I’M sure many other regular letter writers to The National were caught out on Monday with the extent of the resignations from the Tory government, but this re-shuffling of the deck chairs on this political titanic is to some extent irrelevant.
What matters most is not the political names heading up the UK Government’s departments, but the policies that they pursue. While they insist on limiting their concern about Scotland to the resources we can provide the failing UK economy, we will always be overlooked and treated as second-class subjects within the UK. The headlong dash to any form of Brexit will damage the Scottish economy – that means jobs and opportunities lost for people in Scotland.
The Tories have made it abundantly clear in the last few days, if not before, that they are struggling to hold their party together over Brexit. The same can be said of the Labour party, who continually fail to effectively oppose the Tories and are in a similar situation. No-one, least of all Labour MPs, seems to know what Labour’s current position on Brexit means. Meanwhile the LibDems are demanding a second EU referendum because of all the broken promises of the Leave campaign while simultaneously refusing a second Scottish independence referendum despite the all the broken promises of the No campaign!
It is clear to anyone paying attention that Scotland is the last thing on the minds of the UK political parties. They are clueless on Brexit and totally indifferent to its impact on Scotland. That is why we need strong SNP representation in Westminster, and that is being provided under the excellent leadership of Ian Blackford MP.
Cllr Kenny MacLaren
Paisley
THE latest chaos at Westminster seems to demonstrate conclusively that the British state has reached the point of no return in its inexorable decline. Utter incompetence now seems to be the leitmotif, the dominant theme, of the UK Government.
It is perhaps difficult not to feel a twinge of pity for the unfortunate Mrs May, so grossly miscast in the role of Prime Minister. That is, were it not for a comic element that keeps creeping into the action, making it impossible to take any of the leading characters seriously as they blunder about the stage. What once had the makings of a tragedy has now become an embarrassing farce.
Please, let us bring down the curtain on this bunch of amateurs and get on with running our own country.
Peter Craigie
Edinburgh
BOJO is probably right that Mrs May’s proposed deal fails to deliver on the expectations of most Brexiters.
The EU would retain much influence over the regulation of trade in goods and the freedom of the UK to make its own trade deals outside the free market and customs union, with the movement of labour retained for those who have secured employment, much as it is at the moment.
The potential big win under the proposals is for no hard border in Ireland, life as usual for the UK financial markets and the vast offshore investment industry, which would in the spirit of Brexiters have achieved independence from EU regulation, so no need to worry about transaction taxes or capping bonuses.
The Westminster Brexit fiasco does not inspire me with any confidence for the future. It might be that people will soon wish they still had access to the independence of the European Court of Human Resources – not part of the EU, by the way, but still with the European tag that is such an anathema among the hardcore Brexiters.
Peter Gorrie
Edinburgh
It’s interesting that Ruth Davidson applauds David Davis and Boris Johnson for the principle of standing by their Leave votes. I wonder if those Remain-voting Conservatives – such as May, Hunt and, ahem, Davidson – might at some point consider standing by their own principles. No? Oh well,
I guess they’ll be having the same variety of integrity as a certain allegedly anti-nuclear Labour party leader.
The only principle in evidence around Westminster is the principle of self-preservation. The sooner we’re out from under that scheming, conniving den of iniquity the better. It’s an international embarrassment.
Cameron Crawford
Rothesay
BREXIT advice to the UK Government from the late Kurt Vonnegut: “I want to stand as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all the kinds of things you can’t see from the centre”. Most of what you will see will have a deleterious impact on the economy, human rights, jobs and wages etc. Please step back from the edge and make your way to the left of centre. If you don’t know where that is, ask someone in the SNP and they’ll tell you. Once there, change the course of the narrative and accept that a “globally influential England” and “Empire 2.0” are mere fallacies.
Dene Wright
Glasgow
DONALD Trump and America want all members of Nato to pay more in to the kitty.
Over the many decades I have been on this earth one obvious fact has been evident to me. America is regularly involved in carrying out overt warfare or destabilising activity around the world.
On occasion some members of Nato have participated along with America (with our “Special Relationship” to maintain, this has quite often been the UK).
On many other occasions members of Nato have tried to prevent such activity but end up dealing with the consequences, which can run on for years after the original conflict.
With this in mind I would suggest that America should be paying a lot more into Nato funds to mitigate the mess they regularly create in their misguided adventures around the world.
Douglas Stanley
Ayr
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