I READ the two articles on the same page of last Saturday’s National with a degree of worry. The top article detailed a power grab by the UK BBC over each of the devolved nations’ local BBC, or a significant part of it, which would likely reduce the overall input of Scotland into the programmes that appear here, along with reduced job prospects for Scottish freelancers in the TV industry.

The article below details David Dimbleby’s concern about Boris Johnston and his government’s attack on the BBC and the risk to its survival.

I wonder if this power grab has been encouraged or suggested by Westminster? Control over the media is important and it should be controlled locally and be accountable to local people.

Losing a chunk of control of BBC Scotland to Westminster is very worrying. It clearly benefits a Unionist Westminster government. The BBC are on the back foot with the recent revelations re the Princess Diana interview over 20 years ago, and the appointment of Paul Dacre to a senior role is also worrying. Have the BBC succumbed to pressure from Westminster to reign in the limited controls and power that the local developed BBCs have?

This is worrying, verging on sinister, and anti-democratic. Even if Westminster are not involved in the decision, this act reduces the already limited ability of BBC Scotland to provide news and entertainment for the people of Scotland.

Other things in recent weeks have felt worrying too, hinting at totalitarianism, which did not exist so openly in previous Tory governments.

For example, as is regularly reported in the National, Ian Blackford is treated with contempt when he asks sensible questions at Westminster, and his questions are rarely dignified with an appropriate response. Also, Douglas Ross was verbally hostile to Pete Wishart a few weeks ago, as was reported in page two of the National the following day. This, too, made me consider writing in – why was Scotland’s only independence-supporting newspaper giving almost front page coverage to a Tory rudely attacking a long-standing SNP MP? His unsubstantiated dig about some people in his own party being unimpressed with Wishart was repeated verbatim. You had to look to another page of the newspaper to find what Wishart had said to provoke Ross’s verbal attack – he had clarified, and got Alistair Jack to agree, that the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon had won the Scottish elections. This is important and he was absolutely right to labour the point until Jack agreed with him, because it was correct!

Michael Russell’s latest article was also important regarding avoiding infighting. I wonder if Alba and some Yes groups have been infiltrated by Unionists or if there are just some fake Yes Twitter accounts that know how to press people’s buttons. Who cares if you don’t like Nicola Sturgeon or Pete Wishart or whoever? And do you think you may be getting influenced by some No campaign infiltrators?

This is divide and rule. It is Scotland’s politicians, and journalists, being subject to contempt and attempted humiliation and intimidation and it is not right. We are close to independence. Those people in Westminster who are strongly against independence will fight this in whatever way they can. We need to be aware of this propaganda, both blatant and subtle.

(I have asked for my name to be withheld because I am an NHS doctor and I am not comfortable disclosing my name at this time. This, too is an indictment of the increasing hostility of Westminster and anger from Unionists. For what it’s worth, I have no doubt that people’s mental and physical health will improve under independence, when we can get away from austerity, the hostile environment, etc, and make our own choices about what is best for Scotland’s people, and the environment as a whole).

C
Edinburgh

IT may be sandwiches, medicines, mince, and sausages today, at the Irish Sea EU single market border, but then it soon additionally becomes potentially chlorinated, and hormone treated meat product, etc, until the NI Protocol is eventually ended by a “No Deal” Brexit implemented by the UK government but blamed upon the EU.

The Johnson “Bad Deal” Brexit nearly killed the GFA stone dead once “Done”, and it has since been on life support utilising the NI Protocol somewhat as a sticking plaster, applied to the open and self-inflicted wounds of “Brexit”, and now almost wholly reliant upon EU granted transition periods.

There is perhaps really only way this can move forward with minimal risk to loss of life and that involves developing a GFA2 involving the USA and EU, Republic of Ireland, rUK (England & Wales), and Scotland (subject to Indyref2).

The citizens of NI themselves, crucially therefore have to be deciding upon their preferred GFA2, which would necessarily include the timing of reunification vote(s) if any, and any subsequent timing of any transition period if any, and to what they seek to transition to, if reunification is their determined will. All of which must then have a high degree of consensus amongst all the local nations’ citizens involved.

To state the obvious, trade links from NI to the EU mainland via both the Republic of Ireland and Scotland (EU), may assume a huge importance in any future geopolitical alignment, and such issues would benefit from early EU/USA side discussions at the G7 conference. Scotland of course needs to be already ploughing the international furrow, despite being shackled within the rotting bowels of the UK.

Stephen Tingle
Greater Glasgow

THE US Governor of Massachusetts Elbridge Gerry started it in 1812. In Northern Ireland gerrymandering ensured a loyalist majority, now it’s happening here. Scotland will lose two MPs and Wales eight, to England. Gerrymandering is a particularly nasty method of moving the goalposts during the game. There will be less Scottish representation in Westminster which is precisely the object of the exercise. England will have 10 more MP’s enabling the Tories to concentrate even more power in London towards the American dream – business first. Tory light Labour cannot compete against a government and populace that sees nothing wrong in the discriminatory policies that are intent on division. As Johnson tightens his grip on power, Scotland has an option to be free. It is no longer if or maybe but when. The SNP government must act soon to lay out a step by step timetable for independence. A campaign to normalise the idea of sovereign powers vested in Scotland and how it would change people’s lives free from venture capitalists and hedge fund managers, a Scotland in control of its own destiny taking a seat at the United Nations and Europe and forging partnerships with like minded nations. It is a dream for now, let’s make it a reality.

Mike Herd
Highland

THIS was Stephen Kerr’s second attempt on Tuesday to make his mark in Holyrood, earlier he had raised a long winded point of order on the First Minister’s Covid briefings, claiming that Holyrood should have been called back on Friday for her announcement.

He is still behaving as though he was in Westminster, England’s sovereign parliament where Tories show no respect for Scotland, it’s MPs or its people.

Perhaps if he had shown more respect for Scotland he would still be in Westminster and we would not be subjected to his behaviour.

He needs to calm down and keep in mind that this is Scotland where the people, not parliament are sovereign.

Scots are not going to accept being denied information from Scottish Government ministers simply because their elected representatives only make themselves available for Holyrood announcements on three days each week.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

FOR “and” read plus. The legal title of the four Nations is The United Kingdom of Great Britain plus Northern Ireland. Over the centuries this has hardly been referred to as anything but England. Even French Ambassadors (descendents of the Auld Alliance) referred to the four nations as England. And, let’s face it, 95% of Tories at Westminster think that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are regions of England. On holiday before lockdown, I met a Yorkshire man who told me that Scotland is the biggest county in England after Yorkshire.

A senior civil servant was re-briefing his staff about the instruction to use UK when speaking about England or any of the other nations. Reportedly the senior person said “about that asignment I gave you last week, remember how you thought it was a silly and rediculous asignment, well, it turns out that I’ve been spontaneously chanelling the spirit of “Bojo the Clown”.

Mike Underwood
Linlithgow

IT is shocking, but not surprising, that the MOD can spend thousands of pounds a day on the obscenity of nuclear weapons in Scotland but needs to scrimp and save by contracting sporran manufacture overseas, depriving traditional craft industries here of an important source of income. While it is good to see some attempt at foreign aid by this great British Government, the transfer of manufacture of military equipment to foreign powers is at odds with the general policy of selling as many weapons as possible to anyone who seeks to oppress his/her citizens.

We can all choose whether or not to buy garments made by cheap slave labour or quality goods into which traditional skills have been dedicated. Equipping our troops with the latter is the least we can do for them to enhance their dignity and pride. Perhaps now we should be asking where the uniforms of our nuclear submarine fleet are manufactured.

KM Campbell
Doune

CAN’T agree more with Donald Macmillan (Why don’t more Scots display the Saltire?, Letters, June 7). For more than three years now I have been “flying the flags” not as expensive as you might expect.

The aluminium five-piece flag pole online for under £40, a couple of flags at a fiver each tied by the way of metal cable ties to one of our washing line posts.

Ken McCartney
Hawick