YOU win some, you lose some, or so they say.Today, I feel as though I have lost a lot more faith in the UK political system. A system that enables a UK Government minister to lie, acknowledge that lie and escape censure. No matter Wednesday’s judgment, it will never be known for sure if Carmichael would have been returned in the 2015 elections if all the facts had been known in advance. The judgment changes nothing for his constituents and the wider population. Should he be awarded damages, thus requiring more crowd funding for the Orkney Four, count me in along with so many more.

What did I win? The ability to say my Government did the right thing by revoking the GlobalScot ambassador status awarded to Donald Trump.

Bearing in mind the US constitution and its guarantee of equal protection under the law to all people, not just its citizens, what Trump said could be seen as ‘anti American’. Equal plaudits must go to Robert Gordon University having stripped him of his honorary degree. So here we are: two men who have smeared others, and two institutions that stood up and took appropriate action against one. Action against the other might take longer: the 2016 elections might see the electorate remembering #Fibdemers but I wonder if Carmichael feels he can last the course and then expect to move to the Lords. At least he won’t be dependent on voters for that.

Selma Rahman Edinburgh

WELL done to the Scottish Government and Robert Gordon University for acting so quickly in withdrawing Donald Trump’s membership of GlobalScot and his honorary degree (Trump stripped of degree and global ambassador role, The National, December 10). I was particularly impressed by the speediness of the Scottish Government in showing principle, in stark contrast to the harmful relationship the UK Government has with Bahrain.

According to Kirsteen Paterson’s excellent piece on activist Maryam al-Khawaja, this cosy relationship allows ‘King Hamad’s officials to order torture and extra-judicial killings to occur with impunity’ (‘UK harms fight for Gulf rights’, The National, December 10). I hope, as Khawaja does, that the Scottish Government can call out UK ministers on this disgrace.

Christine Hadden Greenock


The PM must explain ‘fit for work’ deaths

WELL done Anne-Marie O’Sullivan for challenging David Cameron to come clean not only on the tragic suicide of her own father Michael but also to explain the deaths of 60 other people who were wrongly stripped of their benefits under his so called welfare reforms (Daughter leads new bid for truth from PM on fit-for-work deaths, The National, December 10).

Great credit must go to SNP Westminster leader Angus Robertson and shadow chancellor John McDonnell for supporting her case. Cameron has tried at every opportunity to ignore public concern and has left his henchman Ian Duncan Smith to evade and not answer questions. The brutal and inhumane attack on disabled people since 2010 (which was then supported by the treacherous Lib Dems) lies directly at Cameron’s door. These people earned entitlement to benefits by paying their taxes and national insurance throughout their working lives.

Recently Duncan Smith claimed Cameron was in support of his policies because he wanted to reduce welfare spending. Its disgusting to think that to try and win votes in the last general election Cameron opened his heart to the nation regarding the personal tragedy he and his family suffered as a result of disability yet today he is forcing people with terminal illnesses like MND into ‘fit-for-work’ assessments? I know it’s too late for Anne-Marie’s dad but I hope in his memory she can fight for the human rights of others, the same rights denied to her father.

Louise Mc Ardle Lanarkshire


I WRITE with concern over the confusing information regarding the closure of the Forth bridge (Minister poised to order bridge closure inquiry, The National, December 10). Firstly the main concern for everyone should be to get it up and running again as it could have an impact on the Scottish economy as well as considerable inconvenience for the public.

Secondly there appears to be a considerable amount of confusion over who did or did not do what and when work should have been given the go ahead.

Thirdly we are getting increasing reports from engineers in the press at odds with what is being said by the present engineers in charge of maintaining the bridge as well as the transport minister.

This is an unhealthy position for the Scottish Government and undermines the public confidence on exactly how safe the bridge will be when it is reopened. With the Unionist parties making much of this the sooner we get the facts on the issue the better it will be for both the public and the government who up to now have been both fair and transparent with their management of Scotland.

Perhaps we should invite Alistair the Liar MP for Orkney for his opinion if only to show that his court case was not another dastardly plan by those nasty nationalists to silence all the righteous supporters of the Union.

Bryan Auchterlonie Perthshire

I WAS disappointed, but not surprised, with the judgement on the ‘Frenchgate’ affair. However, it is surely now down to the honourable gentleman to prove that he is just that.To do so, he should resign immediately, go back to the people of Orkney and Shetland and ask them to confirm that they wish him to continue as their representative in Westminster. Do I think they would? No! That is exactly why Mr Carmichael will not do the ‘honourable’ thing.

George Greenshields East Kilbride

THE disgraced MP for Orkney and Shetland is not so much the Lion of the North as the Lying King. Having consistently done the wrong thing, he should finally do the right thing and stand down. Let all his constituents judge him in a by-election, not just two judges in Edinburgh who seemed to be more concerned with the niceties of the law than the integrity of the ‘honourable member’.

Angus Ferguson Glasgow

NOW that Alistair Carmichael has been cleared, does this open the floodgates for ‘untruths’ during the next elections? In a TV interview the other evening he stated that the case was brought against him by ‘the Nationalists’. Can he not read? Does he not realise that not all of the Orkney Four were SNP supporters? If he is not encouraged by his own party to step down from office all I can say is roll on the next elections when I hope he loses most comprehensively.

Meg Anderson Eadar Da Allt, Isle of Skye

THE Lie

When is a lie not a lie?

It’s a conundrum I shall not deny.

So to ease our perplexion

I shall change the connection

And ask ‘When is a pie not a pie?’

Now a pie is a vision of delight

An addiction after one glorious bite.

Meat and gravy stuffed,

A crust that is fluffed

An addiction that is a veritable right.

So how can our pie not exist?

A dilemma that comes with a twist,

For when Carmichael walks by

He scoffs up that pie

And the crumbs he licks from his lips!

So! When is a lie not a lie?

WHY, it’s the same with that juicy old pie!

I’ll answer that puzzle

‘When it’s in Ali’s muzzle’

A lie’s not a lie from on high.

Ian Greenhalgh Edinburgh

CRYPTIC crossword puzzlers and believers in nominal determinism have probably noticed that ‘Alistair Carmichael’ is an anagram of ‘Liar, a schematic liar’.

Michael Stuart Green Corrack,Wester Ross

IT’S all in his name anyway, an anagram of ‘Alistair Carmichael’ being ‘Ach its clear I’m a liar’. My apologies to all honest Alistair Carmichaels out there.

Jim Brown Glenrothes



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