Letters to The National, May 20

The first was in Dover 35 years ago. I was taking my family on a camping holiday in France. We had an old-style VW caravanette with a trailer carrying camping gear and windsurfing boards. I was checking the trailer when I was accosted by a Colonel Blimp with a posh accent. He pointed to the SCO sticker on the caravanette and asked: “What is that?” to which I replied “Scotland”. “I thought so but it isn’t legal on the continent,” he said.

I said the only reactions I’d had on the continent were car horns being sounded and waving from the French drivers. His final thrust was: “Is GB not good enough?” My reply — “No” — sent him off with a stream of muttered expletives.

The other incident was much more recently on a small luxury cruiser, the Hebridean Spirit. At the start of one cruise my wife came up to breakfast, noticed at one table there was only one couple, and asked to join them. Shortly after she sat down the lady spoke in a very posh plum-in-the-mouth accent and said there seemed to be a lot of Scottish people on board. My wife pointed out the ship was registered in Glasgow: she had counted up the new passenger list and there were 17 Scots on board. The couple said: “It seems like moah (more).” My wife said she was Scottish, to which the reply was: “It shooaws (shows)”. They then ignored her.

However, the ship’s doctor appeared in uniform and approached the table, which made them sit up and try to make conversation with him. They were dismayed when the ship’s officer approached the single lady, put his arms round her shoulders and asked how she was. I was the doctor. Interestingly, that couple were disliked by the other passengers on that cruise, including those who were English.

Dr Evan L Lloyd
Edinburgh

IT was great to read Mike Russell’s article about the Scottish Ensign and learn that our sailing fraternity are beginning to fly the Saltire, albeit only as an ensign. Let’s hope the full Saltire will soon fly from the mainmast of many ships. It certainly makes a change from the Red Ensign or for that matter the White Ensign flown by the Royal Navy. I have never understood why it is flown; after all, we are all supposed to be British!

Stuart Farquharson
Thornliebank, Glasgow

IN reply to Sean Allan (Letters, The National, May 20), it is absolutely brilliant that through the SNP the Scottish people have finally achieved true representation at Westminster.

We, the SNP, must not put this at risk by reneging on the promise that Nicola Sturgen made, during the campaign, that SNP MPs would not vote on non-Scottish legislation. I abhor fox hunting, and in fact all so-called “blood sports”. However, they cannot risk losing the argument at the first turn, by voting against the Government.

The rest of the UK, in particular the establishment UK media, would have a field day and say their suspicions were correct: that SNP MPs are only in Westminster to cause mischief. I detest the British establishment with a passion, but in order to change the system, we must first gain respect within it.

I don’t agree with English votes for English laws, but the SNP MPs must stick to the pre-election promise. The needs of the Scottish people are far too important to risk on a single issue. They must use all their influence to ensure Scotland gets the powers we need, so powers being negotiated at Westminster are devolved to Holyrood and Scotland can run and grow the economy under its own auspices. Then perhaps we, the SNP, will have the courage and forthrightness to bring progressive politics to the rest of the UK, but that time is not today.

Colin Counter
Edinburgh

HEAR, hear, to yesterday’s letter-writer Sean Allan (Letters, May 19). Long may the laws of Scotland — and a previous Labour government in Westminster — maintain our bans on fox-hunting, a cruel and revolting pastime with some cruel and revolting adherents, or maybe unthinking ones cocooned from real life.

Which might explain Tory priorities: welfare cuts, and minimal observance of last year’s Unionist Vow. David Cameron and media pundits will point out fox-hunting’s a devolved affair, and it’s not SNP policy to vote in the Commons on strictly English matters. But we’re not talking about rail routes or flood defences in Somerset, we’re talking about morality and how political parties can shape a better future. In a free vote, normal policy or not, I’m confident the great mix of Scotland’s new MPs will soon prove their individual and collective worth in helping the huge majority of UK citizens. Tally-ho, let’s keep fox-hunting illegal.

Jack Newbigging
Irvine

ABSOLUTELY should the SNP vote on the Hunting Act, given that: they were elected to provide effective opposition to the Tories; foxes do not even know whether they are English or Scottish and they certainly did not vote Tory; large numbers of people in England and Wales have already called upon the SNP to support the hunting ban; Nicola Sturgeon promised that the SNP would work for the benefit of the whole of the UK; all arguments in favour of fox hunting are complete bogus; the fox hunt has symbolic value as the elites’ assertion of their power over life and death; Scottish Labour MPs would have voted to protect the hunting ban, and the SNP aspires to be better than Scottish Labour; it is the morally right thing to do.

If the SNP decide to vote on this issue, who will be angered? Merely the Tories and their media outlets. If the SNP decide to abstain, who will be angered? Their own voters and large numbers of right-thinking people in England and Wales.

Annette Kupke
Dunblane

I THOUGHT I’d write to compliment you on your political news coverage! In particular, I find your critical attitude to both of our governments succinct, and at times, witty.

I am not a Labour Party supporter, but I must comment on its affairs. Twenty years ago, who would have thought a movement such as this would completely lose its reasoning, boldness, and conviction? Whilst I am a supporter of the SNP, I think that one of the outstanding features of our democracy is the balance of politics — right faces left, up faces down, and debate never stops.

The Labour Party has failed to exercise its part in this and should consult its history journals and find a new method to its madness. Mistakes by Messrs. Blair and Brown could be excellent education. Jim Murphy has been a gift to The National, but the ghosts of John Smith and Donald Dewar must be fuming! John Smith had a strength of conviction which would have changed the country completely, and in a quite different way to Blair. Donald Dewar deserves highest praise for his work on devolution, again showing nerve and conviction. Could he have foreseen the strength of the SNP?

Partly with these ghosts in mind, but also reflecting the demand for increased devolution, Labour should extract itself from madness and rekindle its mojo. The debate likely to lead to independence may then take on a deep thinking and respectful character.

Kenneth HW Campbell
Troon

I FIND it odd that, with failed political leaders resigning on all sides, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Scotland seems able to carry on regardless. He has just presided over a campaign in which his once-significant party has been reduced to a single MP, and that one left with his coat on a decidedly shoogly peg. In the process his party has lost, if I did my sums correctly, 47 deposits out of 59. That must be some sort of a record for any party.

I suppose it is a measure of how far his party has fallen when this kind of failure goes unremarked-upon.

Peter Craigie
Edinburgh

CONSTANT reference has been made to the fact that Mhairi Black, at the age of 20 and “Baby of the House”, is the youngest MP since 1667. This simply is not the case.

Certainly Christopher Monck, then known as the earl of Torrington, was elected to the House of Commons in January 1667, about seven months short of his 14th birthday.

But he is the youngest MP we know about, rather than the only one under 21. In fact, it’s already been pointed out that several rather high profile MPs in the eighteenth century were elected well under the legal age of majority, at 21, including Charles James Fox, elected for Midhurst at 19.

The youngest MP before Mhairi Black was almost certainly Robert Jocelyn, Viscount Jocelyn, who was only just 18 when returned for County Louth in the general election of 1806 when a suitable candidate had not been lined up. He gave up the seat at the election the following year, only returning in 1810, after he had attained his majority — an indication of the fact that his election was indeed regarded as a bit improper.

So Mhairi Black is in fact the youngest MP since 1806.

Alex Orr
Edinburgh

IN response to Michael Gray’s question “How can the Kirk bring itself back from the dead?” (The National, May 19), I would like to share a quote from that master quotesmith, Mark Twain.

“One of the most uncertain things in this world is the funeral of a religion.” We may yet find that reports of the Kirk’s death have been greatly exaggerated.

Douglas Hunter
Ancrum

IT is so gratifying to hear that in-depth research has demonstrated the value of the Sistema (The Big Noise) musical projects to children and their communities. Add to that the findings of research from brain scientists showing how active listening to music is one of the very few things that activate the whole human brain. Learning to play music intensifies this brain activity even more. Now it is time to see the Sistema gradually rolled out to many more communities across Scotland. Will the Scottish Government start putting serious cash behind this? There can be few better ways to make a step change in the lives and well-being of children from challenging backgrounds.

Greg Brown
Cupar