I AGREE with Kate Reid (Letters, Sep 7) when she says correspondents should give their age, indeed I would like to understand more of their personal circumstances to understand where they’re coming from.
I’m 72 and living with the single biggest regret of my life, because I voted No to independence in 2014. I believed the lies and I saw no reason to be separated by a border from other relatives living elsewhere in these islands. Now I would help build that border.
I felt European and part of the project that brought Europe together, to hopefully end all conflict within it. All of this was torn asunder by English nationalism and disdain for immigration, here in these islands where we are all immigrants.
READ MORE: George Kerevan: This is Scotland 10 years on... if Yes had won in 2014
However, I do not share Reid’s version of events under Sturgeon. She imbued the image of popularity, mostly under the difficult circumstances of the pandemic, but we know there has been no clamour to bring her back, she is not missed.
Reid plays down the part that gender politics played in her party’s downfall. And that is SNP’s downfall. Reid and their members are not listening. They believe they were right, the Scottish Government and the MSPs were right, all while voters were telling them they were wrong.
Labour survived even this because they were seen as the anti-Tory ticket. The SNP should have been that anti-Tory ticket. Instead they squandered the best opportunity for independence because they never presented it as the solution to Scotland’s political and economic problems. Rather they have been willing lieutenants of Westminster’s onerous diktat.
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Scotland’s independence aspirations are in a mess. We have many working in the background to demonstrate the flaws of devolution and highlight how independence is the solution. But the SNP are failing politically to drive this home, to lead the charge. They’ve made us sheep and the Westminster wolf is licking its lips at the easy passage we’re giving them. Why hasn’t Swinney looked the liar Sarwar in the face at FMQs and stated: “read my lips, no austerity under Labour”?
But there is hope. And my hope is that the opportunists in the Scottish Parliament vote the coming budget down. I hope the Tories, Labour and Greens are sufficiently driven by malice against the SNP to stop it, and force the election we all want.
And I hope the SNP sense the opportunity to fill this legislature with independence-supporting MSPs by agreeing with Alba for an SNP 1, Alba 2 vote. This is the only hope Scotland has of a super-majority to take the aggressive action against the Union that needs to happen, and bring into play all the other organisations working in the background to lay their vision of a better Scotland before we Scots.
We don’t have to wait any longer. This could happen now. Unite votes for Scotland and let’s get this independence campaign on the front foot.
Jim Taylor
Scotland (age 72, and weary waiting for my fundamental right to independence)
I HAVE followed the reporting on the SNP conference in your publication and watched certain sessions online.
I am encouraged by the new leadership’s offer of wanting to listen and engage with the wider movement for ideas and opportunities to work together in creating that new Scotland to which we all aspire through independence.
READ MORE: 'We couldn't have done anything differently in 2014,' says ex Yes campaign chief
I heard that Kate Forbes held a barnstormer of a meeting on the need to address the obscenity of large landowner estates, particularly in the Highlands, where we see “undisclosed ownership” of some by “offshore nominees in British tax havens” and others, the largest of whom, while named, is a Danish national and pays land holding tax on his numerous estates in Scotland to the government – not of Scotland but the Danish government!
Both must be addressed, and can be right now under the current devolution settlement.
I would urge Kate Forbes to introduce appropriate legislation in this current parliament to create the long talked about “land value tax”.
The Green Party would surely support the SNP, as would Alba on such a just issue, and once proposed and legislated for, it would have widespread support across the Scottish electorate.
READ MORE: Greens will not be forgiven if they refuse to back the Scottish budget
If Westminster attempted to overrule the intentions of our democratically elected government on such a popular proposal then that could be used directly in any subsequent election campaigns as a clear indication of why we need independence – independence from an interfering neighbour.
Kate, you need to do it now as I am sure Labour have plans to further curtail the powers of Holyrood until you are nothing more than the “Scottish Toun Council!”
We are all with you, Kate.
Ian Stewart
Uig, Isle of Skye
IT is totally absurd to expect Scottish taxpayers to fund a memorial to Queen Elizabeth at this (or perhaps at any) time. Personally I am not anti-royalist and fully accept that the late Queen did her utmost to honour the country. However, I feel that at this time of personal hardship for so many this proposal should be rejected. If there is a real public feeling for this, any memorial should be by public subscription (crowdfunding) with the royals chipping in first, ha ha!
Struthers Symington
via email
READ MORE: Taxpayer should not be required to fund a memorial to Queen Elizabeth
ON Monday you gave quite a lot of space to a representative of an insignificant organisation to bleat and gurn about a memorial for the late Queen of Scots. The late Queen filled the role of head of state for many years with dignity and ability.
I can see nothing outrageous in a memorial to her reign. It should be noted that in terms of the national budget, the cost of such a memorial would be peanuts.
I understand that indications are that regrettably more Scots would wish to live in a grubby little republic, but I do believe it is a matter that looms very low on the list of priorities.
R Mill Irving
Gifford, East Lothian
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