Elgin quip by Michael Gove reveals Tories’ real feelings about Scots

The hubristic leader of the House of Commons seems determined to publicly denigrate and marginalise his Scottish colleagues, in particular Douglas Ross, the leader of the Scottish Tories. Most, if not all Conservative MSPs, would seem to back their leader in Scotland at the expense of their mendacious and morally corrupt Prime Minister. One thing seems to be certain, that either Boris Johnson or Douglas Ross will fail to survive this hypocritical scandal which has been caused by the Prime Minster’s flagrant and audacious breaking of lockdown rules in May 2020.

Perhaps the most revealing quote came from Michael Gove who, when asked about Mr Ross’s contention that Mr Johnson should now resign said “he’s in Elgin and the National Tory leader is in London”. In one simple, dismissive sentence, Mr Gove sums up his own and his London-centric party’s attitude to Scotland, it’s people and to his party colleagues who take the message of Unionism to the country. It now must be transparently obvious, even to Tory members and voters in Scotland, that they are the poor cousins, the country hicks, that their contributions to the Unionist cause are risible and inconsequential. In short, the upper echelons of the Conservative party view Scotland as a backwater and their own Scottish colleagues as “lightweights”.

This schism can now be seen as a festering wound in the Tory party. Closed ranks have been blown open by the Prime Minister’s maverick and amoral behaviour and values. Scottish Tories like Murdo Fraser and Adam Tomkins will almost certainly be strongly advocating a break from Westminster and a separate Scottish Tory party in an effort to distance themselves from a Prime Minister who has lost the support and confidence of much of the electorate. This would be a brave political gamble to take and to many, a tacit admission that independence is an inevitability and that the “precious Union” has failed. It would indeed be a delicious irony if a Tory civil war became the harbinger of Scottish independence in the months ahead.
Owen Kelly
Stirling

I READ that Tory back-benchers and Tory voters have lost confidence in Boris the Spider. Really? Way before he was elected, both by the Tory party and then by public election, we had been very well informed about this man’s lack of integrity and general unsuitability for leadership and serious decision-making. I ask myself how heavy the credulity of those people should weigh in those scales.

Another clandestine backroom vote for the next dubious occupier of No 10? No! This is, at the very least, grounds for a full election involving – we fervently hope – a more chastised and thus wiser, voting public.
Lewis Waugh
Portobello

OH fie! Fie all ye traitors to the noble cause! What has become of loyalty amongst the ranks of the North British Conservatives?

The Prime Minister of this great united country is by far the most successful and entertaining of a long line of upper class Tory clowns going back to the great grouse-shooting MacMillan – indeed even further back into the hazy mists of time.

Who can forget the custard pie, pants-down Major Minor – scion of a long line of leopard skin clad trapeze artists? The baseball-hatted child prodigy: “Just William” Hague? The great Iron Maggie, Bullingdon Cameron or Disco Queen Theresa?

Great acts one and all but, surely World King Bojo well and truly trumps each one.

Stand firm loyal Conservatives. Support the Honourable Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in his hour of need. Pay no heed to ignoble slurs coming from that upstart Douglas Ross and Baroness Pottymouth of Looe. Keep the jolly old Union jack flying and never surrender. We need comedy now more than ever before.

Yours Disgusted of Donbridge Wells,
Lord Bertram Boatbottom.
(aka Rhodri Griffiths, Alford)

LESLEY Riddoch’s piece (Morally distant Johnson is now a walking calamity – even for Tories, Jan 13) and many other articles in the National raise for me what I consider to be urgent and important questions about Scotland’s future independence and a more encompassing, inclusive, participatory democracy.

I am not going to repeat all of the despicable crimes levelled at Johnson, fuelled by his party’s equally egregious ideology. There is nothing new to add to a list that seems to have no end but nevertheless is repeated ad infinitum by many columnists. What is important to me is how we take control and respond to similar situations in an independent Scotland.

A long letter by me, published in The National on December 8, made reference to the end of empires but also mentioned the need for “a whole series of new conduits to enable a more meaningful democracy”.

The question that I feel needs to be raised is how can the citizens of a new Scotland ensure that corrupt or/and incompetent politicians be booted out, in other words sacked. It appears glaringly obvious to me that this can only be achieved through a clause in a written constitution which would state something like, the people will have the right to terminate the contracts of those elected who are considered to be in breach of their covenant with the people.

I’m sure that John Drummond and those people at the Constitution for Scotland could come up with something in the Model Constitution that would fit the bill and fulfil the basic ideal of a people’s sovereignty.
Alan Hind
Old Kilpatrick

SNP MP Alan Brown brought some startling figures to the House of Commons on Thursday. Figures that expose the harsh reality for thousands of claimants and pensioners. Mr Brown informed the House that it took the ombudsman to expose the 118,000 claimants who were underpaid for up to seven years, exploitation of the poor, a damning report for the DWP once again. Some of the claimants have received compensation, however in August 2021, there were still 76,000 awaiting review.

Mr Brown went on to highlight other vulnerable groups who are experiencing the harshness and exploitation of the Conservative Government and I quote a few: Waspi Women (Women Against State Pension Inequality) scandal, women who had no proper notice of an exponential increase to their state pension age. Pensioners losing £500/yr due to the abolition of the triple lock. The recent Universal Credit Cut of £20/wk, the largest cut to welfare since the second world war.

In the midst of the political turmoil the country is currently living through on top of the pandemic, it is heart wrenching that the Westminster Government continue to exploit the most vulnerable and needy. Welfare is something no one wants to claim or be dependent on, that is why the limited power the Scottish Government has on welfare (14% of welfare spend in Scotland is devolved) has fairness dignity and respect at its heart.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk

THERE are many reasons why optimistic people might wish to move beyond the current state of political stasis in Scotland but none more pressing than Trident, as outlined by Brian Quail.

To be living in a small country with a mass of nuclear weapons stored close to Scotland’s largest city, imposed by a non-elected government, seems utterly bizarre by any standards.

Frightening, unless you are a person of little imagination.The UK has become one of nine rogue nuclear states since the United Nation’s Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons came into force on January 22 2021.

There is a photo that regularly appears on Twitter, of Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel hilariously sharing a private joke.The text changes all the time but does encapsulate the sense of Europe looking on at the chaos of UK politics.

It appears that Anas Sarwar has turned his back on the democratic deficit of Scottish politics. Since 2011 the Scottish people have voted for a government that supports independence.

Personally I think he has made a miscalculation by refusing to acknowledge support for independence within Labour ranks. If there is anything, other than Alba ,that would have pressured the SNP into action, it would have been Labour supporting independistas.And of course increased support for the Labour Party.

We have begun to see some fracturing of Scottish Conservative support for the Union expressed by Adam Tomkins.

The Conservative legacy of the most recent Tory administrations has been Windrush, Brexit, and foodbanks- not much there to be proud of.

So a national Scottish convention to discuss Scotland’s political future may not be too far away!
Maggie Chetty
Glasgow

YE nivver ken whaur the Kilties (the rescuing force) is gaun ti cum frae, bot this tyme hit hes cum frae the orra airt o Michael Fry’s wryte in The National. The lest pairt o hiz skreive concludes, “Scots provides us with the materials to defend Scottish culture.”

READ MORE: Ted Cowan enriched our knowledge of Scottish history. He will be missed

This mynds uz at a knawlege o contemporane an auld Scots cry hit Doric, Lallans, ir whitivver is necessar ti recogneise this cultuir an certies ti fend hit frae the weird at is owretakkin langages aw owre the warl, swallaed up by the imperiall tungs.

Scots and Gaelic hes merkit ane o the maist auncient borders in the warl fur monie eir hunners. Ein a Scots ir Gaelic tuin in wir Inglish halps ti haud uz thegither. Ye ken-it-na?

The’r a fouth o CD’s ti be obteined frae the Scots Leid Associe unner the teitil “Scotsoun”.

A whein o ma ain buiks hae CD’s. Hit hesna bene onkent fur blauds ti ish disks. Than the’r the syde an wyde scowth o the internet.
Iain WD Forde
Scotlandwell

AS a faithful National reader, it always amuses me how much space is devoted to football in our country.

It’s a sport dominated by dissent, huge and unjustifiable wages – not to mention the unhealthy dominance of the Old Firm. It’s also a minority interest.

To prove this why not report on crowd attendances at matches?

This would highlight the general lack of interest in the game here. Celtic and Rangers draw bigger crowds but we all know that’s more to do with historical/ tribal affiliations than love of the game.

Ten pages devoted to football in Sunday’s National. Not a mention of gate figures.

I’m not anti-football. I was brought up in a football mad atmosphere and played for schools and boys clubs. Today’s ludicrous wages in the game in general (Scotland, in context, is at fault here too) and the over-hyping of matches by the media has turned me, and many fans I know, away from the game at “professional “ level.

Scots would be better served by learning about the behaviour of the British establishment than by reading of the match between Ayr United and Arbroath.
Jim Butchart
Haddington