Letters II: It’s high time an SNP figure reached out to Leave voters

This is the first time I am aware of a senior SNP politician saying something sympathetic to the Yessers for Brexit. By contrast, Gordon Macintyre-Kemp trots out the party line in a dismal article (Independence can save us from British Nationalism, The National, September 30). Discussing the German film

Look Who’s Back, Macintyre-Kemp writes that: “Trump, Johnson, Farage, Brexit, xenophobia, anti-immigration, racist violence, an actual fascist missing out on the Austrian presidency by a handful of votes ... none of them are a new Hitler but they all draw from the same poisonous brand of superiority politics” (italics added).

For a Leaver like myself, married to a dear Latin American lady with a son in whom runs the blood of Iberia, black slaves, Amerindians, Brazilians, Vikings and Celts, this comes as news. I am not even appalled. I am just amused. If I am a bigoted racist, then the Fuhrer must be very disappointed! My Father entered into intense discussions with racists on the morning of June 6, 1944, but these discussions were conducted through naval guns!

If we believe the polls that show that the young voted strongly to remain (which I do), then we must also believe the polls that show that some 36 per cent of voters who cast their ballots for the SNP in 2015 voted Leave. That is one in three Nationalists. Jeremy Corbyn lost 37 per cent of the Labour vote to Brexit and a coup was mounted against him. Nicola lost 36 per cent and no-one even notices! Is that because with our level of group-think, we have not one single parliamentarian who was openly for Leave? Amazingly, SNP voters were more likely to vote Leave than those of any other party, even including the Tories.

One could go further and focus on regional trends. Look at the vote from Dundee/Angus and circle to Moray (the city of Aberdeen being an exception). Remain’s vote is much lower in the traditional SNP heartlands. During the short campaign, all my fellow Leave campaigners were either SNP or Yes. The official SNP Remain campaign barely existed in Aberdeenshire. Almost every SNP supporter I spoke to was for Leave.

Given all this, could I ask your respondents to respect the many SNP supporters who voted Leave? We were (and are) not bigoted, resentful or stupid. Furthermore, could we stop peddling myths about Brexit?

To read Macintyre-Kemp’s piece you would think that we are ready to unleash a new Lord Palmerston on the world, forcing others to trade with us against their will.

Most of the UK’s trade is already with non-EU countries and the EU’s share of our trade has been steadily falling. The UK has a “failing economic model and an unravelling social infrastructure” according to Macintyre-Kemp. It’s as if he is oblivious to Deutsche Bank, the Euro-catastrophe (yes, read Stiglitz’s book!) the collapsing Italian banking system, Greek austerity, the Hungarian vote on refugees, and so on. You couldn’t make it up. Sadly, I am detecting an anti-English tone in many of your correspondents.

I can only conclude by saying that if any future indyref commits us to “staying” in the EU as an “independent country” then I and many other Yessers will have to consider our options very carefully. If I am forced to choose between London or Brussels I am likely to choose London. I am far from being alone.

I intend to respond to Alyn Smith’s invitation.

William Ross, Address supplied

Licence fee only one unfair share among many 

WITH regards to the article by Greg Russell on Scottish BBC’s share of licence-fee revenue (MSPs debate BBC charter renewal and low level of spend in Scotland, The National, October 3). I find it amazing Ken MacQuarrie can suggest we can be pleased that Scottish BBC’s spend has tripled in the last seven years.

This begs the question – what was our percentage share of revenue then if 55 per cent is so wonderful now?

Also for programmes like Question Time, now being regarded as a Scottish BBC production, it looks to me as if a paper transaction has taken place with no real benefit to programming in Scotland. How many other similar transactions have also taken place to cook the BBC’s books?

As for the greater “UK PLC” I wish someone would tabulate the return for Scottish spend-share of all the UK organisations that we contribute to. To total up our share of running the civil service in London, Westminster, Lords, etc. Also, Scotland’s contribution to armed forces based outside Scotland must be massive.

Very little of these moneys trickle down into our communities and we certainly do not get our fair share as UK Government departments relocate to England and military stations close down in Scotland.

Can someone please work out the figures as I am sure it would make interesting reading and enlighten many No voters with regards to Scotland being such a poor nation unable to stand on its own two feet.

Douglas Stanley, Ayr

SO the saga of injustice, cruelty and disregard for the right to family life goes on. First, the Brain family are made to suffer through broken Home Office promises and retrospective rule changes; Mr Monongo denied the passport that would allow him to travel abroad because his bad character was revealed by his efforts to help without reward; and now Gloria Macleod is denied access to the country where she lives with her family, because acting on Home Office instructions proves she intends to cheat! (English teacher’s visa limbo as she’s told she ‘can’t speak enough English’, The National, October 1). Add the cases of the Reids and Nadya, as highlighted on Saturday, and the fears of correspondent John Dickson... When will the list end?

Is it not time that the Home Office simply publicly admitted the principle behind all these actions?   What they are tacitly making clear is “if you go abroad to work, especially if your home is in Scotland, don’t bother bringing back a foreign wife, because sooner or later we will dig up some specious reason to deport her and split your family.” This has to be xenophobia at its very worst, particularly when these are people we need and want here, who are able to contribute to society and the economy. Yet they say every case is decided on its own merits. They would not recognise a merit if it jumped out of their porridge!

If, however, they feel this process if fully justifiable and intend to continue with it, when will we hear of the deportation of Nick Clegg’s foreign wife and some of the other foreign wives of our honourable MPs?

P Davidson, Falkirk

IN his otherwise excellent article on Colonel David Ireland (US highway named after Scottish hero of American Civil War, The National, October 3), Martin Hannan makes an all too common error of equating battlefield casualties with fatalities in stating that 50,000 soldiers on both sides were killed.

Using this figure and applying the rough criteria of three wounded to one killed, there would have been more casualties at Gettysburg than troops who took part in the battle. In fact, the Federals suffered 3,155 killed, with 14,500 wounded and 5,000 missing; and the Confederates lost 3,903 killed, with 18,700 wounded and 5,400 missing. No doubt this total gives Mr Hannan his figure of 50,000.

Will Murray, Coldstream, Berwickshire

Letters I: Not the first time Scots have faced ‘divisive’ charge