IN response to David Pate’s comment “Why Flower of Scotland is wrong pick for anthem” (Sep 11), might I suggest Scotland the Brave as a better alternative?
It does tend to relate more fittingly to the present and the future. Although referring to “old Highland men” in the first verse, it speaks of “the light that shines in fair maiden’s eyes” in the second!
However, WHY oh WHY can’t the leader of the appropriate committee of the Scottish Government (or SNP) set up a charity-funded competition to come up with something totally new, words and music? I am absolutely convinced NOBODY can POSSIBLY suggest we are a nation lacking in sufficient indigenous talent to do so!
E Hope
Glasgow
READ MORE: Scotland football fans drown out God Save the King ahead of game
I HAVE to say I am in total agreement with David Pate’s comment in Monday’s paper. In my opinion Flower of Scotland is certainly a nice tune but there is too much negativity in the lyrics. The first verse and chorus of Scotland the Brave would be more inspirational, in fact why not the whole song? The lyrics not only express Scottish bravery and love for our country, they describe our beautiful mountains and rivers which I am sure most are proud of. We are a great nation of wonderful people – let’s sing our hearts out about that and show everyone in every other country what we are.
Anne Smart
Milton of Campsie
READ MORE: Michael Stewart: God Save The King can't be English AND British anthem
TONY Kime (Letters, Sep 11) gets only as far as his second sentence before making the bold and unsubstantiated claim that those warning of the dangers of the current Green/SNP alliance probably have no children. This is a common Green remark when their policies come into question and the answers have not been forthcoming.
For example, one rather obvious question which has been raised a number of times, both in the Scottish Parliament and on these pages, revolves around the intention to legislate for the enforced removal of gas heating systems. This will be enforced via a home’s Energy Performance Certificate. Putting aside for a second the practicalities of this project, the source of the £33 billion required remains a mystery.
The recent failed attempts at a bottle/can recycling scheme are a perfect example of a policy supported by the vast majority of the population being botched by a Green minister at a probable cost of almost £100 million to the Scottish Government and Scottish businesses.
READ MORE: Kenny MacAskill: 'Absurd' that Scottish green projects owned abroad
Many of those of us with children and grandchildren have serious concerns about the Green Party’s views on the age of consent and gender recognition. If we are to “stop” oil and gas, how will we heat the homes of the children the Greens claim to be so concerned about? Are they simply to shiver for Scotland?
Any sensible person now accepts climate change is a massive problem for the planet, but we must keep in mind the real answer does not reside in Scotland, which produces around 0.1% of global CO2, but in the likes of the USA, India and China, which continue to increase their emissions.
May 2026 is some time in the future but on the present electoral trajectory there may be a Labour majority in Holyrood. They will not require the votes of any remaining Green list MSPs.
John Baird
Largs
NETWORK Rail has been fined £6.7 million for what happened near Stonehaven in 2020. Great, the insurers will pay up and some of the fine will work through to higher fares. So that’s that then.
As with many other fatalities resulting from management failure, what happens to those responsible for the actions or inactions that caused the fatalities? Has anyone been fined, jailed or fired as a result? Most likely nothing other than a block on further promotion or a quiet resignation or two with a nice financial package.
READ MORE: Network Rail fined £6.7m for failings over fatal Stonehaven crash
Where possible, those individuals whose decisions contributed to the events should be held responsible. Maybe a change in company law is needed so that individual failure can’t be hidden behind a corporate mask.
Drew Reid
Falkirk
CONGRATULATIONS to George Robertson for his beautifully crafted poem (Letters, Sep 8) depicting the suffering of ordinary folk at the hands of a callous, greedy and self-serving Tory government.
Margaret Tuckerman
Buckie
THANKS to Lesley Riddoch for the inclusion of Moffat in her marathon Thrive book tour of Scotland. A well-filled Old Well Theatre in a part of the country not normally associated with significant support for independence was great to see for all of us in Yes Moffat. But the really encouraging thing was the distance people had travelled from within this rural county, as well as neighbouring South Lanarkshire. What this illustrates is that, with wide promotion through social media for an event of interest to Yessers and those wanting to know why small Nordic countries are so successful, there is an opportunity to meet people face to face and establish meaningful contacts not possible simply online.
Stuart Campbell
Yes Moffat
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