HOW refreshing it was to read in The National on Friday about the proposals being brought forward by Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba to tackle Scotland’s iniquitous land ownership structure (Bid to limit Scottish land holdings of ‘super-rich’, Jun 2).
The need for land reform has been the hue and cry of the Scottish National Party for as long as I can remember yet it has been glued to baby steps since the birth of our devolution and ought to be grown-up by now and on the march toward equitable outcomes from our land asset for all who live here.
READ MORE: Lorna Slater says Scotland's DRS 'cannot go ahead' in current form
Annual ground rent has been mooted within the SNP for some time as a ready means to reset the balance between poverty and wealth. This imbalance has simply been created by the appalling distortion due to historical, often barbaric land monopoly in the hands of a tiny minority while hundreds of thousands, if not millions, are trapped in often landless unshakeable poverty.
Perhaps with an alternative solution on the table, the Scottish Government will recognise the threat to their inaction and be awakened with determination to get rid of poverty by redistributing the wealth created by Scotland’s land from those who own it to those denied.
We are all born to share air, sea and land yet the vast majority are denied a realistic share in the wealth of our land and it is long past time this was rectified.
Unsurprisingly, hesitancy has been suggested by the Scottish Land and Estates but I put forward the straightforward suggestion that it is the land which produces the food. The actions of mankind appropriately breed, plant and nurture and the more doing so, the more likely it is that we can maintain sustainable food production.
Tom Gray
Braco
IT is rich for the 40 Days For Life CEO Shawn Carney to accuse the Scottish Government of “bigotry” while he profits from misogynistic clinic harassment that mostly targets women (‘Strong belief’ buffer zones bill will stand up, Jun 4). He further shows no understanding of his own rhetoric given that being anti-choice is not a protected characteristic, does not make you part of a “minority group” and no religion requires clinic harassment as a religious practice.
Carney further struggles to stay on brand when challenged. 40 Days For Life constantly insist that they want to “help women”. When confronted with evidence of women being intimidated, Carney suddenly decides it’s not his responsibility to be concerned with women’s feelings. He and his organisation are very obviously cruel and disingenuous.
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The hundreds of women who have shared their testimonies with Back Off Scotland are not liars and they do not deserve to be gaslit by a man in Texas who has no business interfering with Scottish women’s healthcare ... or Scottish democracy!
The religious right are currently very emboldened by the overturning of Roe v Wade in the United States. Among the countless horror stories coming from the US (including a little girl who was raped having to leave her state for healthcare) has come an uptick in violence from anti-abortion vigilantes. The National Abortion Federation in the US report a significant increase in arson and burglaries and death threats. We must be very careful not to allow this American import to take root in Scotland. Give this movement an inch on our rights and they will take a mile.
Alice Murray of Back Off Scotland is correct that buffer zones are “proportionate to the issue”. Anti-abortion activists will not be prevented from protesting or “praying”, they will just be unable to prey on often very vulnerable, people right outside hospitals.
Gemma Clark
Johnstone
BERNIE Japs (Feedback, Jun 4) is absolutely wrong to state that “the island ferries debate is now a tired, ‘played-out’ story that has run its course”. This shameful debacle continues to damage businesses and communities on all the islands dependent on CalMac for lifeline ferry services. It is no exaggeration to say that it puts at risk the entire viability of island life.
Referencing the corrupt and incompetent practices of the British government is empty “whatabootery”. Transport minister Kevin Stewart needs to get a grip of this issue and resolve it urgently. There are surely best-practice examples available in other ferry-dependent areas like the Baltic, Aegean, Adriatic. We never needed to design a new ferry from the keel up, just look at what works well elsewhere. And get rid of CalMac and Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited, their bleating excuses about an ageing fleet show they haven’t been doing their job properly for decades.
And don’t get me started on Highly Protected Marine Areas, the Rest and be Thankful road and super-pylons instead of underground cables. Our rural and island communities have been patronised, exploited and marginalised for far too long.
Sandy Slater
Stirling
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