CAN I take this opportunity, as we reach issue 1000, to congratulate the editor, Calum Baird, his predecessor Richard, and the little band of helpers who have done such a marvellous job of creating and driving forward The National since that memorable day, November 24, 2014, when issue No 1 appeared.

I shouldn’t think that many people, politicians, other journalists, and the generally glass-half-empty types, expected you to reach 500 issues, let alone the magic four-figure number which we celebrate today.

I know it hasn’t been easy but persistence and reaching out to a section of our society which was completely unrepresented in print has paid off and provided the only source of news and information available to counteract the unfailingly biased general journalism available elsewhere on the news stands and our TV screens in Scotland.

The National has continued to improve as time has passed – world news, sport and all the relevant things in between, have gone from strength to strength, while the weekly articles dealing with historical Scotland, people and events, are a great addition and virtually the only printed source of Scottish history out there.

You have had a team of great contributors to your pages over these thousand days, and while we do not all agree with everything which they say, that is only as it should be, and is the basis for an extremely good debate. Well done to each and every one of them.

There is still a huge amount of work to do to keep driving the independence movement forward towards success, and I’m sure we can all rely on The National to keep up the good work and fight our corner through what will be some very stormy weather and dirty dealings from the Union-ness side.

Finally two of the most iconic photographs from your pages – Eilidh Doyle holding the Saltire flag (Issue 1), and the young lady shown again this week (Our teenagers are ripping up the rules and creating a new kind of politics, The National, March 9) should, I think, be adopted as hugely influential images in support of our onward march to independence. They are, after all, the younger generations of our society, whom it is all about.

Well done to you all, and lang may your lum reek.
George M Mitchell
Dunblane

A WEE bird told me that today is a special day/date for The National. Something like a 1000th anniversary? And I thought I was getting old! But congrats to everyone for not just a job well done, but an essential job being done so very well.

Many will say that print newspapers are going out of fashion: e-copies and information via social media are touted as the way forward.

But for so long as the majority of newspapers are owned by or follow the drum of the Unionists, a (news)paper is necessary. And let’s not mention the role and effect of radio and TV!

So here’s to the next 1000 issues, presuming you’ll still be printing in an #indyscotland.
Selma Rahman
Edinburgh

Martin Hannan’s excellent article on sectarianism (Repealing the Football Act sends out all the wrong signals, The National, March 13) asserts that tribalism is the root cause of bigotry and sectarianism. However, it’s worth considering how this tribalism comes about.

Before children go to school their “tribe” is children in the same street or children at nursery. When they go to school however, they are separated into a Catholic tribe and a Protestant tribe. (I use the terms Catholic and Protestant loosely.)

That’s the way it stays for the next 12 years or so. Their friends will come from the same “tribe” and, in the West of Scotland anyway, they will generally support the tribal football team. Having separate schools isn’t the cause of sectarianism but it certainly creates an environment in which it can flourish.

Mr Hannan concludes by considering the likelihood of the SFA taking on clubs where sectarian behaviours are common and saying “Don’t make me laugh.” He could also have considered the likelihood of politicians considering whether or not having separate church schools is appropriate in a modern 21st-century society. Don’t make me laugh.
Douglas Morton
Motherwell