ALISTER Jack’s offer “of assistance to the Scottish Government in Scotland’s hour of need” by sending in the army to boost the number of Covid vaccinations being delivered deserves careful consideration and a very considered response from the First Minister, and I’m sure that’s what it will get.
Given that there is a plan and systems in place to achieve many more vaccinations this week and thereafter, I think it’s wise to see what number of vaccinations have been achieved in a week’s time. Assuming that Alister, the UK’s messenger, hasn’t conveyed an offer that is a time-limited one.
READ MORE: Covid: Nicola Sturgeon gets Alister Jack letter on Scottish vaccine roll-out
He has a poor, graceless record in assisting Scotland in her hour of need. Despite a lot of pleading for him to advocate to secure the same kind of deal for Scotland that was negotiated for Northern Ireland, he did nothing. He’s generally snarly to the SNP members and others that aren’t Tories at the despatch box in the House of Commons. He has an unhelpful, sneering, snobbish demeanour about him and it’s easy to observe why he’s earned the epithet as the minister against Scotland. His behaviour towards media interviewers makes me think he enjoys playing the part of the pantomime baddy – no woke attributes in this guy; he’s more of an Edwardian.
As Alister wants the army to further assist Scotland’s efforts to defeat the Covid virus, I see a role for their undoubted skill sets. The army is a UK resource and the time is overdue for them to be deployed to secure our sprawling borders. Countries that have seriously curtailed movements in and out of their respective national boundaries have been more successful in better containing Covid than the UK.
READ MORE: Michael Gove will not say number of English care home residents given Covid jag
Recent actions to further restrict travel, step up arrangements for isolation in managed centres, provide more testing allied with enhanced compliance against Covid in everyday living activities by the general population, and an increase in the volume of vaccinations are all good moves. What’s missing is a means to effectively control our leaking borders.
I know some folks are ambivalent about deploying troops acting as border security personnel, but if we did it for four weeks we could then see what has been achieved in the Covid statistics.
Come on Alister, talk to Boris and get the troops to staunch our leaky borders.
Anne Thomson
Falkirk
IF, as is suggested by a campaign of hints from the Tory front bench, the UK Treasury is considering withholding money from the Barnett block grant to demonstrate how Scotland, without England, would miss the "largesse" of the "English taxpayer", then the essential corollary must be to demonstrate how England, without Scotland, would miss the largesse of the Scottish taxpayer, Scottish oil and renewable energy, whisky exports, etc etc, by devolving the whole range of tax powers and control of energy to Holyrood. The Unionist largesse idea is childish fantasy economics.
Derek Ball
Bearsden
THE sovereign will of the Scottish people for independence seems to be taking second place to renderings of My Way! How the Unionist spin crew must be loving the internicene SNP battles currently flooding the media channels. Not simply having to field accusations of vaccine mismanagement and threats of financial cuts to the Barnett, elected members at Holyrood and Westminster are having to field requests for soundbites on the current bourach over changing the front bench.
READ MORE: Joanna Cherry in 'pole position' to challenge Nicola Sturgeon for SNP leadership
Perhaps a timely reminder of a simple fact ... independence is the number one priority. All personal and MY WAY utterances from those involved need to be kept in-house and dealt with like grown-ups, not stand-offs in the public arena. Those who feel the need to make some partisan comment feed the maw of a voracious and one-sided Unionist media machine. The rank-and-file and all Yes organisations won’t take kindly to losing the chance for independence if this type of behaviour impinges on their ongoing work and commitment to persuade No voters to change to Yes.
E Ahern
East Kilbride
UNFORTUNATELY the country is in a second wave of Covid, but with the vaccination programme rolling out we have some light at the end of the tunnel on eliminating this virus. However, we must keep our focus on getting through the crisis, and that demands action and demands it now.
The vaccine is our current life line for the future and we must praise all those involved in administrating it and the massive effort and sacrifice they are undertaking for the country. There needs to be a massive focus on the logistics of getting through the crisis if we are to return to some kind of normality.
READ MORE: One-third of Scots think Holyrood's done most to support economy through Covid
Business and families need some form of security with urgency. We simply cannot expect employers and employees to wait until the Westminster budget on March 3 to receive any form of security – they need action and they need it now.
UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak needs to give employees and employers alike the security of extending the furlough scheme from the current deadline of April 30. He could do this now if he truly wants to protect jobs. Action is also needed now regarding those who have sadly lost their livelihoods due to Covid and are now dependent on claiming Universal Credit. The £20 per week for a year is about to end (im March) and with more than half a million people claiming UC in Scotland, we need to give those families some form of security. Now is not the time to be taking more than £1000 a year from their incomes. They are suffering enough, and many are living on benefits for the first time in their working lives. Going forward the country is dependent on urgent action from Mr Sunak.
Catriona C Clark
Falkirk
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