IT is intriguing to note the European Union continues to turn a blind eye to the situation in Catalonia, under the guise that this is an “internal matter” (EU: We’ll do nothing, The National, October 20).
As Spain moves to impose direct rule on Catalonia, European Commission President Donald Tusk, has made clear that the EU will not intervene.
The EU is however no stranger to involving itself in the so-called “internal matters” of member states.
In 2000 the entry of Jorg Haider’s extreme right-wing Freedom Party into the government of Austria saw the European Union impose diplomatic sanctions on that member state.
Bilateral relations were frozen with the alpine country, with no more contacts or ambassadorial meetings at an inter-governmental level. Austrian candidates were also not supported when EU international offices were assigned.
It is therefore not that the EU is not able to involve itself in the internal matters of a member state, it is that in the case of Catalonia it simply chooses not to.
Alex Orr
Edinburgh
CONGRATULATIONS to Scotland for being the first country in the UK set to give children the same protection from violence as is given to adults (Scotland moves to outlaw smacking, The National, October 20). Since Sweden in 1979 introduced a ban on the physical punishment of children, almost 50 countries have followed. As a long-time supporter of the campaign to protect children and as an Englishman living in Scotland I am so excited once again to see Scotland is giving this lead.
Frankly they have to, because England with its undemocratic electoral system never will. That is one of the main reasons I am here. As individuals we really do have the power to affect change. This is both empowering and exciting.
At the moment it seems hardly a week goes by without yet another example of plans and actions towards progressive governance.
It is also encouraging to see support coming from the Green Party and the Labour Party for such policies. They themselves will promote more of their own progressive policies and win support within the government, I am sure of it.
As usual there is one party that will never support these progressive plans or come up with any themselves. No prizes for guessing which party that is.
Tony Martin
Gullane
YOU report that Westminster Tory Business Minister Claire Perry has said that Scots should “cheer up” and “stop being so gloomy” despite the cancellation by Westminster of a £1bn carbon capture project in Scotland that would have provided 600 jobs (Tory minister tells Scotland to cheer up over cancelled £1bn carbon capture project, The National, October 20).
Well this Scot, for one, will certainly “cheer up” when Scotland is independent and people like Claire Perry are off our payroll.
Peter Swain
Dunbar
BBC TV show The Country Council, which aired earlier this week, highlighted the wide range of services delivered by Argyll and Bute Council and its partners such as Fyne Homes. It also highlighted the large and varied geographic area which this particular council covers.
It was an interesting insight into the work of the council and hopefully the series will allow more people to see what happens behind the scenes of councils and allow everyone to have a better understanding of not just the services provided but also the limitations facing councils all across Scotland. It is of course ironic that Argyll and Bute Council was chosen as the basis for this show as the current administration of this council only recently turned down requests from opposition members to make council meetings accessible for more people by screening them over the internet (webcasting).
As noted in the BBC TV show, Argyll and Bute includes a number of islands as well as various towns and villages spread across a vast area. This would obviously make it difficult for local residents to attend council meetings in Lochgilphead, so it seems strange why the council would not want to embrace modern technology to allow their full meetings to be aired online. Obviously there is a cost involved for this, but this has to be balanced against the democratic accountability of residents being able to see key decisions being made by councillors.
If Argyll and Bute can allow the TV cameras in to follow their staff going about their daily jobs then surely they should allow residents to see how councillors make the decisions which impact on how those jobs are carried out? Not everyone can make it along to a council meeting to see how decisions are made and many other councils, including my own in Renfrewshire, have made the move to webcasting our full council meetings. By doing so this allows all residents to view the meetings at a time convenient to them. I wouldn’t expect such broadcasts to have high viewing figures – unless those suffering from insomnia suddenly find out about them – but it does allow residents to see first-hand how decisions are made in their local area.
For the sake of increasing democratic accountability and promoting transparency in decision making I would encourage Argyll and Bute Council to join the other councils in Scotland who have already made the move to making their meetings more accessible and start webcasting their full meetings.
Councillor Kenny MacLaren
Paisley
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