ARLENE Foster, part-time MP and Theresa May puppet, has had the temerity to come out and directly accuse the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar of playing games with the Irish border issues to gain advantages for Eire. This is surely must rank as one of the most hypocritical statements to come out during the Brexit debacle thus far.

First of all, maybe someone should remind Foster that she is not doing anything to assist her country as she is on some sort of perverse sabbatical, on full pay, from the Northern Ireland Assembly, and is therefore playing no constructive role in solving the problems. This, of course, applies to the rest of the politicians on all sides who are also on full pay and seemingly permanent holiday.

Someone should also remind Foster that she is a nonentity politician no-one would know or care about had she not done a deal with the devil (May) and effectively become May’s life support. She has no real influence in helping solve the issues. She seems content to sit smugly on the sidelines and criticise Varadkar, who is a very astute and clever politician who, naturally, is deeply concerned about the situation and the possible detrimental impact Brexit is having and will continue to have on Eire.

He is quite right to highlight that May and co live in some parallel universe with regard to Brexit. He owes May and Foster no favours and he has to ensure that his country does not go down the tubes like the UK.

Foster would be better served trying to persuade May to get real about Brexit and remind her that Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU. She is not in any position to find fault in Varadkar and his transparent approach to Brexit. All her comments are likely to achieve is discord and disruption in a very delicate situation. Bull in a china shop comes to mind.

Ade Hegney

Helensburgh

HARDLY a day goes by without some opposition MSP jumping on to their orange box and lambasting the Scottish Government, to anyone prepared to give them an ear, for its failure to deal with a perceived lack of investment and financial ills of our country.

Here again we have Neil Findlay leaping at the chance to condemn Kezia Dugdale while at the same time trying to lob grenades over the wall into the SNP camp.

Dugdale has not behaved unprofessionally because she has let her constituents down, oh no, says he. She has deserted Parliament when the Scottish Budget is about to be agreed, local government is on its knees, the NHS is showing pressure as never before and people’s living standards are falling.

Of course, we all know resources are limited and that the Scottish Budget is dependent upon Westminster, but the game must be played. Never agree with the SNP, never concede a point, refuse every approach for joint working to help solve the country’s problems.

What I wonder is the situation in Mr Findlay’s household when housekeeping budgets are being addressed: “Uhumph! There’s only one sausage on my plate”

“The housekeeping is worked out very carefully dear, and I make sure you eat a balanced diet and get your 2000 calories a day.”
“I always have two sausages, please see to it next time.”
“Yes dear.”

Following day: “That’s better, two sausages, see how easy it is to manage the budget. By the way – have you switched the heating off?”
Leslie Lambert
Kilbarchan

APART from its blatant demonstration that the notion of a UK Government acting in the best interests of all, regardless of political affiliation, is now thoroughly abandoned, the inevitable corollary of the shameless attempts by Ruthie’s Westminster platoon to take the credit both for Bifab’s rescue and the ending of the disgraceful VAT rake-off from Scottish emergency services is its open declaration of “Vote Tory or you’re screwed”. As if we needed telling.
Colin Stuart
Saline, Fife

IF the case against applying VAT to the police and fire services in Scotland is so straightforward that a dozen new Scottish Tory MPs can present a convincing case for its removal to the Chancellor in four months, what has the Secretary of State for Scotland been doing for the past four years?
John Jamieson
South Queensferry

IN 2014, David Cameron begged those intending to vote Yes to send a strong voice to Westminster instead. With the 13 Tory “Yes men” succeeding where the previous 56 SNP and the current non-Tory 46 failed, we now realise that he forgot to mention that it had to be a Tory voice.

So a “strong voice” means Tory – nothing to do with numbers! Thanks for enlightening us, Mr Hammond.
P Davidson
Falkirk

I SHARE the feelings of JF Davidson from Bonnyrigg (Long Letter, November 22) about the constant humiliation and total disregard of Scotland’s place in this disgraceful Union.

We must be around the same age as, on my recent driving licence renewal, lo and behold a Union flag appeared where none was before!

It has since thankfully disappeared beneath a lovely wee Saltire to the great benefit of my blood pressure.
Colin R Stevenson
Strachur, Argyll