I HAVE just abused myself by watching STV news interviewing Jim Lord and Michael Lord. Most folk will recall these idiosyncratic persons with surnames of Wallace and Forsyth.

Both ridiculed the Scottish Government’s wishing to have an ongoing relationship with Europe.

Both stated the Scottish Government cannot have a deal with the EU, despite us voting by two-thirds to remain within. Both blamed the SNP for being against supporting leaving. Democracy, your lordships. What an utter pair of fools; one lord was trying to be a more stupid lord than the other lord. A bit like the Two Ronnies, but at least they had humour!

Mickey Lord has, to his credit, never changed his views in being anti-Scottish, but Jimmy Lord is nothing but a traitor to his former values. All he can state on Brexit is “SNP Bad”. Yesterday evening he reminded me of the Spitting Image scene “The President’s brain is missing!” So much like Wallace lord!

After this one expected a Scottish Government view: nothing from STV, they are getting as biased as their neighbours. I suspect that when both their places go it’s a bit like Mr Burns wrote:

“When chapmen billies leave the street,
And drouthy neibors, neibors meet,
As market days are wearing late,
An’ folk begin to tak the gate;
While we sit bousing at the nappy,
And getting fou and unco happy,
We think na on the lang Scots miles,”

And it is the lang Scots mile they disrespect – far too lang for their Unionist legs. Mind oor auld mile was 1814 metres, as tae their 1600!

Aye these chapmen billies meet to decry our country. We will go 500 miles and maybe 500 more to secure our families’ future. But idiots like these only seek to hurt. It would be shorter in metric, and our friends in Europe would be more empathetic!

Bryan Clark
Maybole

HAMISH Macpherson’s excellent article on Prince Harry and his Scottish title is very informative but can be usefully extended (Bookies’ favourite for prince’s new titles has curse attached, The National, January 29).

The first Earl of Ross, Farquhar, was lay Abbot of Applecross within the Celtic church, and was created earl in 1233 for his many services to the Crown, including the diminishing of Norse influence in the Western Isles. Later earls included the third Earl William, who was present at Bannockburn in 1314, where his youngest son was killed. Later, in 1320, he signed what has become known as “The Declaration of Arbroath”. Unfortunately, the fifth Earl, also William, compromised King David II’s attempt to assemble an army in Perth in 1346 to invade England during the absence of King Edward III in France. He simply did not turn up! David was defeated, and for 11 years was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

The inevitable consequence that followed was that the “Ross” earldom was forfeited, and passed through William’s daughter the Countess Euphemia mentioned in the article, and her husband eventually to the Crown. However, the chiefship of the name and arms of Ross passed on Earl William’s death in 1371 to William’s son Hugh, who became first Baron of Balnagowan from whom all hereditary chiefs of the name and arms of Ross are descended, including myself as 27th chief when the early earls are included.

David Ross of Ross and Balnagowan

I NOTED Alan Riach mentioned Jack London in his excellent article (Scotland’s prophet of modernity, The National, January 29). I would like to add that Jack London, during a voyage to the South Seas, took considerable trouble going out of his way to pay homage at the grave of Robert Louis Stevenson. He was profoundly moved as he read his famous epitaph, and made it known: “I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to visit the grave of any other man in the world.”

Norrie Paton
Campbeltown

IN reply to Bryan O’Hanlon (Letters, January 30), Jane Haining has a mention in the Great Synagogue in Budapest, and there is a section of the Danube embankment named after her, so she is well recognised in Hungary.

Iain Patterson
East Linton

The National:

Helen Patterson at the memorial in Budapest bearing Jane Haining's name