I AM now seriously concerned.
We are facing a new variant of Covid which may or may not be more deadly but is clearly more transmissible. The statistics quoted by Jason Leitch and Gregor Smith at last Friday’s First Minister’s Briefing were horrific – one infected in a crowd of 100 could result in at least 50 becoming infected.
Anyone with any basic arithmetical understanding knows that that is not good – but apparently basic arithmetic is not necessary to become an MP.
Meantime we have a weak, damaged and incompetent PM with absolutely no moral authority given his constant lies and obfuscations; a Westminster Health Secretary with roughly a month’s experience and whose main qualifications seem to be in finance; a Minister for Intergovernmental Relations who chairs a Cobra meeting, expresses concern at the very worrying Covid statistics but the very next day praises the way the vacuous and shallow PM has led the fight against the virus (150,000+ have died); a group of Tory MPs who consider having the right not to wear a mask is more important than public health; and a billionaire Chancellor who is unwilling to borrow – as he must – the necessary funds to enable the furlough scheme to be immediately re-instated.
Hospitality, to name but one industry, is being thrown to the wolves because of Westminster. It is not hospitality’s fault that Covid exists, and it is not Nicola Sturgeon’s fault that she has had to warn the population of the very real dangers of Omicron. That is her job. Nor is it the fault of the many people who will choose to cancel or delay plans because of their concern about Covid. This is entirely down to Westminster because it, and only it, can borrow the necessary funds to tide businesses and individuals through this very difficult period.
I used to believe that Johnson had to stay in post because he was the best recruiting tool Independence had. I no longer believe that. He and his cabal of chancers, incompetents and downright liars are now a Clear and Present Danger to us all. They need gone.
Dr Morven J Easton
Glasgow
SO has it finally happened, will the Partygate or decorgate(!) be Boris Johnson’s downfall. We all know the story that despite all the despicable crimes that Al Capone committed, eventually he was jailed for tax evasion.
Throughout his career and personal life, Johnson has cheated, lied, bought off. Somehow bungling his way to the highest office in the land. His “piling up the bodies” remark includes his political opponents whom he has crunched under foot. He has no shame, no integrity (that applies to All Tories), no doubt will live a comfortable life the rest of us can only dream about!
But the damage in his wake will be felt for generations to come. Of course he didn’t quite do it alone. Aided and abetted by his incompetent and dangerous cohorts that make up the worst government the like has never been seen before! Well perhaps Thatcher, but that’s another story!
The MSM, particularly the right wing press and the BBC news output, have sucked up to these despicable people, never holding them to account, at the same time going after the SNP. The difference now is the world is watching, so the same despicable media is jumping on the anti-Boris bandwagon. I actually have some sympathy for Boris!
The Tories are known for their ruthless behaviour when one of their own falls out of favour!
The trouble is that the Labour and Liberals need to take some responsibility for the situation that England finds itself in. I say England not out of any malice but I feel sorry them to have the wool pulled over them, again!
The coming referendum will be the most important decision that Scotland makes in our lifetime. The situation south of the border is unlikely to change post-Boris. So despite the pandemic, we must step up the campaign for Scottish independence.
A good example for why we need independence was the budget, prepared and delivered by the brilliant Kate Forbes. She delivered a budget for Scotland with nine digits of ten fingers kept back by the treasury in London.
Now is the time. So let’s put all the energy we put into back-stabbing each other in the independence movement and galvanise our effort to escape this nightmare once and for all. Together Scotland!
Colin Counter
via email
IN his letter of December 10 (“Why is it sensible to declare Plan B in advance?”), Nick Cole asks for someone to “explain the strategic logic behind telling the world that if Plan A is rejected, we will do this instead”. I take it that by Plan A he means the referendum and by Plan B he means the electoral plebiscite.
His request is misconceived.
He refers to a “competitive environment” and “defences and counter-arguments” being “prepared by the enemy”. In the context of Scottish independence, our opponents are the Scottish Unionists, because they do have a say.
London, however, has no say apart from the right to refer to the Supreme Court legislation passed by Holyrood, which means it might be able to stymie a referendum. But it can’t prevent an election or restrict a manifesto, and has always acknowledged Scotland’s power and right to leave the Union if its people voted to do so. So the idea that London is our opponent is a red herring. The fact that so many of us share Mr Cole’s misconception is entirely the fault of the SNP and their fixation on a referendum.
The Scottish Government may succeed in bringing a referendum about. But they might not, and that is the serious possibility which they should prepare against by making it open and explicit that the electoral route will be our alternative. That would increase the likelihood of London cooperating.
Alan Crocket
Motherwell
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