IN her letter (Why is the Church of Scotland silent on indyref2?, March 27), Elizabeth Buchan-Hepburn claims that the Kirk does not support a second referendum on independence. The problem with her claim is that it’s just not true.
Whilst I don’t speak for the Church of Scotland, readers may be aware that I am active member and I did not wish to see this falsehood stand. As one of the key bodies which campaigned for a Scottish Parliament, the Kirk was signatory to the Scottish Claim of Right in 1989, in which it endorsed “the sovereign right of the Scottish people to determine the form of government best suited to their needs”.
READ MORE: Why is the Church of Scotland silent about indyref2?
Further to that, when we as the Scottish Parliament voted for a new referendum to be held, back in 2017, the Kirk defended our right to do so.
So the Church of Scotland does not “sit on the fence”.
It stands in defence of democracy and of Scotland’s right to self-determination.
Ross Greer
Glasgow
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here