VOTING for the “democratic advance” party of Scotland is, according to Mr R Leonard, the best way forward for the people of Scotland. I would, as a supporter of Scotland being an independent EU nation state, respectfully disagree that Scottish Labour collectively resembles such a party in any way, manner or form.
Claiming to be an internationalist party with control best left centrally with the UK Government, the message could easily be mistaken for a message from Mr D Cummings.
There is some dissent in SLAB, however, as some members still cling to the notion of a wide but locally driven democratic system.
READ MORE: Scottish Labour to campaign for home rule, but not indyref2
Clearly the intent is to place ConDemSlab as the shoogly foundation upon which society can be rebuilt in Scotland once Covid-19 is contained. Scotland in Union have of course welcomed this.
Perhaps it will soon be time for the people of Scotland to vote via referenda for what individual building blocks of society they see as being required for their future, subsequently to be moved forward by their parliament. Many party structures and declared aspirations would change after independence, and a parliament view on the future may provide some stability during this period.
Indyref2 would still be required, and the red lines for any negotiation with the UK would already have been set out. During the five to ten years of negotiation, international acceptance of Scotland’s status as an independent nation will need to be recognised, so the building blocks of society presented to any referendum will need to be largely in tune with current EU standards and/or aspirations.
Perhaps I am being unduly harsh on poor Mr Leonard, but having a “democratic advance” party associated with SNP social policies might well be appropriate for those areas of England to the south of the current designated border, and perhaps the SNP/Greens should consider this matter further.
Stephen Tingle
Grater Glasgow
SOMETIMES I agree with Ross Greer, sometimes I don’t, but I am frequently struck by his tendency to ignore simple logic.
He writes: “Five years ago a black man died in police custody without a single police officer being charged” (Scotland must face up to its own issues with racism, June 5).
Was Ross Greer present at the death? Did he witness either deliberate or negligent culpability in the matter? I don’t think so. The procurator fiscal and Crown Office seem not to think this was the case, otherwise an officer would indeed have been charged.
READ MORE: After George Floyd, Scotland must face its own issues with racism
Our justice system is supposed to operate on the basis of innocent until proven guilty. Ross Greer, in common with a number of others, obviously does not agree with that. Somebody died. He thinks a pound of flesh must be extracted because somebody must be responsible.
The police did not seek this man out without cause. Somebody informed them that he was brandishing a large knife. All inquiries thus far have found that no untoward behaviour on the part of the police occurred. What difference does the colour of his skin make?
I can fully understand the need for closure, for explanation, which motivates the family, but what is Greer’s motive? I do not know whether any individual is culpable in this matter, and neither does he.
Les Hunter
Lanark
THANK you for the excellent coverage in the Sunday National covering all the issues and points raised by the current situation regarding the problems with racism and discrimination at both home and abroad. Thank you for finding the best and most appropriate voices to speak out on this issue and get us to think and reflect on what we can do to make a difference in Scotland. Thank you for adding positively to the debate and setting high journalistic standards. Thank you for setting the high standards for what I want Scotland to become. Thank you.
Scott Bamford
via email
I LISTENED to the l0 o’clock news on BBC on Friday, in which media editor Amal Rajan reported on the appointment of Tim Davie as director general of the BBC.
He gave a background report into Davie’s life, saying he had been acting director general, worked in radio and was from a commercial background having worked for PepsiCo and Procter & Gamble. He just somehow omitted that he had been Tory deputy chair in Hammersmith in the 1990s and stood as a councillor for the Conservative party in 1993/1994.
I believe this to be relevant because as Amal Rajan said, Davie’s job is to make the BBC a trusted brand and be reflective of the whole country in the wake of the Jimmy Savile affair and the equal pay row.
Winifred McCartney
Paisley
JUST a though – had this virus operated at the other end of the age range with respect to fatalities, would the population have reacted any differently had 60,000 children died? Would Johnson still be in a job, or in a jail? I would hope the Scottish Government are currently making preparations to minimise any future pandemic with such a scenario.
Mick McCready
Milngavie
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