keep everything in moderation.
Sunbathing, like alcohol, is best enjoyed with a sensible head on.
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Health chiefs in Glasgow have warned sun-worshippers to keep hydrated and make sure to cover up if out in the heat for long spells.
The warm and dry weather will also increase the risk of wildfires, so people are being urged to take care with open fires and disposable barbecues.
Whatever you get up to this fine weekend, be safe and don't forget the sunscreen.
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BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
'People should die naturally' - mixed views on assisted dying debate
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Scotsman
2 hours ago
- Scotsman
Readers' Letters: Exclusion isn't the only response to difficult pupils
A reader has a suggestion for the First Minister when it comes to dealing with difficult pupils Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Apparently First Minister John Swinney warns that 'Excluding disruptive pupils risks pushing them into organised crime' (19 June). That may be so, but there are other alternatives for those young people who, for whatever reason, find mainstream education challenging. For example, he could look at the opportunities provided by the Spartans Community Foundation in Pilton and their Alternative School for secondary school students, extending now to P6/P7 pupils. Fiona Garwood, Edinburgh John Swinney wants every Scottish pupil to have a good educational experience (Picture: Andrew Milligan - Pool/Getty Images) Deadly games Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad US President Donald Trump is taking a fortnight to consider whether to join Israel in attacking Iran. Good. It means internal advisers have got to him, perhaps even the Europeans, Canadians and UK. Such a move would be an act of folly. Remember the run-up to the Iraq war. Labour in power, Tony Blair gives early notice of his support for the 'special relationship'. They produce a 'dodgy dossier' speaking of 'weapons of mass destruction' which probably didn't exist. Blair struts around beside George Bush, looking macho. There is a 'victory', but long-term chaos descends on Iraq, certainly no democracy. Iran is much bigger than Iraq, and there will be greater chaos. Israel is the immediate major aggressor, and is a client state of the US, which is totally complicit. Meanwhile, Israel has reduced Gaza to ruins, and is starving its population, what remains of it, to death. At the same time, it is a land-grab, with more Israel settlers being facilitated. Crawford Mackie, Edinburgh Ban US bombs Earlier this week, Donald Trump demonstrated his grasp of diplomacy by making an offensive early exit from the G7 meeting in Calgary, presumably rushing home to plan a joint war with Israel against Iran. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Will Britain, in an echo of their actions in joining with the USA to wreck Iraq, now join with the US to wreck Iran? It would seem that this is the intention of our Prime Minister, not wishing to cross his big orange buddy. I sense that the great majority of Scots are not up for waging a new war in the Middle East, just as we do not support Israel in their obliteration of the Palestinians, but what can we do? Well, we might take journalist Neal Ascherson's advice, and act as if we are already an independent nation. The USAF regularly use Prestwick to refuel their flights to the Middle east. Might bunker buster bombs be part of the payload of USAF aircraft refuelling at Prestwick? The airport is owned by us, the Scottish people. Our Scottish Government should veto any USAF flights resupplying Israel's military, and should certainly veto any transit of bunker busters ultimately intended for Iran. This would very much displease Keir Starmer, but would be recognised by right-minded people, nationally and internationally, as a correct and moral action. Ken Gow, Bridge of Canny, Banchory What the X? So the SNP's Communication's Officer, David Mitchell, asks on X, 'why exactly is Scotland is paying for [HS2] when it doesn't even stop in Scotland?' And yet, the SNP government has stated that it has not contributed any funds to HS2. Indeed, Scotland will receive proportionate Barnett consequentials funding based on that (albeit flawed) investment. So it seems to me that part of Mitchell's role is to miscommunicate in an attempt to provoke groundless outrage amongst dyed-in-the-wool separatists. Martin Redfern, Melrose, Roxburghshire Planning language Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Words fail me too (Letters, 19 June). The Government has taken its eye off the ball. There is a much more important language than Gaelic or Scots that must be made official so they can pursue their dream of covering Scotland with wind farms – planning language. I doubt SNP MSPs had any idea how, for example, the word 'localised' would be used when they passed National Planning Framework 4, based on the manifesto of the Scottish Greens, voted for by 8 per cent of the electorate. The Government voted for the two National Parks and National Scenic areas to be protected from wind farms but 'Where impacts are localised and/or appropriate design mitigation has been applied, they will generally be considered to be acceptable.' It seems 'localised' in the dictionary means 'restrict or assign to a particular place'. Developer language 'for planning purposes' means you can insist the effect of 18, 180m high turbines along the Moorfoot Scarp in view of Midlothian, parts of East Lothian and South Edinburgh, including the castle, are localised. It is said significant effects of Torfichen wind farm would reach to Gorebridge 5.6km away, about three and a half miles! Locally three wind farms have already been refused on wider landscape grounds. Surely the opposite of localised is 'widespread', as used by Nature Scot in their representation 'widespread visibility of the turbines from many areas of East Lothian and Midlothian... and would result in adverse cumulative landscape and visual impacts'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Why should a minority party decide the shape of Scotland to come? Why no strategic plan instead of landowners deciding where wind farms should go? Now the pact has ceased, and the New National Park has been scrapped, this has to be looked at again. All governments make mistakes but, as we have seen lately, it is how and if they rectify them by which they are judged by the electorate. Celia Hobbs, Penicuik, Midlothian Green dreams Scotsman writer Paul Wilson will certainly not feature on the Green brigade's Christmas Card list ("Mighty growth from Scotland's Acorn could prove elusive', Perspective, 19 June). He strips away the green film to reveal hard, indisputable facts not the green fiction politicians and those of a green persuasion would have us believe. Soaring electricity costs are costing jobs and are not being replaced by the green jobs so beloved and promised by clueless politicians and their followers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad So where is the cheap electricity we were promised? In the last year wind and solar could only provide 35.8 per cent of our electricity while gas was 29.9, nuclear 14, Drax using trees to produce electricity was 7.3, and imports from Europe totalling 11.5 per cent kept the lights on. The Scottish Government, keen to 'lead the world', said they would achieve net zero by 2045. Yes and pigs can fly. China has set its net zero target as 2060 and India 2070. Both huge maybes. As Paul Wilson says, the green jobs bonanza that politicians promised for decades has failed to materialise and the UK is shedding jobs by the thousands. At least the Scottish people can show their anger in May 2026 and throw out the green charlatan MSPs and their hoards of mega-expensive climate advisors. Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian Minimum brains It appears the SNP administration is still keen on introducing a minimum income guarantee payment of £11,500 to every Scot, whatever their status. This would cost £8 billion-plus. Maybe the nationalists think it a vote-winner. This in spite of every country that has ever tried to implement anything similar finding it to be unworkable and financially disastrous. An 'expert' group was commissioned by SNP ministers in 2021 to work it all out. That alone should send shivers down the Scottish spine. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Be afraid, be very afraid. This could make the ferry fiasco look like a drop in the ocean. Alexander McKay, Edinburgh The Never-Never Like Nessie, growth remains elusive for this government. The Bank of England has just prioritised control of inflation over any immediate interest rate reduction which could have stimulated growth. But worry not! Grand plans are in hand. Following on the heels of last week's Spending Review setting out the UK Government's priorities for the next four years or so, a £725 billion, ten-year infrastructure investment plan for the UK has just been announced. Moreover, the Government's much awaited Industrial Strategy is imminent. The devil is always in the detail of big plans and aspirations. Often overlooked, the devil here may lie in the detail of the approval process for capital projects in the public sector. The appraisal techniques that are used are set out in the Treasury's Green Book – the UK's Bible of 'best practice'. (Scotland has its own version which largely follows this.) The Chancellor announced that the Green Book is about to be revised and updated, making capital project approvals quicker and easier, so the taxpayer gets a bigger bang for their buck, especially for projects (eg new homes) in areas of deprivation. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, it is unclear how this will work in practice. One concern relates to the level of analytical rigour required, which may prove over-challenging for parts of the public sector. If that's true, then, somewhat perversely, Green Book 'enhancements' could have the effect of slowing down approval rates, with knock-on effects for the speed at which any related growth impacts are realised. 'Never Never Land' is the fictional domain where children never grow up, or some other imaginary ideal. There is a fear here that despite good intentions, when facing increasingly fierce and uncertain macro-economic headwinds, and the micro-challenge of delivering growth-inducing capital projects on the ground, that the plans and aspirations of this government run the risk of being equally fanciful. Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns Write to The Scotsman
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The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Readers have their say on reversing Brexit – from rejoining EU ‘tomorrow' to ‘letting more time pass'
Nearly nine years on from Brexit, a deep sense of regret and frustration lingers across the UK. What was once hailed by some as a reclaiming of sovereignty has instead left many feeling isolated, economically weakened, and disconnected from the continent they once called home. A recent YouGov poll revealed that more than half of Britons now want to rejoin the EU, and Independent readers have echoed this sense of disappointment and frustration. Despite the appetite, there was a strong feeling that rejoining would be complicated and is unlikely anytime soon, given political resistance and the demanding terms the EU would likely require. Yet many remained hopeful that growing public support might shift the debate in the future. Here's what you had to say: Farage: the problem, not the solution Nigel Farage – the man who attempted to ostracise Britain from the EU, who pledged Brexit would dramatically bring down immigration, give us our sovereignty back, and who now squeals to the British public that he can somehow, somewhere, magic up a harsher version that will somehow fix all of Great Britain's problems. No Farage, you are the problem. As your new 'Chair' of Reform creates yet another divisive policy of bringing back the return of the death penalty – and as Sky News today has reported that the UK's largest trade union saw its membership jump by 200 per cent in the 10 local authorities won by Reform recently – he is now attempting to sack anyone working on DEI or climate change, despite the very fact that the councils don't even have staff who work exclusively on either of these policies. Can't he, for once, attempt to fix the problems that the UK already has, as opposed to creating new ones? Amy Regardless of whether leaving the EU was a good or bad idea, the outcome teaches us an important lesson about the way our democracy works. Brexit failed for lots of reasons, but in part at least, it failed because the government of the day didn't support it. As a consequence, they had no plan for it. This is why referendums, far from being examples of direct democracy, are terrible ideas – and in this case, a rank abdication of responsibility, and a classic example of a Tory putting his party before the interests of the country. If you want something to change, vote for a party that is promising it. It's to be hoped that they will at least have thought it out. RickC The UK has been teetering on the edge of economic disaster Leaving the EU was a terrible blunder. The biased information received by the UK public was all in favour of 'Remain'. David Cameron went so far as to openly proclaim his allegiance to Remain and sought to persuade the UK electorate likewise. Unfortunately, the UK electorate had, at that time, seen little benefit from their EU membership and voted accordingly to leave. Cameron then did the right thing – to fall on his own sword! Unbelievably, Sunak brought him back into government as an entirely inappropriate foreign minister and even made him a member of the House of Bores. The UK has been teetering on the edge of economic disaster, while still strutting itself on the international stage as a global player. If only politicians would learn to serve the people of this country well! This is – after all – what they are elected to do. SPCK The UK is reliant on a foreign workforce It has been a failure because none of the issues that triggered Brexit were properly addressed, but actually made worse, especially immigration, the number one reason Brexit succeeded. And what happened to immigration post-Brexit? Nothing, apart from Europeans being replaced by predominantly Indians and Nigerians, an important difference being that the latter are bringing in many more dependents than Europeans used to. I have been working jobs where the percentage of immigrants is quite high. Before Brexit, about 90% of coworkers from the EU came to the UK as single or at least without kids, while quite the opposite — 80% of coworkers from India, Nigeria or other African countries came in married with kids. Those who voted for Brexit were just too blind to realise or accept that the UK heavily relies on a foreign workforce, and if you did not want it from the EU, you will have to accept it from Asia and Africa. WokiePokie What does rejoining the EU actually mean? The trouble with this survey and many others is that they fail to qualify what rejoining the EU means. Most assume it means going back in with our concessions. If asked if they support joining the Euro and Schengen (which all new members have to agree to), the majority support amongst the UK electorate disappears. Ian Robinson "It found that 56 per cent want the UK to return to being part of the EU." But it didn't specify on what terms, so respondents probably imagined the same terms we had when we left. That, of course, will never be on offer – and joining the Euro and Schengen and fully committing to the full European project would be a non-negotiable prerequisite. They would also need to see a consensus among both the public and political classes, and that would mean another referendum with a super-majority in favour of rejoining – and 56 per cent wouldn't cut it. Then, the UK would have to be able to meet the Copenhagen Criteria and its economic limits in terms of debt and deficit, and we are nowhere near that. Happily, rejoining is a pipe dream. There is no prospect in sight for the UK rejoining. Dogglebird The people were lied to – we deserve another vote Brexit was a failure. We were all lied to by Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage as well as the other Tories. Look at the damage it has caused and how many people have lost their jobs. The UK has been in a mess ever since. The UK public should be allowed another vote to rejoin the EU or stay as we are. After all, the government gets to vote on everything, but we are not allowed to. Markcarlisle Lazy leadership Brexit was based on lies and misled the public. Farage, Johnson, Gove and co stoked up the campaign and drove through a disastrous hard Brexit deal. But the man at whose door this lies is Cameron. He called the referendum to deal with Tory divisions, lost it because he was too lazy and sloppy to organise it properly (a binding referendum usually requires a two-thirds majority), and then walked away from the resulting mess. It's encouraging that public opinion is slowly shifting towards rejoining, but 56 per cent isn't a large enough percentage to encourage the current government to act, and polls have been stuck at that for quite some time. There will only be enough political momentum to justify rejoining the EU or the EEA when polling in favour of this is consistently over 60 per cent, and there's little sign of that yet. Tanaquil2 Weakening Europe was senseless At Brexit time (after the vote), I posted that it was silly to reject the economic value of being in the EU, but absolutely senseless to weaken Europe in the face of Putin and Jinping, given the US had voted for Trump. I didn't expect Trump to come back, but it was clear there was something seriously wrong over there. For all its problems, Europe is the best hope for the world, and it needs the extra weight of the UK. much0ado We need to know the terms first I voted against Brexit, but the biggest lesson should be: make any decision once you know the terms. From past reporting, it would seem some EU members are open to treating the UK as a returning member as a special case, whilst others, particularly France, want us treated like a new entrant. Langley Now isn't the time I was a staunch Remainer, and as a pro-globalist, I'm keen to see us rejoin the European Union. I also miss travelling so freely. I believe now is not the time to rejoin the EU, however. Nerves are still raw, the Brits aren't well-liked on the continent, and I believe rejoining would be a financially costly endeavour – a kind of punishment for leaving in the first place. More time needs to pass. BigDogSmallBrain No party will have the courage to rejoin Leaving the EU was a horrendous act of self-harm. Unfortunately, we have a situation in which the hard right still has substantial power and do not accept that we are in a worse position. It is somehow a failure of everyone else that Brexit is a failure. No party will have the courage to rejoin, especially as we are unlikely to rejoin on such favourable terms. The EU reset is a good start, but can we quickly progress towards a single market and customs union model? The country has been lied to, but too many people still believe the lies of Farage and co. If there were a referendum, I would vote to rejoin tomorrow. I have always been a Eurosceptic, but I have also always recognised the enormous benefits we got from the EU. If you belong to any club, some rules you will like and others you won't. Speculator The UK is now a sea of charity shops and budget stores I have lived and worked outside the UK since I was 26 and moved to Dubai, from there to Switzerland, briefly back to the UK, then Cyprus, and now France since 2009. Both my children were born abroad and benefited from living in different countries. I watched Brexit evolve with horror, but was powerless as I lost my vote after 15 years outside. I think if anyone has any questions about whether the UK should rejoin, they should take a trip through Europe — not the Costas, but the real Europe. Maybe a high-speed train from Milan to Bari, or a drive through France, Germany, Austria, and check out the well-maintained roads and facilities. Frankly, we find the UK now just a sea of charity shops, budget stores, scruffy towns and horrible transport options. Hoping it changes for the sake of the youth. Chris Want to share your views? Simply register your details below. Once registered, you can comment on the day's top stories for a chance to be featured. Alternatively, click 'log in' or 'register' in the top right corner to sign in or sign up.
