THE Wee Ginger Dug is perfectly correct when he states that there are specific procedural ways for the public to object to procession applications in terms of local government rules (End the annual shame of Orange Order marches, July 11).
Recently constituents contacted me in relation to concerns over Orange parades locally in Renfrewshire, and accordingly I have in the last few days asked council officers to investigate the possibility of all community councils being automatically notified of procession applications in their areas, much as they already get prospective planning applications. This will ensure better democratic scrutiny of all such applications.
The Dug also has validity on his side when he points out the spurious claims of Orange parades to be a heritage commemoration. An accurate reading of late 17th-century history shows the Orange narrative of William of Orange opposing Papal tyranny to be black – or should I say, red white and blue? – propaganda.
Pope Alexander VIII said a mass for victory for William of Orange before the battle of the Boyne in 1690 as he was bitterly opposed to King Louis XIV of France, the chief ally of King James VII, being able to appoint his own French bishops. This movement was called Gallicanism and the Pope, being mindful of the ghost of Anglican schism, wanted to reassert papal authority.
Cllr Andy Doig
Independent, Renfrewshire Council
IT is intriguing to see marches taking place in Northern Ireland on 12th July to commemorate the Battle of the Boyne, when King William III defeated King James VII of Scotland (II of England).
The actual date on which the battle should be marked is the 1st July 1690, as it was the Julian calendar which was in operation at the time the battle occurred. This was only later replaced by the Gregorian calendar, which we currently use.
Alex Orr
Edinburgh
IS “society” the big question for a Yes to indyref2?
The official Scottish Tory party focus is to limit divergence from rUK policy, maintain its hostile environment approach to migration, the poor, and the disabled, and that government provision is not valued sufficiently to require funding by hard-working taxpayers.
The Scottish Government has arguably taken quite wide centre-ground policies and found a degree of overlap with the Scottish Green Party on its left. The insistence by the Tory party that the SNP has only one aim, ie Independence, appears to be in the forlorn hope that the SN(I)P, will have their Ukip moment, and simply disappear into the night.
The Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament have, for their part, made commitments to the ideals of being in the EU supranational society, whilst at the same time first reconstructing, then advancing local society as a Scottish construct for the benefit of all the people of Scotland.
The UK Government and its predecessors have, in contrast, decided not to advance the societal construct advancement, both local and supranational in line with Scotland’s leadership, as society and its advancement is talked down as a “made-up Scottish grievance”.
Stephen Tingle
Greater Glasgow
I GENUINELY feel sorry for English fans and for the English team. I do not feel sorry for English journalists. The thinly disguised orgy of English nationalism by the print and broadcasting media was repulsive. The mask of a “British” media slipped and revealed that we are all subject to an English owned and dominated media.
Mike Herd
Highland
THE lessons that Croatia and teams like Iceland, and to a lesser extent Belgium and Holland, (sometimes) give to Scottish football is that few, if any, of their players play football at club level in their own country.
Regrettably, if our country want to be involved in World Cups then we have to allow any gifted players such as Keiron Teirney to play in much more competitive leagues than ours. Being a big fish in a small pond does not achieve very much except local glory. This will be highlighted once again when most of our clubs will be out of European competitions by the end of July.
Watt Smillie
Whitburn
IT’S nice to see a football team from a poor country getting this far. Their players are paid a pittance compared to the high wages of the England squad, who all live an extravagant lifestyle with big houses and fancy cars.
Brian Mathieson
via thenational.scot
ENGLAND needs a new national anthem. “A Non-Existent Supernatural Deity save our gracious Unelected Head of State” is an embarrassment, and should never be used for Scotland.
R M Atkinson
Edinburgh
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