ACCORDING to Tory Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Russians have been hacking Covid-19 vaccine labs in the UK, USA and Canada (Russians accused of hacking vaccine labs, July 17).
But why is vaccine research secret anyway? Surely humanity requires international cooperation to develop vaccines as quickly as possible to save lives in Russia and the world’s poor countries as well as in the West?
It seems the Tories prioritise trying to guarantee profits for US and UK drug companies.
READ MORE: Dominic Raab says UK will call out ‘reprehensible’ behaviour of Russia
We’ve seen that already twice. The Brexit-fixated Tory government “failed to notice” an email in April offering participation in an EU scheme to rapidly boost the number of ventilators (which were in short supply at the time).
Then last week they turned down participation in an EU plan to co-operate in developing a Covid-19 vaccine.
Nicola Sturgeon, as First Minister, should publicly call for international cooperation in research into vaccines. As Scotland’s government is in charge of health policy, a public approach to the EU asking that Scotland be counted in to joint efforts to find a vaccine would be welcomed by everyone who puts public health before private profit.
John Dennis
Dumfries
MAY I endorse the opinion of Brian Lawson of Paisley (Letters, July 18).
Having served four years in the Territorial Army, 23 years in the Regular Army and discharged in 1988, I think I reasonably qualify as a “veteran”.
During my time, all service personnel were strongly encouraged to remain apolitical. If we were single and living in the barracks, we were not registered to vote. If we lived in the married quarters we were not entered on the electoral roll. There was, nevertheless, no shortage of political opinion and most of it had a right-wing tint to it! Brian’s research reflects this and is no surprise to me!
READ MORE: Support for our veterans should be part of the Yes message
I would, however, point out that, although freedom of speech for service personnel was forbidden, freedom of thought was not. I, for one, believed we were wearing the uniform to “defend democracy”. It was only later, following discharge, I realised we had in actuality been defending the status quo of the British establishment!
I still, though, believe in defending democracy and I, like the subscribers to the likes of the Veterans for Independence Facebook page, believe the country I live in has never been democratically governed and that needs to be changed!
So, yes: we’re out there, and the Yes movement would do well to enlist us.
Ned Larkin
Inverness
I WRITE regarding the statement by the First Minister at a recent briefing, whereupon she seemed to find it acceptable that businesses which have VAT temporarily reduced from 20% to 5% do not reduce the price to the customer.
My impression was that this VAT reduction was to encourage people to purchase services, such as tourism, by making the pricing more attractive. This will not happen if the retailer does not pass on the reduction.
As a simple example, currently a night in a decent hotel, costs, say, £100 basic plus £20 VAT, a total of £120. At the new rate the customer should pay £100 basic plus £5 VAT, a total of £105. An attractive reduction.
However, if the hotelier wants still to have £120 in the till, they will have to increase the basic price to just over £114.
Whenever this temporary reduction finishes, I believe the retailer will not then reduce their basic price, and at 20%VAT (or more) the consumer will have a total bill of at least £136.
My reasoning is that prices rarely decrease once a situation reverts back, such an example being when potatoes dramatically increased in price in the 70s – chip shop prices jumped, and never came back down!
Scotland is not a cheap holiday destination, and if my scenario turns out to be the case, it will be to the overall long-term detriment of that sector.
Mick McCready
Milngavie
AS a subscriber to and avid reader of The National I have to express my total shock and disappointment at the absence of the daily article about Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths in Friday’s edition of the paper. While I fully appreciate that the preceding four days’ editions had provided readers with a great deal of information, we had yet to learn if Mr Griffiths has had his toenails clipped this week. Perhaps your sports desk will take note!
Jim Finlayson
Banchory
YON piece fae Maister Fry (July 14) oan the future o the Gaelic leid wis coonter and agin the mainstream. I maun say thanks fir that. Yir man is aye up fir a bit o flytin an ah see that as a positiv.
READ MORE: Michael Fry: Why no amount of effort can now stop Gaelic turning into a dead language
Hwit aboot the ither leid o Scotia? Henryson, Burns and MacDiarmid hid another tung and it is aye wi us. Hoo aboot mair o us yaisin it in speech an oan paper?
Hamish Kirk
Rothesay
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