AS the prospect of another EU referendum daily increases because of parliamentary impotence, I have a suggestion with regard to the all-important wording of the referendum question.
Immediately after the vote to hold a referendum, all MPs should be required to state which option, Remain or Brexit, they will campaign for. The two camps should then be responsible for selecting the preferred wording for their option.
Remainers will find this simple. I suspect the Brexiters will struggle. The Electoral Commission can monitor, then decide which goes first on the voting papers – toss a coin?
David Crines
Hamilton
IN light of the chaos we have endured over two years of negotiating a Brexit deal, and the resultant public uncertainty, there is a strong call for a second EU referendum. Should this take place, it would be a majority against the party in power who would agree to proceed.
Theresa May and several other prominent politicians have responded suggesting that it would be undemocratic to do so and a serious threat to UK democracy.
Mrs May and her supporters might like to consider: would such a vote be any less democratic than the holding of a General Election within the five-year term of Parliament, as and when the established party in power felt it in their interests to do so?
It might give her some momentary comfort to remember that such results don’t always turn out as anticipated by those who call them.
Tom Gray
Braco, Perthshire
I SEE that David Mundell has been up at Peterhead promising the fisheries people that they’ll get a really good deal. In the interests of clarity, I hope he’s prefacing everything he says with “We’re not lying to you this time”.
Derek Ball
Bearsden
SO the PM bottled it – no vote. Well, will Boris and all the other leadership wannabes bottle it and leave her in place? That will mean actually showing leadership skills, like not forgetting to declare the odd 51 grand?
Then we had all those Cabinet ministers roaming the country and TV studios declaring the vote would take place, then after a conference call we get told: no vote, it can’t be won. Most people with any intelligence could have told them that ages ago.
Every one of those weekend Cabinet ministers should resign immediately. And I am afraid I must single out David Mundell. He appeared on Sunday political shows and told us the PM told him personally the vote was on.
If May cannot get government business through the Commons then surely she must resign and take her government’s Brexit and Universal Credit with her.
David Ritchie
North Ayrshire
WITH regard to Brexit perdition, we should all be even more sick and worried – if that’s possible. Boris Johnson just got a big boy haircut…
Amanda Baker
Edinburgh
CELEBRATING 70 years of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 10th anniversary of the Scottish Human Rights Commission is praiseworthy indeed. How can we claim to be a civilised society if rights to fundamentals such as food, housing and justice are not secured for everyone?
Regrettably there is one missing right which relates in particular to mental health issues. One of the reasons they are in the forefront of wellbeing concerns is because of the grip of computer gizmos we are all trapped by nowadays.
Of course, technological advances are crucial for modern life but the key price being paid for them is our disconnection from nature.
It was Richard Louv, originator of the expression “nature-deficit disorder” who said: ‘The more technology we have in our lives, the more nature we need’.
Therefore the right for everyone, especially young people, to connect to nature frequently should be incorporated in the articles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and embedded in our laws.
By initiating that advance, the Scottish Parliament would earn even greater praise worldwide.
David Ashford
Isle of Skye
I AM writing on behalf of BrokeNotBroken, the local food bank that was set up when it was discovered the existing large foodbank was sending food donated in Kinross-shire to Perth on the grounds there was “no need” in Kinross-shire!
They are run off their feet at the minute. In response to your St Andrew’s Day request for notice of charity drives and other activities, I hope you can publicise the below.
Their activities in Kinross, for Kinross-shire include: collecting toys, toiletries, pyjamas and gift cards (in conjunction with Moorelands Travel and Perthshire Women’s Aid). These will not be wrapped so there is a choice for parents/carers, and cards allow a bit of freedom. They are also seeking active help with filling hampers (today, 2-7pm), sorting toys and filling stockings (tomorrow, 5-9pm) at Millbridge Hall.
Susan FG Forde
Scotlandwell
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