Need we bow to Trump and massively ramp up defence spending?

The Herald Scotland

17 hours ago

Not only is an arms race a financial bonanza for the grotesquely rich, but it is paid for by society's poor. The pretext is the war in Ukraine and fear of Russia.
Anyone who has paid attention to this three-year-old war could not help notice the abysmal military performance of Russia. Supposedly the world's second most powerful military power, Russia has reportedly sustained casualty figures of one million troops killed or wounded in Ukraine and has worked through most of its ground military hardware, all to little effect on the battlefield.
The war has revealed huge inadequacies in the Russian military who have resorted to the use of foreign troops and prisoners led from the rear by leaders tainted by corruption and incompetence.
It is understandable that ex-Soviet satellite states are rearming, but the combined strength of Western states far outweighs Russia in weapons and population.
Are we to obey President Trump and hugely increase arms spending or make a reasoned assessment of the risks we face and act accordingly? Should we consider the effect on Russian people of the threat of NATO, especially if introduced into Ukraine? Would a change of stance on the part of the west calm fears in Russia?
For years UK has spent a greater proportion of GDP on defence than other European countries but whether it has spent wisely is another question. Two giant aircraft carriers, costing many billions, raise the questions, 'what for? and 'could the money be spent more effectively?'
We need to dispense with Cold War thinking, make rational decisions about the level of threat and make defence provision accordingly. Generals and military experts are not always our best advisors.
John Inglis, Arran.
Neil Mackay ('The BBC is helping Reform – and has become a danger to demcoracy', June 12) should look at the actual output of the BBC for evidence of bias towards Reform UK rather than second-guessing BBC policy papers.
There's virtually nothing to support BBC approval of Reform UK, rather the contrary. His article is a projection of his dislike of Reform rather than an acknowledgement of reality.
Mackay says the BBC gives too much time to Reform UK. You'd think that he did not notice the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, where Labour, the SNP and Reform were in a tight group miles ahead of the other parties. Mackay mentions the LibDems. Should the BBC puff up 2% parties, for that's what they got in Hamilton?
Elsewhere Mackay has evidently missed the Reform UK win in Runcorn and their decisive victories in English
council and other elections.
Does he really think that Scotland will be completely different? As for all the opinion polls UK-wide which show a clear Reform lead, the BBC should ignore them in the Mackay universe.
Having ignored Reform, next year he and 'his' BBC will be completely confused about where the 2026 Reform MSPs came from. Perhaps from decent and thoughtful Scottish voters predictably and ignorantly labelled by Mackay as 'hard right'.
John Burton, Gatelawbridge, Thornhill.
Education needs radical change
I read what some might find controversial views on Scottish education by Eric Melvin in which he extols the virtues of the Japanese system of teamwork in schools (Letters, June 13).
What Mr Melvin does not seem to elaborate on the comparatively very disciplined approach employed in Japanese schools.
Additionally, I suggest that it cannot be wholly unrelated to the fact that last year 2024, was the worst on record for pupil suicides in Japan. The number who killed themselves while a pupil at Elementary, Junior High and Senior High was 529.
However I do agree with Mr Melvin that things must change, perhaps radically, if Scottish education is to improve. It may be that like the NHS we should now take a more national view. The system of local authorities having responsibility for education may seem a democratic solution but it has one obvious issue.
If you agree that parenting skills are the key to providing young people with the best start in their education then attempting to enforce parental responsibilities becomes influenced by the fact that the enforcers only got their authority by the votes of the public, including said parents.
I see any attempt to take politicians out of the equation must be a good thing.
Bill Brown, Milngavie, Glasgow.
Unionist parties can't be trusted
Am I missing something? Voters put Labour into power at the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.
Labour is the party that stood by and did nothing while Grangemouth oil refinery went under, with the initial loss of 400 jobs. Labour is the party that moved the marine boundaries in the Scottish North Sea, so that they could secure key Scottish oil fields and put them in English waters, instead of Scottish waters. Labour is the party obsessed with fantasy net zero, which will cost the taxpayer billions of pounds.
Kemi Badenoch, leader of the Tories, stated that if Scotland became independent, it would be poorer for it because it would lose the Union Dividend.
This is coded language for saying that England would go bust when it lost Scottish oil revenues. The message is plain – do not trust the Unionist Parties. Or are some Scots just turkeys voting for an early Christmas?
William C McLaughlin, Thankerton, Biggar.
Aggressive interviewers
It is good to know that Walter Paul (letters, June 12) and so many friends rise early on a Sunday morning and also read the Herald. That's certainly good for democracy.
It seems strange that they failed to notice numerous interviewers who frequently interrupt politicians of all shades of opinion, giving them no chance to answer their questions. I have already expressed this view in your columns.
The idea that Anas Sarwar, as suggested by Mr Paul, is at all 'arrogant' in private or in public, apart from those who are prejudiced, is for the birds.
Sir Tom Clarke, former MP for Coatbridge.
Scotland and the Brexit vote
Martin Redfern makes a valiant effort (letters, June 12) to defend Scotland's expulsion from the EU in 2016 by stressing that Brussels had made the consequences clear before the vote.
The simple fact that neither Mr Redfern nor Brussels can dispute is that our Scottish nation voted emphatically to remain in the EU and the results show that even if every vote cast in Scotland to Leave had instead been cast to Remain, the outcome for Scotland would have been unchanged.
If Mr Redfern is content to entrust Scotland's destiny perpetually to the wishes of our English neighbours, whom I have no wish to denigrate in any way, that is his undeniable right. But I prefer to trust and respect my fellow Scots and will never be content to accept the colonial status we have had to endure since being annexed by England in 1907.
Willie Maclean, Milngavie.
No football gods and precious few heroes
The Herald Sport seems to consider the fate of the Scotland football manager as the most important issue to come out of the SFA AGM. It is not.
It is the ludicrous situation where the manager of the Scotland team has so few Scottish players to choose from. Unless the SFA can force or coax clubs in Scotland to adopt a quota system where Scotland-eligible players eventually form the on-field majority of teams, we may as well just pack in international football as being too embarrassing for us Scots to watch.
No football gods and precious few heroes: that's us, the country which likes to think we invented the game. There should be zero public funding for professional football in Scotland, and clubs should be charged for every cost the public incurs (policing, transport disruption et al) until things change.
GR Weir, Ochiltree.
Seeing the real, paid-entry Fringe
I read with interest Brian Ferguson's account of the street shows at the Fringe having to be cancelled or cut back due to the ubiquitous 'funding crisis' ('Edinburgh Festival Fringe street theatre shows under threat', June 11).
When I was the Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society in the 1980s it cost next to nothing to organise these shows, which were plentiful even then, so I shudder to think why the EFFS needs £250,000 to put on these street events now.
I could point out that the performers, especially the professional UK and European-based street entertainers, 'pass the hat' and therefore could pay something towards the cost, but I get annoyed when the street events get spoken of as the real Fringe.
The Fringe is made up of hundreds of performances, usually indoors somewhere and this is what your readers need to support given the horrific state of Edinburgh's accommodation costs.
I get sad when people tell me they have 'been to the Fringe' when all they saw were crowds in the closed-off High Street and some guy juggling knives before they had a drink or a meal. Spare a thought for the many other performers that I would prefer the public paid to see. They actually make up the Fringe.
Michael Dale, Glasgow.
An alliterative alternative
I share David Miller's admiration for Jody Harrison's humdinger Herald headline of 'Summer solstice sees searches spike for Scottish standing stones' (June 12).
In my musings this morning, the intrusive 'for' has been eliminated and words realigned to produce 'Summer solstice sees Scottish standing stones searches spike'. And all fuelled by bran flakes, as opposed to David's cornflakes.......
Colin C MacKean, Kilmacolm.
The King's sense of humour
I am not a great fan of the Royal Family, but I believe that credit should be extended to it when due. I refer to the picture which accompanied your story ('King's starry celebration', June 13).
In the picture the King is shown in conversation with Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet, as you do. Both of the ladies are smiling, as is the King. He clearly has a sense of humour and likes to share it with others when their paths cross. This is not a rare occurrence, because often, when out and about, he seems to be smiling and encourages others to see the humorous side of life.
This behaviour may help to reduce the apprehension felt by many about meeting up with the King. Good to know that he encourages humour and is happy to share it.
I think, incidentally, we all know why David Beckham, also in the photograph, is smiling now .
Ian W Thomson, Lenzie.