OVER past few months I’ve sent letters to The National regarding the enabling of bigotry and sectarianism to fester in our society. My main focus has always been the anti-Irish/Catholic attitude that prevails in the Orange Order/the large minority within “the Rangers” support and their cohorts within the Hearts/Falkirk/Airdrie etc support.

Most people who have an Irish background have experienced bigotry and discrimination somewhere and sometime in their life in Scotland and it’s to their extreme credit that many still have great affection for this country.

The telling factor has always been in my life that as soon as you mention you’re a Celtic fan, on many occasions the atmosphere changes. Why can’t people go about and support who they wish? Can’t people allow others to celebrate their heritage, provided it’s all-inclusive and doesn’t try to bully or debase any other self-belief whether it’s religious or secular?

All journalists must also take responsibility for their action and how they conveniently sweep it under the carpet. The National is head and shoulders above the rest but still gets sucked into “apathy and enabling mode” on an issue that still shames Scotland and all decent people.

The incidents at Tynecastle are not a surprise but nevertheless very shocking. Places like Ibrox and Tynecastle are full of that shame. No-one going about their work should be targeted like Neil Lennon was, yet it will be ignored as the weeks go by unless the press take it seriously and campaign vigorously to banish this completely from our society.

The National must take up the cudgels and be to the forefront of this fight (heaven forbid if drinks were allowed back in). I know this might be hard to take by some people, but independence is all about inclusivity and fairness for all, not some.

D Gill
Address supplied

AS a Gallovidian, or a native of Galloway, I know well enough the issue that has been highlighted by the daft behaviour that occurred at Hearts’ Tynecastle football ground last Wednesday.

Us Gallovidians were sometimes referred to as the Galloway Irish and this for two reasons: firstly Irish ancestral and family ties, and secondly the links arising from Galloway being the nearest part of the UK mainland to Ireland. The daily ferry service between Ulster and the Rhins of Galloway is testimony of this.

There is sometimes too the same ambivalence regarding attitudes regarding Scots and Irish as surfaced at Tynecastle when both the Hibs manager, Neil Lennon, and the Hearts goalkeeper, Zdenek Zlamal, were victims of assault.

I am sure there are numerous Gallovidians whose Irish ancestry shows a mix of nationality and religion, and that confusion of racism and sectarianism that surfaced as a result of what was essentially daft behaviour at the Edinburgh football ground.

Passions at football matches perhaps too often go over the top, and not only fans but players too and team managers are affected likewise. The renowned Scottish manager Bill Shankly described football as being more serious than life or death, and he was the manager of Liverpool, probably the most Irish club in the English league!

Ian Johnstone
Peterhead

I WOULD like to commend David Pratt for his excellent piece (Why is Syria forgotten?, November 2). May I also point out there has been a documentary, House of Assad, which records how this mess started, as David said, peacefully.

According to the documentary, in previous situations Assad’s father Hafez would bomb his own people.

President Putin is on record as saying Syria is a great place to test new weapons and give his army battle experience. I have no doubt its a great place for the West to test missiles as well. On TV the whole country looks like a building site. The news and pictures are brought to us by very brave reporters and camera crews risking their lives.

Ed Miliband refused to give consent to military action. I am not a pacifist but I thought then and now he was right – the last thing Syria and its poor people needed was more bombs dropped on them. Where is Assad getting the munitions from? Time to do something to the companies supplying them.

David Ritchie
North Ayrshire

IT was with great interest I read the article on flexible working (Flexible work now reality for most and on the wish list for many others, Sunday National, November 4), however those interviewed were managers and directors.

When I cared for my late mother I found it really hard to work flexibly, to nip home and give her lunch, yet those with young children were given sympathy and understanding. Often this issue is at the discretion of the person’s line manager so woe betide you if you happen to have an unsympathetic one! This came from HR at local government! Well done for raising this topic. Hopefully things will change to benefit all.

Name and address supplied