THE petulant outburst by Boris Johnson claiming there is no Border between England and Scotland is in direct contradiction of Article 19 of the international Treaty of Union which guarantees the judicial border between the two countries.
A judicial border is internationally recognised as the defining limit between separate nations. Since the English regime is unilaterally violating its treaty obligations with Scotland then said Treaty is rendered null and void, of no force or effect.
This means England and Scotland are not in a legally constituted union. We, the Scottish nation, have always been free to hold a referendum with a view to formally dissolving the Treaty and initiating the process of re-establishing our independence, just as the English nation exercised the same inalienable right to self determination in 2016.
I observe the irony that the English regime which is so paranoid about denying Scotland’s border, in order to control the assets contained within it, is obsessed with building barriers and borders around Scotland in order to push through an EU withdrawal Scotland’s people do not consent to.
Linda Horsburgh
Dundee
BORIS Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg appear to have a selective short memory by claiming in Parliament that there was no Border between England and Scotland.
The day before devolution, the then Labour Government secretly and without debate shifted the North Sea boundary line, thereby giving England 6000 square miles of Scottish waters. The Scottish 1998 Act and The Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundary Order of 1999 apply should they still really believe that the UK is one country. I attended a debate at the Scottish Parliament about the legality of moving the North Sea boundary adjacent to Montrose in Fife.
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I recall MP John Home Robertson persistently saying that this was merely to give the Westminster Government “more clout” when discussing UK fisheries with the EU in Brussels. When further questioned, MP Robertson said that the sea bed would still belong to Scotland. Today there are five major oil fields in the particular area and deemed to be in English waters and supports English GDP .
David Cameron said that if he was elected as Prime Minister that he would readdress the legality of the Westminster-approved North Sea boundary waters. Of course he never did. Time for change for the truth.
Donnie Morrison
Benbecula
MR Johnson and Mr Rees-Mogg, in an attempt to try and prop up their waning influence, have repeated their belief that there is no Border between Scotland and England. Mr Rees-Mogg goes further and insists that Scotland is just a county or district of the UK.
I shouldn’t have to remind them that Holyrood is one of four UK parliaments. It has power over a number of issues, including the power to raise taxation (albeit limited) and the right to run our own health and other services.
The Tories’ blatant denial of historic truth is typical of an administration which believes that, if they repeat things often enough, people may actually come to believe them. It annoys many living in Scotland that their unique culture and history is largely ignored in London. We are told, in spite of the fact that Scotland is the only part of the UK with a significant balance of trade surplus, that Scots are spongers on the wealth of England, that the Scottish diet consists of alcohol and deep fried Mars bars and, the greatest insult of all, that Scots are a mean-minded people.
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These stereotypes are just as insulting as any other form of racism. Scottish, as well as black, lives matter. The evidence of how our government has handled the Covid-19 pandemic once the four nation approach was abandoned has shown that we have a far stronger leadership than Westminster.
Our government listens to scientific opinion and acts on it. It does not ignore advice which doesn’t fit a prescribed political view. It has been proven to be better at communicating clear and unambiguous rules to its people. In the past our Scottish nationhood was sold to England by a “parcel of rogues” but we should all be determined to redress this injustice and return all power over Scotland’s affairs to the Scottish people.
Pete Rowberry
Duns
THE latest outpouring by Neil Oliver raises serious questions about him continuing in his role as President of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). Surely in appointing him, NTS would have hoped for positive publicity to encourage people to support the organisation and its aims?
I know recent decisions by NTS – such as laying off staff and threatening to close the Bannockburn site for two years – has meant the board doesn’t really need Mr Oliver’s help in damaging the organisation’s reputation but surely his latest outburst is a sign that he has to go.
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Support for David Starkey – another so-called historian who revels in controversy and routinely belittles Scotland and the Scots – merely highlights how out of touch Mr Oliver is from the general public in Scotland. It is also quite telling that in responding to Mr Oliver’s recent comments, a spokesperson for NTS refers to him as a journalist and commentator – maybe they have now seen through his previous description as a historian! It’s time for NTS to retire Mr Oliver from his post if they want any public backing for their organisation.
Cllr Kenny MacLaren
Paisley
ENOUGH of this “an NTS spokesperson”! Who are the National Trust for Scotland fat-cats who are supporting Neil Oliver’s role in the organisation? Name names.
William Young
Largs
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