I AM writing to express an interest in the vacancy for Scotland’s Makar (‘Glaikit’ plan to change the title of Makar to National Poet for Scotland is dropped, The National, February 9).

I write not as a candidate or scholar, but as a mere consumer of poetry.

I suspect those few of us who actually buy poetry books at full list price from bookshops will have little say in the matter.

Nevertheless, I would like my half-a-groat’s worth to be heard.

Tom Leonard would be an outstanding choice.

Leonard would be the very antithesis of “a safe pair of hands”.

I feel sure many would agree with me that “safe” and “poetry” are pointless bedfellows.

I expect he would be trouble.

Good!

Others will better articulate his academic qualifications, his literary accomplishments and his extraordinary influence on Scotland’s emergence from the cringe.

I just like what he writes and how he writes it.

“All living language is sacred”.

David Kelly
Pennan, Fraserburgh


SNP’s position on European Union needs clarifying

REGARDING Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh’s recent’s column (Forget fear, let’s find the right reasons to stay in the EU, The National, February 10).

Firstly, she says the EU “has been central in protecting the peace in Europe since 1945, and has enshrined our citizens’ rights in international law.”

The EU did not exist before 1992.

The UK joined the EEC, its predecessor, in 1973. The UK joined Nato in 1949.

The UK is a member of the Council of Europe, which is entirely separate from the EU.

It is also a member of the European Courts of Human Rights which is again not part of the EU.

The EU has a European Council of Foreign Ministers, and the European Court of Justice.

These are both constituents of the EU and are not to be confused with the above. Could Tasmina please confirm her version of events or correct her claims?

Secondly, Tasmina makes the claim that “the EU is a modern, 21st century union comprised of equal nations, which is fundamentally different from the UK’s own 18th century constitutional arrangements”.

The nations of the EU are not equal.

Some are euro members and some are not, yet the EU as a whole votes on matters affecting the Eurozone and vice versa.

There is no tax harmonisation, yet there is freedom of movement of capital and people.

The UK constitution is continuously updated including current arrangements between Holyrood and Westminster. The EU constitution based the Lisbon treaty was signed in 2009.

The UK constitution is up to date, though its origins are, of course 18th century in part.

Can Tasmina confirm or correct her claim that EU member states with different tax regimes, forms of democracy, and treaty opts are equal? Thirdly, Tasmina makes every claim for the EU that a British Unionist would for the UK.

If the UK adopted a 21st century federal constitution would she be in favour of a reformed UK?

Finally, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TITP) and many facets of EU law are negotiated by an unelected European Commission, which is part of that modern European constitution Tasmina praises.

Can Tasmina explain why, given the need to reform the EU if we are to stay, that the Scottish National Party has not made a single recommendation to David Cameron over EU reform while he has been involved in a renegotiation process?

SNP voters will in time wonder why scrapping the Common Fisheries policy was not raised, likewise why TTIP remains the preserve of the Commission to negotiate instead of the European Council.

In the latter case at least people we elected can be held to account back in their own parliaments.

The SNP has instead given unconditional support for an In vote and in so doing undermined any potential for negotiations on Scotland’s behalf.

These four points are not disagreements with Tasmina’s opinions.

They are areas for which clarity is sought to statements by a leading SNP member of the Westminster parliament.

The learned pathos of ignorance that Europe is marvellous because it isn’t Westminster fatally undermines any balanced and therefore credible position the SNP can take to the EU given we are all one United Kingdom.

Jonathan Stanley
Edinburgh


I WAS very impressed by Tasmina’s article yesterday: it was clear and insightful.

I think we have to stay in Europe for one very strong reason.

That union is far from perfect, we know, but we have to stick with it as we are simply too small on our own and we have to be part of one large unit.

The alternative to Europe is to hang on to the USA and that is too ghastly to contemplate.

Margaret Sutherland
Stirling


BETWEEN Tasmina, Salmond and Sturgeon — remember it is not up to the SNP to stay in the EU, it is up to the Scottish people to decide if we stay in the EU or leave the EU. I am for leaving.

Bankers Pacin via thenational.scot

I READ with interest, the article Bid for unique EU status for island sheep (The National, February 10).

I was unaware that we had such a rare breed of sheep in Scotland with such quality of meat and wool.

I am, however, a little concerned that Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead believes that acquiring Protected Geographical Indicator (PGI) status “will ensure that consumers at home and abroad have a 100 per cent guarantee of the product’s authenticity.”

In fact, this protection will be extremely short-lived if the UK and the EU approve and ratify the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between Canada and EU, later this year.

During the negotiation of this trade deal, exemptions to protect local products were thrashed out by other EU countries with both France and Italy each listing 42 products.

The UK failed to protect any of its regional products; under CETA we will be eating Arbroath Smokies and Stornoway Black Puddings made in Canada.

CETA needs to be stopped to protect our foods.

Paul Robison
Chair, Stop-TTIP Dundee