HOW dare the BBC misinterpret what has happened over the pensioners Winter Fuel Payment and how dare Anas Sarwar suggest the Scottish Government was being pushed by him.

Remind him that all but one Scottish Labour MP’s voted for the cut in the allowance and Sarwar himself said Scottish Labour would means-test the Payment if they got into power in Holyrood. He saw his chances of being Scotlands first minister disappearing as rapidly as the allowance and had to do contortions to try and stop support ebbing away.

Sarwar has tied himself in knots over this, initially he backed Westminster Labour saying it was a necessary cut because of the “black hole” left and now he is trying to take the credit giving it back – and the BBC is colluding with Labour in order to try and enhance Scottish Labour’s chances at the next Scottish election.

The BBC is despicable as are Westminster Labour and Scottish Labour – lying and shape shifting is their modus operandi – they change with the wind. If increased National Insurance contributions for businesses and the removal of Winter Fuel Allowance is the change we are going to get from Labour, the Scottish people have to tell them we don’t want Labour change because it is just austerity in another guise.

Scottish Labour should be no where near power in Scotland.

Winifred McCartney

Paisley

DENNIS Canavan in Thursday’s National raised the question of a public holiday for Saint Andrew’s Day, as he had done for years and been ignored.

Regretfully, the SNP could not even do that, deliver a public holiday for St Andrew’s Day, nor mark the passing of of the centenary of John Maclean’s death on St Andrew’s Day last year.

Instead, they will hold an expensive St Andrews annual dinner. When I replied to the general invite, enquiring as to why the SNP refused to help a Crowdfunder for a statue to John Maclean and why John Swinney was chairing a Parliamentary Committee to raise a statue to the late Queen Elizabeth, I was told it was right and proper to initiate a statue. I asked that this email be passed personally to Mr Swinney. I have no idea if it was.

My local branch SNP organiser replied to my complaint, asking for confirmation, which I gave without receiving a reply and for me to raise it under AUOB, as I did and more, the whole of the previous year and with all the local elected officials.

I stopped my £20 monthly dues, which they will also ignore. It may be nothing to them, but a lot to a struggling, irrelevant, 88-year-old pensioner. I also received an SNP St Andrew’s card, with a photo of Mr Swinney and and another invite to the St Andrew’s Day bash.

Today, the annual Maclean march and rally from Maclean’s grave to his cairn at Shawbridge Square will have to be amended, due to other events of the day. Notably, public repairs to Thornliebank Road railway bridge at Eastwood Cemetery.

Instead, we will have a stroll for Maclean over the footpath at the local roundabout before Boydston Road and back to the Cairn. Just follow, follow the crowd. “If they go to London we will follow on”.

The failed Crowdfunder (to the delight of some) received lots of small amounts from the poor and those who could not afford it.

Today, we are appealing to supporters of independence and to the radical celebrities who claim to support independence, to contribute a bit more for John Maclean who stood for independence and much more, before the SNP was born, through a “Scottish Workers Republic”.

Donald Anderson

Glasgow

THE announcement by the Scottish Government regarding Winter Fuel Allowance (WFA) was very welcome and the right decision for Scotland’s pensioners.

The actions of the UK Labour Government regarding WFA has not only effectively left pensioners out in the cold, it has impacted on the Scottish Budget to the tune of £147 million, resulting in the Scottish Government and the Holyrood parliament calling for the reversal of this policy.

We will see the introduction of  a universal winter fuel payment for Scottish pensioners of £100 in 2025, and by this action the Scottish Government are once again mitigating against the UK Government, the only difference this time being that it is a Labour Government that Scotland is mitigating against. As Shirley-Anne Somerville pointed out in the Holyrood chamber, there has been two votes since Labour’s announcement to abolish WFA and in both cases Labour politicians were whipped to vote against assistance to our pensioners.

The announcement by the Scottish Government also heard the Scottish Welfare Fund being increase by £20m and the Warmer Homes Scotland initiative also seeing an increase of £20m to its budget.

These will only be available in Scotland, highlighting once again the priorities of a socially just government here in Scotland and demonstrating by this action concern for our pensioner population.

Catriona Clark

Falkirk

I’M all for the disgusting history of the British Empire being shown up for what it was, but before the Scottish taxpayer hands over any (more?) money, maybe we should be told exactly how many members constitute the Empire, Slavery and Scotland’s Museums Steering Group, what they plan to do with the £5 million they’re demanding and why they “could waste £100,00……”.

Are the members already on the museums payroll? Artefacts stolen should be returned immediately but I’m concerned that the group might be busy building their own tax payer-funded empire, and that political correctness precludes them being challenged.

Our government has repeatedly failed to tax the rich descendants of the families who benefited from slavery and empire, yet Scottish working people are expected to foot the bill for museum displays.

Jim Butchart via thenational.scot