Scotland’s economic ship is tied up firmly to the English Titanic

The real “winner” in Rutherglen were the people who refused to vote, by far the largest part of the electorate. SNP supporters were undoubtedly the greatest part of this abstention – and a clear message was sent to the SNP leadership. However, the people also sent a message to the Unionists but in their usual fashion they are treating this with contempt.

The three Unionist parties lost 9408 votes compared to 2019, so if they are celebrating it must be to welcome the demise of democratic activity in Scotland, which damages the SNP, even if it also shows a lack of interest in their policies.

Meanwhile, in the real economic world, the working people are being hammered by rising rents and interest rates, on top of general inflation, while their incomes are held down and their public services undermined by a grossly incompetent UK Government. This problem will not get better any time soon for people in the UK.

George Kerevan in his article in Monday’s National explained why interest rates are rising in the US and UK and why that is soon likely to get worse rather than better. The Chinese are selling off their huge dollar surplus at the rate of $100 billion per year and they have a huge surplus. If they did it any faster, the dollar would collapse and the pound with it.

The UK trade figures for last year, published at the end of June 2023, show us why the pound might be very weak. They revealed, for example, that England’s exports were £250bn, while her imports were £470bn – a massive trade deficit of £220bn in one year. In the same year, Scotland exported 46.8% more per capita than England and had a small £1.6bn surplus in its trade balance. Of course, these are just one year’s figures but they show us the direction of travel.

Scotland’s economic ship is tied up to the English Titanic. Most people on the English Titanic don’t know yet that the ship has hit an iceberg and many are dancing in the ballroom but some have now come to recognise that the unsinkable ship is going to sink. So now that we know we need to untie the ropes and get away some distance before the Titanic goes down.

The SNP leadership, in their stubborn failure to listen to advice, are keen for Scotland to be tied to sterling even after political independence. This is an insistence that we stay tied to the Titanic and refuse to save ourselves.

The SNP leadership must face the political reality. We must find a new source of revenue, which is available to us with a land tax, so that we can address people’s needs, and we must present them with a viable route to political and economic independence before the UK ship sinks in economic confusion.

Andy Anderson

Ardrossan

THE State of Israel’s collective punishment of more than two million Palestinians is a war crime according to international law, and the UK Government and Keir Starmer’s Labour Party supporting Israel’s illegal activities make them legally co-responsible according to experts on international law opining on the matter over the last week. As for Biden, he cuts a pathetic figure. The current disastrous situation in the Middle East has everything to do with the legacy of the British Empire in the region. It was Britain that overthrew Mohammad Mosaddegh in Iran in 1953, a hugely popular figure in a way not unlike Chile’s Salvador Allende.

It was Britain which sought to overthrow Nasser of Egypt in 1956, essentially because Anthony Eden didn’t like him. It is Britain which has undermined popular sovereignty in virtually every single country in the region and systematically subverted democracy, leading these peoples into the cul-de-sac of radical Islam.

I don’t think I have ever felt more ashamed to be a British subject. What an absolutely pathetic, cruel and cowardly country Britain is.

As for this talked-up threat from Iran, can we see the evidence please? The idea that there is any real possibility of Iran launching a war on Israel, and by extension, the US and UK ... well who can seriously believe that?

But it’s a useful diversion from the main story, namely, the annihilation of the people of Palestine .... with the blessing of the British government and the Imperial British Labour Party.

Douglas Wilson

via thenational.scot

HAMAS attacks kill Israeli civilians. Israel retaliates and kills twice as many Palestinian civilians. Atrocities are committed by both sides in the conflict. All UN resolutions designed to bring some sort of political and social equity are ignored.

And so the cycle continues, creating martyrs on each side of the divide to fuel the hate that generates continuing violence. When governments outside the region take sides, it only helps to fuel further violence, inequality and instability.

We need some cool heads to address the reality of this cyclic violence. Perhaps a Good Friday Agreement-style short-term solution is required while the longer-term problems are addressed with some calm and common sense backed by governments determined to bring some equitable resolution to the region.

Keith Oram

via thenational.scot

REGARDLESS of what version of war propaganda we believe it is obvious complete truth will not be available for a long time. While the visit of Biden as president of the US might appear good publicity it does not address any of the causes of the war in Israel/Palestine.

It is more significant that each and every year for the last 10 years the apartheid state of Israel has received $3 billion of economic subsidy and military support from the US.

Norman Lockhart

Innerleithen