I SEE on page five of today’s National that the Queen, impartial in all things political, is discretely displaying an SNP logo on her handbag.

Iain Patterson

East Linton


YES that’s right Elizabeth, say it loud and say it proud. You fully support independence for Scotland.

I was delighted and impressed that you finally decided to wear the SNP logo on your handbag.

For any of your readers who missed it please refer to the July 2 edition of The National. If you turn to page five, or look on the homepage of the website, you’ll find Elizabeth (or can we call her Lizzy now?) sporting the nationalist logo on her handbag.

Mary O’Neill

Glasgow


I NOTICED that a fellow reader, Gerry Callan from Edinburgh, offered Her Maj his caravan gratis for a couple of weeks while she has the decorators into to her house.

Looks like she is in fact heading north while the emulsion dries. And with her SNP pin, she’s even trying to blend in with the locals. How times have changed.

Martin Loughlin

Perth


I HAVE read many articles regarding the naming of Queen Elizabeth II (Make Anne our Queen of Scots, The National, July 1).

The monarch is Queen Elizabeth II of England, but only Queen Elizabeth in Scotland.

It is my understanding that the monarch cannot be referred to as Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland until there is another monarch named Elizabeth, when she will indeed be referred to as Queen Elizabeth I of Scotland and the new queen as Elizabeth II of Scotland.

Queen Anne is never named Queen Anne I as there has never been another monarch of that name. Should another Queen Anne come to the throne only then will the new Queen Anne be named Anne II and the old Anne as Queen Anne I. Similarly, Elizabeth of England was only referred to as Queen Elizabeth I when the present monarch came to the throne as Queen Elizabeth II of England.

Dorothy Sinclair

Kyle, Argyll


TOUCHÉ Malcolm Brown (Make Anne our Queen of Scots, The National, July 1).

A sort of Ikea Scottish monarchy? I could thole that.

Archie McArthur

Edinburgh


WHILE I appreciate Vonny Moyes’ concern for the future of Gaelic (We must not be indifferent to the death of Gaelic, The National, July 2), the lachrymose nature of her article is depressing.

Yes, many “small” languages around the world are threatened, but rather than just not “sneering” as Gaelic supposedly declines towards inevitable death, why not do something about it?

With no background in the language at all, I started a Gaelic evening course in Glasgow a year ago. My teachers have been people who are native speakers or who learnt Gaelic as children or in later life: they are well-known musicians and advocates for Gaelic, or just as significantly, one was a medical student who went through Gaelic medium education in Glasgow and was teaching Gaelic to help finance her studies.

My class consists of people from a wide variety of backgrounds – including of Scots, English, Italian and German origins – and many different professional and other interests.

I don’t think any of us would regard Gaelic as dying, indeed, I think we are part of a vibrant and developing community of Gaelic speakers.

At this early stage in my learning, fluent Gaelic speakers may wince at all my mistakes, but I have yet to come across a Gaelic speaker who doesn’t delight in the fact that I am at least trying to learn it.

Learning a language offers richer insights into its cultural context, and since this is what Vonny Moyes argues Gaelic can do for Scotland, might I suggest that she use the new www.learngaelic.scot website she mentions in her article to find her nearest course and dive in. Rather than “spare it the sneering” as it supposedly dies, she could be part of its development. I am sure she would find it enriching and positive, not least for her own sense of plural Scottish identity.

Dr Michael Marten

Balfron


VONNY Moyes’ column (We must not be indifferent to the death of Gaelic, The National, July 2) rightly highlighted some of the prejudiced, ill-informed comment that support for Gaelic occasions among the dining rooms of Scotland’s unco guid.

Such barriers and prejudice are unfortunately all too common. It would, of course, be an important step forward for a national paper such as The National or one of her sister publications to include a Gaelic column on a weekly or daily basis. There is no shortage of Gaelic writers and journalists who would willingly contribute, on the day The National decides to become a truly national paper.

Le gach deagh dhùrachd,

Dr Aonghas Mac Leòid

Glasgow


SOME points of fact with regard Scots in schools. Scots language is in the Curriculum for Excellence. It is part of the 1 and 2 language aims.

There is a new SQA award in Scots.

Susan Forde

Scotlandwell, Kinross-shire


IN reply to Robert Anderson’s notion of national reduction in debt (We all know cuts needed to beat debt, The National, July 2), he suggests nothing more than social engineering in the style of the ridiculous one child policy in China.

However, unlike the ill-fated Chinese policy to reduce their ever-growing population Mr Anderson only seeks to reduce the level of the lower socially economic groupings of the country.

The idea of not paying any benefit or assistance towards a member of a family based on their chronological order is effectively placing them as a second-class citizen.

This is an utterly disgusting suggestion and yet again blames and kicks the poorest of our society by attempting to reduce the debt through reduction in population. Why did you not go the whole hog and suggest the we remove these children’s rights to free health care, education, and while we are at it citizenship too?

Jim McKaig

Dundee


WHY is David Cameron going down this route now? (PM under attack on plan to sneak in Evel, The National, July 2)

Of the 59 Scottish MPS, 56 are SNP MPs who will not vote on English-only matters (unless they have a knock-on effect on Scottish funding).

His one Scottish Tory MP will surely follow orders, leaving a solitary Labour MP and a former coalition minister LibDem MP, both of them have recent history supporting the Tories?

In these circumstances the Tory Government has an overall majority of around seventy on English-only matters. Can it really be on such a knife-edge that he has to take action over two MPs now? Why is Cameron with his fragile majority risking defeat on his Evel proposals to enshrine in law an existing situation? The answer is that he wants to ensure Westminster is and always will be the English parliament.

John Jamieson

South Queensferry


FIRST it was the CalMac dispute now we have a train service which has problems running on a Sunday – what is going on with Scotland’s transport system?

Has the Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, been asleep on the job and not noticed that Scotland’s transport system is falling apart? If he isn’t up to the job then it’s time to replace him with someone who is more capable and can act to prevent such problems happening in the first place.

Joanne MacNeill

Oban


YOU reported the House of Lords were warned about ferrets who like to explore up people’s trouser legs (Lords are warned about nosy ferrets, The National, July 1). Solution being for more men to wear kilts?

Neil Jeffries

Dunblane


NAIL on the head, Wee Ginger Dug. Nail on the head.

Su Johnson

Irvine


Was the Queen wearing an SNP handbag when she met Nicola Sturgeon?

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