THE UK’s new aircraft carrier has cost, at £3.2 billion, four times as much as it cost to build Glasgow’s new hospital and three times as much as the Queensferry Crossing.
Aircraft carriers provide no defence for a country and are only utilised to carry planes nearer to some other area to be threatened or attacked. This (and we are apparently building another one at the same cost) represents an obscene amount of money spent on the UK trotting along behind the US, with aircraft dependent on the US, and with their only possible use the pursuit of US bullying and warmongering around the world. And they make very big targets.
In Scotland, we are expected to applaud this obscene waste of money because it has provided jobs. But it could, for example, have been spent on many homes as we need solve our housing problem, while providing many more jobs. We could even have created a Scottish naval presence to patrol our waters in the same way Norway does with more than 40 naval defence vessels, all built in Norwegian yards.
No sensible small country would countenance this sort of imperial imbecility and the sooner we are out of the bonkers UK the better.
Dave McEwan Hill, Argyll
ANDREW O’Hagan has done us fantastically proud with his beautiful, brilliantly uplifting lecture on his journey from No to Yes (It’s time to take our place at the table of modern nations, The National, August17). It shows how we can become a new, caring Scotland in which we will use our imagination to address issues and not constantly bicker away about the Unionists and political causes. We have the nous and determination to lead the Internet of Things, to stand up for everyone, treat them with respect and rid ourselves of all the abuses on social media.
Reading Andrew’s words gave me a huge lump in my throat for the second time in a week. The first time was during the oration on Flodden Day by Davey Scott from Duns, as we commemorated, as we do every year in this part of the country, the killing of 14,000 men – 10,000 Scots and 4000 English – in the Battle of Flodden, 1513. O’Hagan has awakened a spirit in me which will never die. Britain is well and truly broken and the United States is not far behind. But we can look forward to a new beginning.
Alex Thomson, Coldstream, Berwickshire
I’M so glad The National published Andrew O’Hagan’s address to the Edinburgh International Book Festival. I’ve been attending the book festival for many years and don’t think I’ve ever heard such loud and prolonged applause after an event. It really lifted my spirits.
Bill Hamilton, Lockerbie
THANK you for publishing Andrew O’Hagan’s lecture in full. It has restored my flagging spirits. Please can we find a means of publishing it as a pamphlet for the Yes movement to stick through letterboxes.
Iain Bruce, Address supplied
THANK you for publishing Andrew O’Hagan’s lecture. It gave understanding, encouragement and hope. I’m just off to read it again!
Ann Leitch, Address supplied
THE lecture by Andrew O’Hagan is one of the most thoughtful, stimulating and well-researched items I have read on the nationhood and future of Scotland. Congratulations for publishing it in full.
Crawford Anderson, Stonehaven
OH Andrew O’Hagan, where have you been? I am speechless in awe, and in tears of relief that we still have intellects and writers such as you fighting for Scotland’s belief in humanity towards all fellow humans at the time of this alt-right plague.
Ronnie Imrie, Tarbolton
ALAN Magnus-Bennett writes that “perhaps CND could become more supportive of independence in its long-standing campaign to rid the country of Trident” (Letters, The National, August 17). It couldn’t be more supportive. At the 2012 AGM of Scottish CND in November 2012, I personally moved the motion to affiliate to the Yes campaign, which was successful. Since then, we have fully and actively cooperated with the movement. CND has never identified with any one political party and the Yes movement is not a political party. In May 2014, the Electoral Commission registered our organisation as a campaigning participant for a Yes vote in the September 2014 independence referendum. Our chairman, Arthur West, said the registration process was a display of transparency regarding the CND’s involvement with the campaign, explaining: “This decision was taken because our purpose as an organisation is to promote nuclear disarmament and we believe independence offers the best opportunity for this.”
Independence and freedom from nuclear weapons of mass destruction are indeed “joined at the hip”, as Alan Magnus-Bennett says. All the Unionist (British Nationalist) parties support this sacrosanct totem of British “greatness”. This is our ticket to a “seat at the top table”and a place in the big boys’ club.
The fact Trident is also a criminal and illegal WMD is conveniently overlooked. As the redoubtable Bruce Kent said: “I am an Englishman, but I support Scottish independence because it is the best way to get rid of Trident.”
Brian Quail, Glasgow
WHILE Labour MSP Monica Lennon is proposing legislation that would make sanitary products available free throughout Scotland, (Letters, The National, August 16) this proposal was not initiated by her but by Women for Independence. As indicated in Andrew Learmonth’s article (MSP Monica Lennon bids to make sanitary products free to all, The National, August 14) this proposal has already been taken up by the SNP government to the extent that there is a pilot scheme in Aberdeen – with funding from the SNP-led Scottish Government. The intent of the pilot scheme will not just be to verify the benefits, but ensure that, when it is extended throughout Scotland, it will be done in an effective way.
Jim Stamper, Rutherglen
THE BBC national news glowed with pride as a big boat entered Portsmouth harbour. It showed Theresa May on board the new aircraft carrier saying it would be “a symbol of global Britain”. Aye, an aircraft carrier wi nae aircraft!
A government wi’ nae real majority, nae Brexit plan; nae sense! Who are the BBC and the Tories kidding?
A global laughing stock more like.
Ian Clydesdale, Paisley
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