DIVISIVE, bullying, ignorant of the facts, narcissistic and shallow, all these facets (and more) were on display at the G20 summit in the guise of Donald Trump.

He went to this summit with one agenda – divide and conquer – with no thoughts for anything other than “America first”.

No concern for his stance on climate change, free trade or fossil fuel abuse. This man was focused, if he can actually achieve that for longer than pond life, on destabilising the G20 for his own warped ideologies which belong in the Dark Ages.

He refused to concede for a nanosecond that climate change is real, and that he should actually research the subject rather than playing golf. If he did he might be swayed by the fact that if the Paris Accord is not fully implemented, his retreat at Mar-a-Lago might be underwater soon! That may influence his basic thought process. His bullying and apparent huff during the trade talks showed how infantile this man really is. What is concerning is that, although Merkel remained steadfast regarding climate change, she caved in and let Trump insert a clause regarding protecting trade, which has enough ambiguity in it to allow him to set up full protectionism in the US.

Furthermore, to allow him to have a say in the extraction of fossil fuels and the clean use of them, well that is laughable! Trump can’t wait to go full on with the rejuvenation of the use of coal in the US, and to let him and his corporate elite pillage the rest of the world will wreak havoc with any climate proposals. Fossil fuels should be consigned to the dustbin of history, and his apparent ignorance on the subject of clean energy is eye-watering in its naivety.

Which brings us to the “very, very quick trade deal” he supposedly offered the Maybot. If Saint Theresa truly believes she will get a fair trade deal from him, then she’s as dumb as he is wily. The photograph of the pair of them shaking hands was unnerving as he looked like the speculator he is, and she could not have looked more craven and subjugated. The simplest of deals take several years to craft, and what Maybot fails to realise is he is a business man, he is a shark who smells blood, and he will take her and the country to the cleaners.

It’s hard to decide what is worse: Trump’s idea of a fair trade deal, or May’s acceptance of his hollow words. Of course she has no option but to believe them, he however does not. Frightening times indeed.
Ade Hegney
Helensburgh

A TRADE deal with the USA? I don’t want to eat meat washed in chlorine and I don’t want to see the people of Scotland develop the same obesity problems as appears to be prevalent in America. Everyone knows that the EU has far higher food standards than those in the US. Personally I’m going to stick to Aberdeen Angus beef, fresh fish and local fruit and veg. Can the Scottish Government approach the health of the nation with new vigour?

I know that there is more education about healthy eating but is the Government promoting the health benefits of eating fresh local produce? Let’s see some joined-up thinking regards our health. Bigger grants for our farmers and fishermen. More licensed market stalls, particularly in poor areas where local produce can be sold. Free school meals cooked by trained chefs cooking with fresh local ingredients. How can children learn if they’re hungry? The Government wants to see an improvement in the educational attainment of our children. Well feed them well and see how their academic achievements soar.

Let’s reject American-style fast food. The Scottish food and drink industry is worth millions. Let’s see our own people benefit.
SC
Aberdeen

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Brexit is on, and the UK’s world relevance is in freefall

BORIS Johnson in Parliament, with his fake joviality, hovering at the shoulder of Theresa May like a blond vulture, is a symbol of the stalemate that is taking British politics into a grim, grey summer.

The irony is that UK politics, for the foreseeable future, will be about picking over a carcass.

Seasoned commentators at the G20 summit concluded that the “make America great again” President has actually made the US irrelevant on the world stage. We need to get our heads around a similar truth here.

You may be one of the fantasists who thought Brexit would remake Britain into the old empire or one of the deluded who thinks Britain has a choice about whether the outcome of the next 20 months will be hard or soft Brexit.

You might even be Vince Cable who thinks Brexit won’t happen (Brexit might not happen after all, suggests Cable, The National, July 10). The fact is that Brexit happened on June 23, 2016. History will show, that was the date when Britain too slipped from relevance on the world stage.
Amanda Baker
Edinburgh

YET another politician this time Vince Cable bumping his gums to say Brexit might not happen. This was of course always the danger. None of the main political parties or their leaderships wanted Brexit. Brexit was a demonstration of real democracy, people power, despite the political classes fighting against them all the way on it. The politicos lost at the ballot box but are doing all they can now to sabotage and derail what they see as an affront to their monopoly on power which is being challenged fairly and legitimately by the general public. Brexit was always going to be at great risk if left wholly in the incapable hands of politicians who hadn’t wanted it in the first place. Cancelling Brexit might turn out to be a watershed moment in politics in which the general public see the perfect opportunity to demand a revolution of the political landscape with party politics viewed as being well past their sell by date, in need of a better and more accountable replacements.
James Andrew Mills
Renfrewshire

IT’S good to be back in Scotland after a pleasant five weeks in South Africa, where I went on two special long-distance trips, firstly to the northern Cape and Karoo desert with my son Allan Ramsay. We visited Kimberly, and climbed to the top of the Boer War battlefield of Magersfontein (December 11, 1899) where three Scottish regiments were wiped out, when sent by the English General Buller on a frontal suicidal charge against a trench of Boer marksmen (boer means “farmer”). They had no chance, but were expendable Which brings to mind General Wolfe’s remarks to a fellow English officer about Scottish under his command. In reference to those soldiers, he said: “How best can we use the common enemy?”

We the Scots were referred to as the common enemy and expendable in the eyes of the Anglo/British establishment.

The Celtic cross monument reads: “Scotland is poorer in men but richer in heroes.” The battle was an unsuccessful attempt to relieve the siege of Kimberley (of Baden Powell fame).

My next trip into that countries past history was to visit another Anglo/Brit invention, the concentration camp in a town called Krugersdorp. These camps were a disgrace to humanity and 35,000 women and children were slowly put to death in them. We in the Celtic League are not however letting this rest or be glossed over and asked the British Government to apologise to South Africa for those crimes which also killed an estimated 55,000 black farm workers. That apology never came, but the league has now a resolution tabled at this year’s AGM in Mannin requesting the English Queen to apologise for those war crimes endorsed by her Great Great Granny Queen Victoria. She laid a wreath at the Nazi concentration camp, so why not the prototype camps?

Most Scots I met want Scotland to be independent. Most were quite wealthy and want to return bringing wealth to our economy. I assured them that owing to Brexit and other changes, indeyref2 would succeed and liberate us from years of Anglo/Brit domination. Godspeed that day.
Iain Ramsay
Greenock