Letters: Sunset Song adaptation is ‘cultural vandalism’

Sunset Song is a classic book that captures the essence of the north east of Scotland’s rural life in early 1900s.

The adaptation produced by the BBC in a television series back in the 1970s or 1980s made a decent fist of reflecting what the author had intended.

This recent production by Terence Davies has resulted in the worst attempt at cultural vandalism that I have ever witnessed.

The screenplay, acting and accents plumbed the depths of disaster. How could any money have been offered by the BBC, Lottery Funding, etc. to assist in this travesty?

One wonders if Terence Davies, had ever read the book, had ever visited the north east, in fact, had ever visited Scotland?

If this was a film about a fictional part of Scotland and not based on a classic piece of our literature, I would do my best to forgive his ineptitude.

Alasdair Forbes, Inverness-shire

Second indy vote is no-one’s shout but the people’s

I AM struck by the furore from the Unionist parties over the potential holding of a second independence referendum (Leaders clash on indyref 2 in heated final TV debate, The National, May 2). This is not a decision of Ms Sturgeon or even David Cameron, this is a decision of the Scottish people.

If the majority want it, then no one has a right to stand in its way. To oppose it is clearly the height of arrogance and anti-democratic.

I would refer to the words of the great Irish nationalist Charles Stewart Parnell on this matter: “No man has the right to fix the boundary to the march of a nation. No man has the right to say to his country ‘Thus far shalt thou go and no farther’.” This is as relevant now as it was when spoken by Parnell in 1885.

Alex Orr, Edinburgh

AM I the only person who thinks that the leaders’ debates have become tired, repetitive and uninformative?

Sunday’s debate was a case in point. If we look beyond the BBC using the daughter of a former Labour Party leader as a presenter and an audience which clearly didn’t reflect recent voting or polling we are left with an otherwise predictable event.

Kezia Dugdale pleads that we should put the referendum behind us, as that’s the only way that people will stop bringing up her toxic Bitter Together alliance with the Tories. Ruth Davidson won’t let us forget about the referendum, while Willie Rennie just wishes people would remember who he is.

Nicola Sturgeon repeats the “will of the Scottish people” line without expanding on it and rolls her eyes when another leader tells a porky, and Patrick Harvie was memorable when given a chance to speak at length. For me he made the best point of the night. Yes, we lost the referendum but our values hold true. Because we lost doesn’t mean we abandon our principles and crawl away. For the Unionists to continually cry out for us to do so is utterly wrong. Our arguments were not nullified by a No vote, all those problems remain, in some cases more so. So why would any sane person abandon those principles? That may be the Unionist way, but not ours. It’s about time the Three Amigos faced up to that fact and stopped their whining.

James Cassidy, Airdrie

THE recent Scottish leaders’ so-called debate was no more than an audience of largely public sector employees questioning a panel of other public sector employees, who did nothing but recite their individual wish-lists in response. The most important question – where would the money come from to finance those wish lists? – was never even remotely considered. All that was being talked about was how to slice an ever-decreasing cake.

Until wealth creation is properly addressed, these conversations are just a waste of time.

Malcolm Parkin, Kinnesswood

WATCHING the BBC Scottish leaders’ debate I was struck by how all the politicians barring Patrick Harvie talked about producing workers to suit the requirements of employers.

I agree with Patrick that work should pay properly and enhance our mental and physical wellbeing. We are not serfs to be shoehorned into whatever role the corporates decree. He also hit the nail on the head when he said that the oil and gas industry has a short time to live and we need to be investing in replacing it with clean industries that can employ the skills and ingenuity of the people in the oil and gas industry. As he said waiting for another Longannet-type shutdown is no way to run a country.

Jon Southerington, Orkney

IT is a shock to rational discourse and grounded argument when one reads quotes from the rabid anti-SNP rant by Neil Oliver (Outrage after BBC presenter’s ‘indy is a dead dog’ rant, The National, May 2).

His register is despicable – “hate-fest”, “cancerous presence” and finally the personal attack on Salmond as “a big, round wrecking ball of a man, shaped only to do damage”.

An initial reaction is to dismiss the outbursts as irrational from a confused, deluded and embittered academic. Yet, I think his comments were deliberate and intended. They must rank as the foulest comments made so far in the run-up to the Holyrood election. The Sunday Times has gone “beyond the pale” in giving such an individual the space to voice such extreme hatred and venom. Coming from a broadcaster for the BBC, a publicly-funded body, such intemperate remarks must call into question Oliver’s position in the organisation. It also reveals the repressed anger and panic among certain members of the UK establishment as the SNP grow and the UK parties diminish. It has fallen from giving “vows” to outright vilification and denigration of the democratic process. What next from Oliver and his ilk?

John Edgar, Blackford

HAVING listened to Ruth Davidson and read Neil Oliver’s inner thoughts, both must be included in the catalogue of best reasons for Scottish independence.

John Hamilton, Bearsden

WE do not run the health service to provide jobs for doctors and nurses, but to improve the health of the nation. Similarly, we should not base our defence policy on creating employment, but on securing the safety of our nation.

Peter Craigie, Edinburgh