AT Alex’s memorial service I was deeply offended and appalled by the woman who thought it was OK to shout at John Swinney as he opened the car door for his disabled wife at the entrance to St Giles’ Cathedral.
She was rude, profoundly disrespectful and then had the audacity to shout back when a gentleman asked her to be quiet.
She was very quick to decry him for shouting at a woman, at which point I could haud my wheesht no more. I assured her that the request was nothing to do with her gender, but everything to do with her manners.
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Her voice was of course highlighted in the BBC’s coverage, so I hope she is pleased with her impact. I have no sense that Alex would have in any way have condoned her inappropriate behaviour.
I for one am delighted that the voices asking her to be quiet were numerous and impassioned.
There is, for some, perhaps a place to shout at our First Minister. That place was not today outside Alex Salmond’s memorial service.
Jenny Pearson
Edinburgh
AM I the only person who watched the coverage of Alex Salmond’s memorial service and wondered if the woman screaming abuse at John Swinney might be better to turn her fire on the likes of Anas Sarwar? Wouldn’t that do more to bring about independence for Scotland? Tearing each other apart isn’t going to do anything to advance the cause.
Andrew Haddow
Glasgow
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WE wish to express our disappointment on reading about the poor reception of John Swinney and his wife on their arrival at the memorial service for Alex Salmond.
John is a much-respected leader of the SNP, who has been committed to our cause of independence for Scotland for many years. Who, at an occasion like this, could be branding him “traitor”? With what justification? What motive? Are we not all committed to the same cause?
Come on Scotland – let’s pull together.
Anne Campbell and Robert Reid
via email
I AM not a fan of the FM but there are times when you have to stand up for him, for the SNP, and for Scotland. On Saturday night, on a day when we should have been remembering Alex Salmond with no party politics in sight, I heard on Times Radio that bastion of unbiased reporting John Boothman being asked about Alex Salmond’s memorial service. What I heard was an anti-SNP rant, saying things were so bad for the SNP that the FM was booed.
It was totally out of order in the context of the question that was asked of him. However, the presenter of the show just let him rant on, and at no time tried to stop his anti-SNP diatribe!
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I expect this sort of stuff from Unionist media every day, but I would have thought that John Boothman could have reined in his disdain for the SNP given the circumstances!
I also note that Reform are being touted as kingmakers after the 2026 Scottish election. I have to say that I find this sort of talk nauseating to say the least. It will of course be up to the SNP to make sure that a circumstance like this does not arise.
To finish on a somewhat lighter note, I see that prisoners, in the warmth of their cells, are being bitten by venomous spiders! Up here in the coldness of our homes, we are being bitten by a venomous Labour government.
Old John
Ayrshire
IN his article in the Sunday National “The choice is clear for Scots – the far right or independence” (Dec 1), Robin McAlpine sets out a compelling argument for the need for a far more radical approach from the SNP to counter the threat of the rise of the right in the form of Farage’s Reform.
Robin argues that the centralist policies that “don’t scare the horses” are the problem in turning off working-class voters, rather than the solution, and that these policies, failing in Europe and the USA, will result in Reform hoovering up these disaffected voters in our 2026 Holyrood election if a radical alternative is not offered.
I agree with his analysis and offer the following alternative strategy. The SNP will resist any dilution of their current power and will only participate with the wider independence movement if they see a threat electorally. To achieve this threat, an alliance of the disparate groups must be urgently formed to offer voters a radical alternative for list MSPs in 2026. This alliance would directly oppose Reform for these list votes.
As a mere foot soldier, I have no power to affect this conjunction. All I can do is hope for your support in urging it.
Campbell Anderson
Edinburgh
AS a small contributor to the John Maclean fund to raise a statue in his memory, I was appalled that the SNP “refused to help the crowdfunder” according to Donald Anderson’s letter (Nov 30). That the SNP ignores such a man of quality says more of the present-day SNP than it does of Maclean. They still have time to make amends and contribute.
As a long-time supporter of independence, but not of “the poor and those who could not afford it” (as Donald puts it in his letter), I think that a monument to such a great man would serve Scotland better than any “statue to the late Queen Elizabeth”, for all she is reputed to have done for Scotland.
Paul Gillon
Leven
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