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The National
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Why are Scottish Greens the 'natural home for the left in Scotland'?
Only the Greens can offer left-wing opposition, Ellie told us. While I find no fault with her criticism of the 'usual suspects', when it came to actual policy I noticed (cue tumbleweed) an ominous silence. Perhaps, then, we should examine the Greens' achievements when they were in government with the SNP between 2021 and 2024. What were some things they did to improve the lives of working-class people during that time? They tried to ban gas boilers. And there was the deposit return scheme. Oops! A natural home for the left in Scotland? On the other hand, the Scottish Socialist Party in Holyrood put forward a bill to abolish poindings and warrant sales. There was our bill for free school meals. And our bill to end prescription charges – later enacted by the SNP, to their credit. Today the SSP are campaigning on the streets to save our NHS from the worst crisis in its history, and for a genuine National Care Service built on the founding principles of the NHS. These, Ellie, are policies. This is activism. Choose a party that will work to materially improve the lives of working-class people in Scotland. Choose the SSP. Michael Davidson Edinburgh SALLY Wainwright suggests (Letters, May 14) that it is compassionate to require trans people to use the new gender-neutral toilets at Holyrood. Of course it is a good idea to provide such facilities in addition to women's and men's, for those who prefer to use them. But that is a very different thing from enforced segregation. Is it compassionate to refuse to accept that trans people are trans, calling their identity a 'lie', as Ms Wainwright does, and referring to trans men like parliament staff member Dylan Hamilton as 'trans-identifying women'? Is it compassionate to ignore the fact that for decades trans people have been using toilets matching their gender identity, without incident, and to now insist that they somehow pose a risk so must be excluded completely? READ MORE: UK ranked second-worst in western Europe for LGBT+ laws And how will this be policed? Earlier this month there were media reports of a lesbian couple being thrown out of a women's toilet because one of them had a fairly masculine appearance, and was 'suspected' of being trans. This harassment is likely to happen more and more. Policing this policy is impossible, unless you're going to require all trans people now to wear a coloured triangle so they can be identified and segregated. Ms Wainwright writes that no-one should be 'forced to use a facility which does not align with the way they feel about themselves'. I very much agree, but that is exactly what she is supporting. I suggest that we should go on as we happily did before, with no enforced exclusion, and trans people's privacy and dignity respected and maintained. Tim Hopkins Edinburgh YOUR recent article on the number of Orange Walks due to take place in our country should remind everyone of the part our fellow Scots play in keeping us under the thumb. They are only the visible tip of a huge iceberg of entrenched Unionism endemic in Scotland, where roughly half of our countrymen and women (those who can be bothered to vote, that is) are happy to exist as an ignored minority in the wider UK. READ MORE: Over 100 Orange Walks to take place in Scotland in one day There is something very wrong in our small country, and has been for centuries. Cultural Unionism, resistant to factual evidence, might take years to die out. As an oldie myself, I've always resisted the claim that it's an older generation that keep us thirled to Westminster, but I'm coming round to accepting that it could be true. Only the passage of time will tell. Jim Butchart via email ISOBEL Lindsay's letter in Tuesday's National put me in mind of a visit my primary school had in the 1950s from a man from Chapelcross power station, whose cooling towers used to be a landmark from the A74 (now M74) south of Lockerbie. I vividly remember holding a uranium core to feel how heavy it was. In those days we were told nuclear-generated electricity would be so cheap, it would not be worth billing! How's that worked out then? Of course we were not told that the core purpose (pun?) of the nuclear programme was not electricity at all, but to produce fuel for the nuclear weapons programme. There is no justification at all for new nuclear power stations in Scotland. Robert Moffat Penicuik
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Stop tinkering around the edges: we need a National Care Service, now
Many of my colleagues in the nursing home were immigrants, from India and the Philippines as well as EU countries. And the great majority were dedicated and committed: carers in attitude and conduct, not just in name. While I recognise and respect Dr Macaskill's expertise, I take issue with his diagnosis of what ails social care in Scotland. The Scottish Socialist Party identifies the fundamental problem as a systemic one. That is, the private ownership of social care services. Dr Macaskill has himself pointed out that the social care "industry" is economically unviable. It is also morally unjustifiable. The SSP has long called for a National Care Service, one based on the founding principles of the National Health Service. It should be publicly funded and run, with equal quality care for all, free at the point of need. Scotland has an ageing population and many Baby Boomers – like me – have grave concerns about our future should we need long-term care. This is no time for tinkering round the edges. Scotland needs a genuine National Care Service. And we need it now. Michael Davidson, Edinburgh. • I must say I find it surprising that the First Minister and assorted SNP supporters rail against an attempt to curb economic migration instead of supporting Scots into the jobs that migrants fill, especially in social care. One of the arguments they use is that Scots would have to be paid more than Nigerians for example. Is that bad? I thought that Scots nationalists supported Scots. Do they now support unlimited migration from countries whose cultures and values are wildly different from our own? The fact that care homes prefer immigrants means that language is a problem. Indigenous Scots have mastery of the vernacular that allows them to communicate better, which is of vital importance when caring for senior citizens. Care homes should be a place of last resort anyway. Care in the community should aim to support those who need special care as long as possible. It's a great pity that vested interests shut down the attempt by the Scottish Government to introduce a National Care Service, which would have reduced the outrageous costs of private care, and raised and maintained standards. In the meantime care in the community should be given more support. William Loneskie, Lauder. Read more letters Protest the daylight robbery Hats off to Carlos Alba for his article today ("Budget airlines and car hire firms drive us mad – but do we only have ourselves to blame?', The Herald, May 14) in which he has a healthy and long-overdue public rant at the underhand, immoral and downright dishonest practices of many businesses, chief amongst them being some budget airlines and foreign car hire companies. Read his article and you will easily identify with every example he mentions, the sleazy malpractice that is perpetrated against the travelling public through the work practices of said budget businesses. Who wouldn't hold their hands up to say they would favour an 'all-inclusive, one price, no sneaky hidden extras' fare or hire ? This Dick Turpin approach (stand and deliver – your credit card!) to the passengers/ customers is outrageous and we should all be shouting our disgust at this daylight robbery. Colin Allison, Blairgowrie. Shoppers are seeing the light Luxury fashion company Burberry suffered a £66 million loss in the last financial year, and is planning to cut its staff by 1,700 by 2027 and also end nightshift working ("Burberry to cut up to 1,700 jobs worldwide after £3m loss", heraldscotland, May 14). Its range is high-end and with trench coats costing between £1,000 and £10,000 it's not surprising that it has had to take these drastic measures. People often go for the brand name whether it be sports or luxury fashion, but there must be a limit on what the public are willing to pay. You can buy clothes which are equally as good and perform as well as these high-end goods, and it looks like buyers are eventually seeing the light and doing just that. Hence the reason why Burberry and other fashion outlets are having to address their problems in this manner, or reduce the cost of their clothing to survive. Neil Stewart, Balfron. Dear green spaces Once again many Glaswegians and visitors make their way to the Botanic Gardens in the west end of Glasgow in sunny weather ("City dwellers relax ", The Herald, May 14) as many pictures in The Herald have illustrated over the years. The Gardens moved to their current location in 1842 with them being later incorporated into the parks and gardens of the Glasgow Corporation. The Gardens are the much-treasured destination of the thousands of flat dwellers in the area during good spells of weather. They have therefore much cause to be grateful to those who had the vision to provide this amenity for the population to enjoy. The Botanic Gardens have, of course, many other admirable features, including the herb garden, a collection of ferns, a rose garden, and Kibble Palace. The people of Glasgow today have much to thank their predecessors for in the establishment of so many splendid public parks, such as Kelvingrove, Linn, Pollok Country, Bellahouston, Glasgow Green, Queen's and Victoria. Glasgow is well and truly "parked" . Ian W Thomson, Lenzie. Sunbathers in Glasgow's Botanic Gardens (Image: Colin Mearns) A royal trump card I wondered how long it would take, and GR Weir (Letters, May 13) hasn't let me down. What can I say? Despite all the 'ifs and buts' (Mr Weir highlights a number) the monarchy remains, in my view, a stabilising force for good. The alternative? Think a certain 'Mr President', perhaps? I rest my case. Brian D Henderson, Glasgow. Molluscular science I note that the latest government buzzword is working at 'pace'; reality on delivery suggests it should be preceded by 'snail's'. Mike Flinn, West Kilbride.
