MOST pantomimes finish their run just after Christmas but the surprise UK hit show “Carry on Brexiting”, starring a young understudy thrust into the limelight, is set to run for the next two years at least.

With its cast of zany grotesques such as Mad Boris aka “The Diplomat”, Dangerous Davis, “The Man With The Plan” and Charles Hawtrey lookalike L.I.AM Foxy, it has encapsulated the madness of the times when a self-publicising buffoon can be UK ambassador to foreign parts.

Conceived by Call-me-Dave, written and produced by Flash Harry Farage, it has been a surprise hit in Engerland, with the critics united in their praise: “The only show in town” (Daily Wail), “Making Engl ... Britain great again” (Daily Torygraph), and “It’s what the English/UK voted for” (Truth Davidson).

Young starlet Theresa Maybes-aye-Maybes-naw brings all the gravitas of Barbara Windsor at her peak to the role of Pee-em as she tries to guide her dysfunctional family through some trying times, threatened as they are by mysterious foreigners who want to force money on her family to help see them through difficult times and ease their suffering.

There are laughs aplenty and the denouement will warm the hearts of many a right-wing nutter who will believe all their Christmases have come at once as a veritable Pandora’s box of goodies is opened at the end. And they all lived happily ever after?
James Mills
Johnstone

IT has been embarrassing watching the UK Government attempt to employ gunboat diplomacy against the EU in recent days with the threat of a trade war with Europe if they do not accede to the fantastical demands of Theresa May in our exit from the EU. Someone needs to point out to the likes of May and Philip Hammond that gunboat diplomacy only works when you are in an actual gunboat, not floating down a river without a paddle in a leaky raft full of Brexiteer hot air!
John Murphy
West Lothian

THE Tories are blaming the Scottish Government for unemployment figures but if they had bothered to notice, Airdrie Savings Bank is closing, the Clydesdale is closing branches, and I read there are thousands of jobs in London moving to Paris or elsewhere in Europe due to austerity and Brexit.

Every time the Tories get in, the poor suffer. Now, thanks to the Tories, we will have no customs union or single market and thousands more jobs will go. I remember George Osborne claiming a few years ago: “There are 1,000 new jobs in the UK every day.” Really? Where are they all then?

All Yes voters need to warn No voters about the damage this hard Brexit will do to Scotland, not just in terms of jobs but also immigration and the human rights we all cherish!
Stephen Kelly
Motherwell

AS a long-term activist for bilingual signs you would not expect me to agree with Carole Ford, (Letters, January 18) but we need to be accurate with the history. Bilingual signs on trunk roads were first widely approved in the time of the Scottish Office when Donald Dewar was secretary of state and Dr Calum MacDonald was minister for local government and transport. Subsequently, over the period to 2003, various ministers in the Labour and Labour/LibDem Scottish Executive gave further consents on the principle.

The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005, with its requirement for all public bodies across the country to have a Gaelic language plan, was also promoted during previous administrations. Bilingual signs have nothing to do with “the rise of the SNP” as cited. John C Hutchison Fort William FURTHER to Carole Ford’s confused attack on Gaelic: were we to forget Gaelic, how would we remember the origin of the word “Tory”? Tòraidh in Scots Gaelic, tóraí in Irish, historically mean “bandit, robber, highwayman, marauder”, which explains a lot!

Derek Ball Bearsden JOHN McHarg said he was “buzzing from the energy and optimism of Saturday’s Scottish Independence Convention” (Unsung heroes are leading Yes at the grassroots level, The National, January 17). I too was re-energised and as the conference closed and delegates drifted away I lingered to talk to members of the hard-working Independence-Live team.

It was then I noticed a man striding up and down the rows of chairs picking up dozens of copies of The National. When I enquired why, he said he was collecting all the spare copies and intended to hand these out at Glasgow Central.

Not only was this the ultimate in recycling, his enthusiasm at not missing this unexpected opportunity to help promote independence so impressed me that I helped him gather more a hundred Nationals and we went to provide this public service outside Central Station. While I was merely offering “Free papers to read on the train” to hurrying commuters, his desire to get the independence message over was unabated and he engaged several folk in meaningful discussions. Indeed, he was almost sad when there were none left to distribute.

I’m sure he doesn’t want the accolade so to spare his blushes I’ll not identify which Lanarkshire town my particular nomination for last Saturday’s unsung hero hails from, but George – if you’re reading this – keep up the good work.
Roddy MacNeill
East Kilbride

SOME politicians really take you by surprise and this week came up with not just one surprise, but two. The first was the admission by the Scottish Secretary David Mundell that the Westminster Government’s proposed closure of half of Glasgow’s Jobcentres was a mistake.

In light of this admission, perhaps Mr Mundell should have joined Glasgow SNP MPs who attended a members’ debate at Holyrood on this topic in support of their constituents, a debate secured by SNP MSP Bob Doris. 

A second surprise followed when 20 Tory MSPs attended this debate, albeit supporting the Westminster Government’s proposed closure of half of all Glasgow Jobcentres. Besides the surprises, this was a crucial debate in support of many who will be further disadvantaged in Glasgow, secured in the interest of many Jobcentre users in Glasgow unfortunate enough to need to access the facilities currently provided, but also a debate asking the Westminster Government questions on their policy of access to work. Those proposed closures will only increase the likelihood of benefit sanctions resulting in added misery for many. 
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk