Councils should refuse responsibility for future PFI payments

May I suggest that councils can avoid this by publicly stating that they will never be responsible for any and all future payments liable due to PFI created after today’s date.

And that the Westminster Government remains liable for all time. This will also show people the integrity of their local councils and which are prepared to stab their constituents in the back at some later date.

M Ross, Aviemore

Old John, in his long letter (Jul 26), makes a number of salient points regarding the SNP leadership. Kate Forbes seems very capable but currently Kate is indeed perhaps more suited to her present role in the Scottish Government than to leading the party forward to independence.

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John Swinney has indeed provided a “safe pair of hands” to steady the SNP “ship” but while he has many attributes John is seemingly not the inspiring “firebrand” to take the SNP to victory in the 2026 Holyrood election and on to independence (much as no doubt John relishes the opportunity to prove such impressions wrong, he perhaps would acknowledge that when Joe Biden stepped aside it enabled the Democratic Party to get on to the front foot and to promote a more positive agenda).

That task, from personal observations to date, seems to be suited to Stephen Flynn (below) who, as a relatively young MP, has repeatedly demonstrated that he can persuasively convey his arguments while standing-up for the views of the people of Scotland, even in the “bear pit” of Westminster.

(Image: PA)

Of course there are many highly capable politicians within the SNP’s ranks, including recently retired former MPs such as Dr Philippa Whitford and former MPs who have recently lost their seats such as Joanna Cherry QC, who could and should play active roles in helping to deliver independence.

That said, whatever their personal ambitions, none, in my own opinion (I’m not a member of the SNP or any other political party), appears to have the leadership attributes and broad electorate appeal of Stephen.

Effecting such a leadership transformation in a relatively urgent manner is a matter for the SNP to resolve and hopefully in the meantime an appropriate person can be appointed (preferably of the non-political standing of Canon Kenyon Wright who chaired the Scottish Constitutional Convention) to lead a “Citizens’ Convention” to early recommendations on “Creating a Better Scotland”.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

Too wee, too poor, too stupid is a well-worn phrase in these pages. After more than 50 years of being a member of, and working for, the SNP, I’ve decided that we’re NOT too wee and we’re DEFINITELY NOT too poor. We are, however, too stupid. Sometimes I think the latter also applies to rUK.

The English voters (and quite a few Scots) swallowed the obvious crap peddled by Johnston and voted for Brexit.

In greater numbers, people also swallowed the obvious crap peddled by Starmer and the “Sarpoodle” and voted Labour in the vain hope that they’d get “change”, ie something entirely different to the Tories. HOW GULLIBLE CAN YOU BE??? It’s becoming a worldwide epidemic!

See the number of voters who think Donald Trump (above) is a great guy, in spite (or maybe because) of the incoherent drivel he pumps out.

The people with the REAL power on this planet have cleverly engineered political systems which create the ILLUSION of democracy, while still maintaining control.

If you think I’m just another daft old conspiracy freak ... just watch how the “party of the workers” performs in the coming years.

Barry Stewart, Blantyre

I was very interested to read the story in Saturday’s National “Scottish port welcomes the largest ship in 888 years”. On Friday it seems the Port of Aberdeen welcomed the Costa Favolosa, which was built in Genoa at a cost of around €510 million for the Italian operator Costa Crociere. It is 290 metres long, has 13 decks, and weighs more than 113,000 tons. It can carry almost 4000 passengers in 1506 cabins in addition to quarters for its 1100 crew. It took less than two years to build.

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This massive cruise liner cost about the same to build as Ferguson’s two Port Glasgow ferries and was built in about a third of the time. I can almost hear my grandfather, a Clyde shipbuilder, birling in his grave.

John Baird, Largs

It is a tragedy for supporters of Independence that one of our best and most intelligent politicians has decided that in the current situation she will be withdrawing from politics for the time being.

Joanna Cherry (below) KC was a great MP for the SNP and was the only one to have the ability and will to drag Boris Johnson to the courts and defeat him in his anti-democratic plans to prorogue Parliament.

(Image: PA)

Despite her many qualities the SNP made the deliberate decision to make it impossible for her to become an MSP by changing the rules so that a sitting MP had to resign a Westminster seat before becoming a candidate for Holyrood.

At the same time a clique of aggressive gender activists within the party attempted to demonise her by totally misrepresenting her position on trans people.

The SNP cannot afford to lose such a powerful voice for independence as Joanna Cherry KC. But I am wondering if independence is the priority of the party these days.

James Duncan, Edinburgh