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The Herald Scotland

Let's hope Nicola's book reminds us of her many achievements

Ruth Marr, Stirling. • Frankly I can see a screenplay of Nicola Sturgeon's Frankly start to write itself before my eyes. "We want the truth! You can't handle the truth! You have the luxury of not knowing what I know!" (A Few Good Men). "Facts may be coloured by the personalities of the people who present them" ("12 Angry Men"). And on the subject of the jury being out, I wonder how many people will be poring over Frankly to analyse if Ms Sturgeon has remembered to forget in the book that same evidence that she forgot to remember on oath. Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn. Alasdair Sampson, Stewarton. Heading for Indyref8 Stan Grodynski (Letters, August 1) once again issues the weary demand of the separatists to insist on "Indyref2" due to recent selected polling – and queries the unionists' reluctance to accept this. The SNP consistently fights every election with the break-up of the UK overriding all other manifesto policies, referring to any potential [[SNP]] majority as "de facto referenda" and "mandates for independence". Yet, since 2014, there have been six general and Scottish elections – and what Mr Grodynski appears conveniently to ignore is the fact that not a single one of these has yielded a majority of votes for independence parties. Each and every one, in a "democratic manner" as he requests, confirmed that those who still think that Scotland should remain in the UK do in fact "represent the majority view of the people of Scotland". At the most recent election SNP support stood at 30% – just one year ago – having peaked at 49% in 2021 with the added, albeit minor, inclusion of its Green colleagues. In fact, no election has ever produced a majority of votes for Scottish nationalist parties. Given these election outcomes of 2015-2024, what Mr Grodynski is in fact seeking is not "Indyref2" but "Indyref8". The first seven are evidence enough – there are other, higher priorities on which our politicians should focus. Robin McNaught, Bridge of Weir. • Scottish nationalists continue to agitate, in the press and on social media, for another referendum on Scottish secession. They cannot, however, tell us which European countries have had repeat referendums on the same major constitutional question every few years. The losers in 2014 were indulged quite enough with the Smith Commission and the Scotland Act of 2016, which significantly extended Holyrood's powers – and not for the better. Now they want to impose their wishes in full on the winners. I have a question for them: having lost in 2014, you demand a new referendum. If there was one, and you won for the first time, would you accept the need to put the question again? Would you accept that winning once was not enough, and that a second referendum should be held, as you expect us to do now? I think we know the answer to that question. Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh. Read more letters We want parity with NI Alan Fitzpatrick (Letters, August 1) asks me to give the parameters required for a Scottish referendum, when all I had asked for was constitutional parity with Northern Ireland, where under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 a legal duty is imposed on the Secretary of State to hold a border poll 'if it appears likely that a majority of people... would vote for Irish unification'. Not hard is it? There is also the question of Scotland's status: Scotland was 'extinguished' in 1707 according to the constitutional advisors to the UK Government in 2014. So are we then a colony, in which case a referendum becomes moot, and a majority desire for de-colonising is simply recognised by Westminster? I was on a Royal Navy warship at Mauritius at the time of their independence. They had simply passed an Independence Bill in the Mauritian parliament in 1967 and were independent in 1968. Many others simply morphed into independence. Easy peasy. There is also the question of the media. How can a fair referendum be held in a country with a media which is totally partisan to one side? GR Weir, Ochiltree. Maximising the indy vote At last, at least some in the [[SNP]] realise that we now have a choice of independence-supporting parties to vote for ("[[SNP]] rebels launching challenge to Swinney's strategy on new Indyref", The Herald, August 1), but we do need to keep our options open. The task should be to maximise the votes, both for constituency and list seats, going to pro-independence candidates. This, of course, means that all pro-independence parties must have good policies, not just for the here and now, but for an independent Scotland. If this is done, then once the votes are counted, with MSPs in place, comes the discussion as to whether the people have spoken and independence is ours, or whether we need to attack Westminster's delaying tactics to gain control of Scotland. Patricia Fort, Glasgow. Trump is so unpredictable I find Ian Lakin's logic when arguing against Brexit and independence (Letters, July 30) sadly mistaken. Mind you it is based on Donald Trump's kind of logic (and his mercurial temperament). It is true that we receive (or suffer) smaller tariffs than the EU – and many other countries – so at present we are in a better trading position than them this week, possibly because Mr Trump only speaks an English similar to ours and his mother was Scottish. What will he do next week? It was sad to see Keir Starmer and John Swinney running to beg/negotiate with him last weekend. However the truth is that we are still in a worse trading position than we were before [[Donald Trump]] was reappointed. Last week the bold Donald claimed to have stopped some wars and hoped to settle more. So far he has not stopped any conflicts and has stated his wish to take over Canada and Greenland, not to mention Gaza for leisure development. Perhaps Ian Lakin would be happy to have him take over the UK (or at least Scotland)? The real truth is that we do not know what he will do next and should fear our future. Europe, for all its problems, is still closer and more constant than the USA of today. JB Drummond, Kilmarnock. • Ian Lakin argues that the EU trade deal with the US with its 15% tariffs means that the UK is much better off with its putative 10% deal. He perhaps does not know that the UK doesn't have a trade surplus with the US, according to US figures which exclude money moving through the Isle of Man etc. The US calculates that the EU does. The EU is a much more important market for Scotland and the whole UK than the US. Non-tariff barriers are costing many Scottish businesses. The trade barriers between the UK and Northern Ireland caused by Brexit are also growing higher over time. Jackie Kemp, Edinburgh. A kinder benefits system The findings of a report commissioned by Scottish ministers into the performance of the Adult Disability Payment have been published. They embrace the ethos of Social Security Scotland: "Fairness, Dignity and Respect". The findings say that ADP is "kinder in tone and more dignified in approach" and was "significantly more compassionate" than the DWP system it replaced. Claiming benefits is not a lifestyle choice, it is a necessity for millions and should be made as accessible as possible, as noted in this report. While the Westminster Government is intent on reducing welfare costs which in many cases results in a false economy, with many claimants experiencing a decline in conditions and needing additional healthcare, the Scottish Government has committed to continuing its investment in the people of Scotland and Scotland's social security system. We must always invest in the safety net that defines the kind of society we are. Catriona C Clark, Falkirk. Keep Open away from Turnberry I agree with everything Andy Maciver has written today about junior doctors ("Doctors are wrong to strike but they are right that they deserve better pay", The Herald, August 1), but am astonished that his piece last week about Turnberry and The Open ("Swinney must help bring the Open to Turnberry", The Herald, July 25) attracted no comment. Having watched the BBC interview with Eric Trump, the overwhelming arrogance of this man, which is not surprising given his lineage, is a very good reason why the R&A should continue to give Turnberry a very wide berth. The revamped Ailsa course may well now be the best course in Britain, and many others have said it is, but that is no reason to rush into giving it back the game's premier tournament. Eric Trump did not say 'The Open deserves Turnberry'. He did not say 'Professional golfers deserve the chance to play Turnberry'. He said: 'My father deserves The Open.' The only thing Donald Trump deserves is a prison sentence. He finished with an expletive sentence which simply unlined his unfitness to have anything to do with this tournament. The Open is bigger than Donald Trump and does not need his golf course. John N E Rankin, Bridge of Allan. Donald Trump at his Turnberry golf course (Image: Getty) Glasgow's kindness Myself and five friends were in Glasgow to celebrate our 70th birthday year. We went to the King's to see Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, then to Sarti's for dinner. One of the 'girls' put '70' table centres on the table. The family at the next table wished us happy birthday. After they left the restaurant the waiter came across with a bottle of Prosecco which they had paid for. As if that kind gesture wasn't enough, the couple sitting behind us chatted and wished us well. As they left the restaurant they turned and put £40 on the table and said to take it off the bill. They disappeared before we could react. We were all shocked with the generosity of complete strangers but it did give us all great faith in Glasgow's kindness. Liz Morley, Strathaven. Comfort zone Brian Watt's story about a Newtongrange social club's bus party to Wembley to support the national team in the 1970s (Letters, July 31) reminded me of the story of the young mine worker from the Lady Victoria Colliery in Newtongrange, Midlothian, who had been admitted to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh with multiple fractures after being caught in a roof fall. On his ward round the next morning the orthopaedic surgeon asked the miner: 'You comfy?' The Newtongrange mine worker replied: 'Nitten'. Stuart Swanston, Edinburgh.