I WAS deeply saddened by the article in Wednesday’s National headlined “Yousaf questions whether family’s future lies in Scotland” The clear implication was that their future did not even lie in “the West”.
I would be fascinated to learn were else in the world he had in mind that was a moderate, stable, relatively wealthy, democratic, presumably Muslim-led democracy, free from racism. I cannot think of one.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf questions family's future in Scotland after far-right riots
Mr Yousaf’s tenure as First Minister was relatively short and unremarkable. There will be no statues of him either in the city of Glasgow which he represents or in Dundee where he lives. I have friends, one a Muslim, who were, and still are, appalled by his now infamous speech in our parliament claiming, with much anger in his voice, that everyone in power in Scotland was white. As a result some did not cast their vote for the SNP in July.
Some would argue that his words and later deeds have, in their own small way, added to the current situation. His recent comments that the UK should deploy its army on our streets are less than helpful. I sincerely hope Keir Starmer ignores that very dangerous suggestion. I know Mr Yousaf is not of an age to experience it first-hand, but he should acquaint himself with the history and outcome of similar proposals in Northern Ireland.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf: It's not only race riots making me consider leaving UK
I strongly suspect that Mr Yousaf and his family will not actually be packing their bags any time soon (at least not until May 2026) and until then he really should desist from making further personal, attention-grabbing statements to the press.
If Mr Yousaf is serious about leaving Scotland I honestly wish him and his family well, but their departure would send out a message to the world that would greatly distort the real situation in our small nation.
Sandra West
Dundee
YOU’VE got to hand it to the MOD. It has a knack for coming up with alliterative "killer" names for its rust-bucket class of nuclear subs that have been stuck in port, mostly in Scotland, for over a year, polluting our waters.
The Royal Navy’s newest class of "hunter-killer" subs, codenamed Astute, are anything but. HMS Ambush hasn’t sailed for two years. HMS Audacious is grounded in Devonport. HMS Artful has been stranded at His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Clyde for 14 months along with HMS Astute. A crane to lift the subs from the water at Faslane hasn’t operated for more than a year because the firm that manufactured the ropes went bust.
READ MORE: All six UK Astute-class nuclear submarines stuck in port for repairs
The only operational dry dock in the UK is HMNB Devonport, which is undergoing a £750 million upgrade by American defence contractor Babcock. Meanwhile, all six of the UK’s Type 45 Destroyers – Dragon, Defender, Diamond, Duncan, Dauntless and Daring – are docked at Portsmouth and Birkenhead, where "defects", mainly overheating generators, are being repaired but won’t be completed until 2028.
Starmer has said his government will spend 2.5% of GDP on defence and up to £41 billion on the Dreadnought class of nuclear subs, although independent sources estimate the full cost of the UK nuclear weapons programme could reach £172 billion. (Naturally, Dreadnought will be based in Scotland, not England, given the risk of radioactive discharges and potential explosions.)
Even the MOD admits the programme will cost £118bn over the next decade. But Starmer and Reeves can’t seem to find £1.3bn to end the two-child benefit cap or £1.4bn to keep seniors from freezing this winter.
How much more of this abuse and incompetence at the hands of the failing UK will the Scottish people take before they call it quits on this Union?
Leah Gunn Barrett
Edinburgh
ONCE again, an excellent letter from Graeme McCormick (Aug 5) urging the SNP to use the powers they have in the Scottish Parliament to challenge the UK Government’s new austerity programme.
As Graeme has made clear to us many times, the SNP government has the powers in the current devolution settlement to use our greatest asset, our land, to raise revenue. This would be a great way to raise sufficient revenue to allow the SNP Scottish Government to keep benefits which are being cut by the UK Government and thereby to maintain support for those who need this support in Scotland.
Since the land tax could be geared to raising most of the revenue from large land holding then such a tax would redistribute from the wealthy to those on average and below-average incomes. This would be an excellent way to create a more equal society, to challenge Labour austerity, and to stimulate the Scottish economy.
It would also help to make the SNP more likely to win support at the Scottish election while Labour are busy undermining their position with their new austerity programme.
Andy Anderson
Ardrossan
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