FOR the past several years I have developed a keen interest in the politics and culture of the USA.
During Trump’s time in office we have seen some of the most disgraceful and disturbing policies and statements from both him and his inner circle. These policies did not come from a vacuum but must be seen as a highly organised and dangerous agenda.
Now he has left office I hope that the world does not for one minute believe that the worst is over.
I believe that there is a major movement coming to the fore in the USA that is nothing to do with the Republican Party as we know it.
WATCH: Nicola Sturgeon has a message for Donald Trump and Joe Biden on inauguration day
There is a huge element of totally insane Evangelicals along with millions of white supremacists who are dominating the movement.
Then there are openly right-wing fascist groups and other anti-establishment thugs who have joined the movement.
We saw a taste of their agenda at the Capitol building with the violence ending with deaths and serious injury to many policemen who were trying to maintain control.
I see this movement as being akin to the United States’ version of Al Qaeda and should be feared as much.
Sure, Trump is a joke and he was the worst president that the USA has ever had. The world cannot make the mistake of believing that the movement of which he is part is a joke though.
Biden and Harris and the rest of the sane people of the US have a very serious problem to deal with. We must all wish them well and support their efforts.
Harry Key
Largoward
KEITH Garland’s excellent letter, “Are Unionists critics blind to horrifying figures for England?” (January 26) exposes the facts that should have been made known to people in England many months ago. Perhaps this would have helped them to realise that a laissez-faire attitude towards the pandemic, as demonstrated by the PM Boris Johnson, was not the correct one.
What has surprised me is that the London-based media was not willing to publish the figures for England separately. They obviously knew that the figures were so appalling that confidence in the PM leadership would be undermined.
The problem is now that the people in England are facing major problems with a major incident declared by the Mayor of London. The good news is that the wheels seem to have come off the “Easing of Restrictions Bandwagon” led by the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham.
READ MORE: Michael Gove insists Boris Johnson's mid-pandemic trip to Scotland is essential
I wonder how much of the responsibility for the rapid spread of the virus in England will the London media accept?
Whatever the media’s motivation was I think that in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic the people in England have been badly let down by, not only the PM and his Health Secretary, but also by the media led by the BBC. In addition the BBC has reported widely on the Covid-19 outbreaks in some of the small islands in the Hebrides and in many of the care homes in Scotland. There would appear to have been no similar problems in England or have I just not been informed?
The outcome seems to be that the people in Scotland, thanks to the dedication of the FM Nicola Sturgeon and her team of expert advisers, have taken the pandemic much more seriously than the people in England with the result that they, the people in Scotland, have united behind the Scottish Government and followed their guidelines. This is obvious from the almost empty streets.
In Scotland this is not a political issue but a united crusade against the coronavirus. We will sort out the political issues after we have defeated the coronavirus.
Thomas L Inglis
Fintry
HOW does one present a financial plan when you don’t yet know what your income is? You are dependent on decisions by others that will have a direct impact on your spending ability to prioritise. Those questions are relevant as that is exactly the position Scotland is in, so, they must be asked and reflected upon, as the country digests the Budget presented by Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes MSP.
Much of the announcements were dependent upon the block grant and Barnett consequentials that come from Westminster, whose scheduled Autumn 2020 Budget was postponed till March 3 2021 due to Covid. But outwith the revised dates, there are provisions the UK Chancellor could and should be announcing with immediate effect considering we are effectively in a lockdown in most of the UK.
READ MORE: Kate Forbes unveils pay hike for public sector workers in Scottish Budget
What about protecting jobs with yet another necessary extension to the furlough scheme? What about an extension to non-domestic rates relief? Businesses, along with governments, need notice as soon as possible. No repeat of the last extension to “furlough” that saw many job loses that could have been saved with prior notice.
As we digest the Scottish Budget, which thankfully recognised the desperate plight many families are experiencing with no change to the progressive tax rates in Scotland, we must demand borrowing powers devolved to Scotland from the UK Chancellor on March 3 if we are going to truly make progress in recovering from Covid.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk
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