08-05-2025
How can UK democracy have been allowed to come under such a threat?
Those warnings are all policies of the Reform UK party. How can this be, how have we sunk to such depths?
Over the last decade the main Westminster parties both in government and in opposition have demonstrated what is all wrong with our political system, with sleaze, corruption and dishonesty all playing a part. The vulnerable and needy left out in the cold and the rise in food bank use exacerbated.
READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: SNP must beware of Reform trying to woo Scots voters
Those alarming results in England have given a green light to policies of the far right. Make no mistake, Reform UK are promoting far-right policies along with a dictator of a leader. England is going to experience councillors under the banner of Reform UK take control, take the reins and make decisions on policy matters like education, social care and housing that are vital local services – a breath-taking thought.
Scotland's First Minister recognised the threat, heard the alarm bells and summoned a summit of political leaders, civic and faith leaders in Scotland, but since that summit, his concerns have been realised. How did we get here, how can we allow our democracy to come under such a threat?
READ MORE: How would a 2026 election win for the SNP translate into independence?
Reform was born out of the Brexit Party and we all know the economic and social damage that has raged in Scotland since we left the EU, the single market and the customs union, incidentally through no fault of our own here in Scotland – remember Scotland voted to remain.
Surely those results in England speak volumes and are a wake-up call to Scotland, not to let the influence of England's alarming results creep over the Border. Scotland can take a different road, Scotland must protect her democracy when the opportunity presents itself in 2026 at the Holyrood elections.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk
PLENTY of food for thought in Monday's National. The fact that most of this is responses to the resistible rise of the ultra-right-wing Reform party is perhaps yet another sign that the Overton Window is still shifting rather inexorably rightward! If we are to reverse this trend, and we must, never has Scotland's independence been more vital!
READ MORE: Third Aberdeenshire Conservative councillor defects to Reform UK
On Monday's page 10 we had Tommy Sheppard telling us, quite rightly, that Reform/Farage are an ultra-Unionist party with nothing of value or substance to say to Scotland. On the very next page we have the witless, still wet-behind-the-ears Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay laughably telling us that Reform supporters are disaffected nationalists! Yet another example, if needed, of a man who is way out of his depth!
I would suggest that we cut to the chase, stop pussyfooting around and call Reform what they really are – fascists!
Drew Macleod
Wick
I'VE written before about Starmer being in counter-productive appeasement mode regarding Trump's America. However, there is something disturbing going on in UK domestic politics regarding our own bargain-basement used-car-salesman, chief gurning racist, discontent-manipulator using politics to enrich himself – Farage.
It's long been identified that the remaining rump of the Tory party – Cameron's infamous 'swivel-eyed-loons'– are desperate to colonise Farage's Reform UK voters. They are realising too late that even a leader as off her trolley as Badenoch cannot out out-loon Nige.
READ MORE: Scotch whisky left out as Starmer and Trump strike UK-US trade deal
But Labour are also attempting 'muscular and heard-hearted' to appeal to the aggrieved, sprinkled with anti-migrant political pepper.
It's never worked, it never will work and it will alienate the increasing number who see Labour as Tory-lite at best or those – like me – who remember the Iraq invasion and have a horrible sense regarding Gaza that Labour's penchant for being involved in situations that put tens of thousands of brown civilians in body bags is just too uncomfortable.
In the US, MAGA label anyone who dislikes Trump's autocratic chaos as having Trump Derangement Syndrome. One state in Texas is trying to have TDS officially added to a list of mental illnesses!
The Tories have had it for a while. Now Starmer's Labour seem to be suffering Farage Fixation Syndrome.
Amanda Baker
Edinburgh
I WAS disappointed to see that the 80th anniversary of VE Day did not feature on the front page of the May 8 edition of The National. After then reading the edition I think it is disgraceful that not a single reference of VE Day features in the entire paper.
In the ten years I was a town councillor for Gourock, the greatest privilege I had was representing the town at our war memorial. The names of 50 Gourock men who died fighting in World War Two are listed on the memorial. Each year when I see my own father wear his father's Second World War medals I beam with pride and am humbled at the living connection of someone that fought in the war.
READ MORE: Scotland marks VE Day amid warnings of rising global fascism
Every community in Scotland suffered and made great sacrifices during the war. It is an affront to the memory of those that made the ultimate sacrifice to have snubbed covering such an important anniversary.
Commemorating our war dead, paying tribute to those to whom we owe our liberty and celebrating victory over the forces of Nazism is an event for all of Scotland, whether Unionist or Scottish nationalist.
Christopher McEleny
Gourock
