I NOTED earlier there were several letters in The National about the First Minister giving an apology to the women who were burnt for witchcraft 400 years ago. I am also glad to see her apologise to those who were infected by HIV and Hepatitis C through infected blood, and also for mesh implants.
I am also glad that she gave an apology to gay men who had been convicted in the past because of their sexuality. The latter has an especial meaning to me as I was arrested while serving in the Royal Navy in the 80s, had a military trial, was dismissed and literally thrown out on the streets penniless just for being gay. These were all events that happened pre-devolution but the FM felt she had a duty to apologise on behalf of the state for the wrong and injustice done then. Those apologies give a lot of comfort to those who have suffered.
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Due to my own experiences, I am passionate when I see injustice done to others just for who they are. I am not of Traveller or Gypsy background but last year I found out about a horrific incident that was imposed on the traveller/gypsy community here in Scotland between the 1940s and 2010 called the “Tinker Housing Experiment” (information found on the internet using this term).
The Traveller/Gypsy community were forced into substandard, often damp and mouldy, asbestos-ridden accommodation, often ex-forces Nissan huts with no running water or amenities, and isolated from other communities in a kind of cultural apartheid. They were being made to live a settled lifestyle.
From reading Hansard, this happened at its peak to about 4,260 families (20,000-plus people). If they did not comply, their children were taken from them. Many children were taken and many sent to Canada and Australia. Few of these children ever saw their families again. All this was orchestrated by the Secretary of State and the Church of Scotland.
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An apology has been asked of the First Minister, a simple apology for a great hurt and harm, but she has refused, saying that it is “a pre-devolution matter”. Yet she can apologise for all the pre-devolution matters above! She and Douglas Ross have been invited to visit a site of the experiment. The First Minister “declined the offer”. Douglas Ross accepted. Yes, Douglas Ross, that self-confessed hater of the Traveller/Gypsy community! But even he showed contrition and apologised for his previous comments and behaviour.
The Traveller/Gypsy communities have been a part of Scottish culture for centuries. They are not “outsiders” or “strangers” but part of our country. Indeed, many Edinburgh Scots words – gadgie, radge, pagger, deek and others – come from the Traveller language, so ingrained are they into who we are. Can we not give dignity to others just because they have a different lifestyle to us? Can we not extend our hearts in common humanity? Instead, they are treated as less worthy of respect. Being given that apology by the First Minister would bring comfort to deeply wounded hearts. Why is it so hard to say “sorry”?
Chris Ferguson
Edinburgh
NEWS reports on increases to National Insurance state that contributions will increase by 1.25% this month. In fact, the rise is a 1.25 percentage point increase applied to existing National Insurance rates, not a percentage increase on those rates. This might sound pedantic, but it does make quite a big difference to the figures.
For people currently paying National Insurance at a rate of 12%, this will mean they start to pay at 13.25% instead. Most people will therefore see a more than 10% increase in the amount of National Insurance they pay after the rise.
Alex Orr
Edinburgh
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