I HAVE been reading with interest the debate regarding the position taken by BBC Scotland, specifically, and the BBC generally regarding the SNP, its tenure in government and the referendum last year. While in a democratic society we expect debate, criticism and sometimes censure from the media, we have all witnessed the outright biased reporting of the BBC in the last 18 months.

A recent report confirmed the majority of Scots are dissatisfied with BBC Scotland and the BBC generally in its handling of Scottish affairs. We are a nation of debaters from topics like “do we need our big toe to balance?” to the abstaining of our political opponents in a debate crucial to the most vulnerable in our society.

We love the debate, both sides of the coin and investigating the perceived truth, and expect our media outlets to do the same.

A big concern regarding bias is the lack of coverage of the SNP and indeed anyone who is not a Unionist in a positive way. One example which I complained about was two interviews, one by Alistair Darling and the other by Nicola Sturgeon during the referendum. I spent five seconds locating Alistair Darling’s response to Nicola Sturgeon, but for two hours her actual interview was not on their site.

Broadcasting remains a reserved power and will continue to be so for the foreseeable future, unless we do something about it.

This is really tragic as we have a vibrant journalistic culture from local and community radio, often broadcast in local accents and dialects to the commercial STV and from the Daily Record to The Scotsman and The National. The talent for our own SBC is available.

The main argument against a separate broadcaster is that we would become introspective and parochial in our thinking.

The newest print newspaper, The National, is an example of what can be done in the Scottish media; it can have a Scottish focus and still have quality Scottish news, international news, and comment with a Scottish perspective.

If the paper can succeed in an online, paperless society, then a Scottish broadcaster which looks at the world from a Scottish perspective, funded by the part of the licence fee paid by Scots, sharing programming with the BBC (rUK) as currently happens, could work really well. We belong to a nation which cherishes its culture and heritage, which loves a good debate and which expects the highest quality from its media. Let’s have our say and demand a Scottish broadcaster .

Carol Wood
Buckie, Moray

MPs to scrutinise review of BBC charter


THE SNP’s knee-jerk response to Tim Farron’s comments at the weekend was wholly disparaging (LibDems’ new leader dismissed as ridiculous after claiming Scotland is an authoritarian state, The National, July 20). This was unfortunate, as I do come across many people who do express deep concerns about growing signs of authoritarianism coming from the Scottish Government.

Certainly the main issue that concerns me, and it was one referred to by Farron, is the SNP’s plans for creating a “super ID” national database. This project, first introduced by Scottish Labour in 2006 brought in the Scottish National Entitlement Card. This was in the deceptive form of the harmless-looking free pensioner bus pass. But nine years on, this card is now clearly a slow-burn “smart” identity card, similar to what Tony Blair was hoping to impose throughout the UK – but failed.

Of course, our SNP Government has always claimed to be totally opposed to such ID cards, so why did it not promptly abolish them when coming into power in 2007? I have never received a clear, honest answer to this question.

Indeed, far from abolishing the scheme, the Government is now stepping it up. So earlier this year it carried out a public consultation, whose clear aim is to enable it to create a Scottish National Identity Register, although it has been very careful not to use this term. So in essence it wants to hoover up all our personal identifying information from the NHS’s vast central register (NHSCR), and use this as the basis for the National Identity Register.

So this sophisticated ID national database scheme, which has never been properly debated and approved by the Scottish Parliament, is progressing, with the population at large left in total ignorance and never consulted about it. This certainly bears all the hallmarks of authoritarianism to me.

Dr John Welford
NO2ID Edinburgh Co-ordinator
Edinburgh


IF I was a tourist to Scotland I would think it was some sort of practical joke, or a quaint Scottish custom, but although not a tourist I am equally annoyed at the stupid practice of installing a large road sign and then planting or deliberately allowing a tree to block the sign off, and obliterate the directions.

You can slow down,or almost stop, to read the instructions, much to the annoyance of the driver behind, and therefore causing some danger to other road users. One doesn’t have the same trouble in the winter when the trees are bereft of their foliage and we can read the sign through the branches.

Can those responsible, from the Minister for Transport, the tourist board, and the people who cut back the trees, please please cut back those trees, and while you are at it, don’t plant any more near our essential road signs.

My visiting tourists think its some kind of Scotland-wide joke, and counted more than fifteen of those partially hidden signs on one trip. One asked was it a game, like hide the thimble – hide the sign, or guess where we are, Jimmy?

Thanking in anticipation all who may help resolve this problem.

Iain Ramsay
Greenock

I HOPE that when the dust has settled on the Welfare Reform Bill, Evel etc, the Scottish parties will concentrate on preparing meaningful manifestos and policies for the Holyrood elections in May 2016.

There are many positive things the Scottish Parliament can do, for example fund local authorities across Scotland to provide free school meals and other activities during summer holidays. Poverty is a social evil which can be tackled if there is serious political will to do so. Clearly, the Tories don’t care about the poor or potentially poor and Labour are in total disarray.

Roll on May 2016; let’s have clear choices from all the parties; let’s see what the SNP, Labour, LibDems and Greens respectively are actually willing to commit to for the next five years to alleviate poverty in Scotland.

Ian Davidson
Address supplied


HAVE the Labour Party got a future considering they are now guilty of the sin of omission?

A serious claim, directed to those Labour MP’s who on Monday night in the House of Commons sat on their hands and abstained from voting against the Governments "Welfare Bill".

When seven opposition parties came together in opposing the Welfare Bill only 20 per cent of Labour MP’s defied their party whip and voted against this Bill, demonstrating why Labour are such an ineffective opposition, unable to stand in the place of the needy, the sick and the vulnerable.

So do they have or for that matter deserve a future? That may depend on their new UK leader. Interestingly only one of the four UK Labour leadership candidates defied the party whip and opposed the Bill. That was not the front-runner Andy Burnham.

Mr Burnham in a radio interview tried to come to his own defence and had the audacity to claim he was merely following the party whip, putting party before the welfare of millions.

The Labour party in the UK have once again pressed the self-destruct button and continue to be in crisis, a state of affairs they deserve to be in after their selfish actions in the House of Commons.

Catriona C Clark
Falkirk

IT`S good to see Ruth Wishart return to front-line politics and the heading to her comment indeed is at the crux of Labour`s problem (‘Somewhere along the line the link has been broken between the Labour vote and its leadership’, The National, July 22). However, I would go further and pinpoint the exact time of the Blairite New Labour years as to when the wrong turning was taken.

The intention was made to gather support and votes in equal measure in order to gain power and it became the “weather vein” quoted by Mhairi Black in her maiden speech. Believing that the Socialist ideology was anachronistic and Labour had to appeal to Middle England, it turned its back on the people it was meant to represent. This mistaken idea remains the downfall of present-day politicians – all but Jeremy Corbyn, it seems, who has apparently kept his socialist principles intact.

This is a salutary lesson for us all, that to abandon care and compassion for the weakest among us and to regard power as the means to success is a trap. It is to be hoped that when Labour can bring itself to co-operate with the only opposition to the Tories in Westminster, the weather-cock will change to a signpost, leading them out of the dark hole they’re in.

Janet Cunningham
Stirling


ANENT the deep-fried Mars bar (We won't be battered: Chip-shop boss ready to defy deep-fried Mars bar ban, The National, July 21). Do the owners of the Carron Fish Bar realise that this was a joke against the Scots which they are perpetuating? I am very sweet-toothed but nobody in their right mind would be so stupid as to put this so-called treat in their stomach. Lorraine Watson says that she has support from the local community – God help us! Stick to the fish and chips and stop making the Scots look like mugs.

Rosemary Smith
East Kilbride


AFTER scraping through on less than 800 votes to retain his seat, Scottish Secretary of State David Mundell who before the election was just an MP has now seen his wages double then topped up with a nice little 10 per cent “rise”. It’s touching then to see he has decided it’s time to repay his constituents for their trust and faith in him when he makes his trip to Dumfries to personally open another foodbank in order that grateful members of that community will have the luxury of an extra begging bowl.

Louise McArdle
Wishaw