THIS is the best news I have heard in weeks. Starmer’s Labour has just been exposed as a Tory establishment puppet. In defiance of the UN Charter, the Scottish Claim of Right and the Smith Commission, it is going to campaign against the right of the Scottish people to democratically choose their own future. 

This sorry gaggle is the descendent of the Scottish Socialist Federation that founded the Labour movement, which campaigned furiously for Scottish home rule, which gave us Keir Hardie, James Maxton and John MacLean. What an utter disgrace! 

READ MORE: Richard Leonard and Keir Starmer at odds over Brexit extension

Here’s what James Maxton said: “Give us our parliament in Scotland. We will start with no traditions. We will start with ideals. We will start with purpose, with courage. We will start with the aim and the object that there will be 134 men and women pledged to 134 Scottish constituencies, to spend their whole brain power, their whole courage and their whole soul in making Scotland into a country in which we can take people from all the nations of the earth and say: this is our land, this is our Scotland, these are our men, our works, our women and children: can you beat it?”

What better statement could the Yes movement and the SNP make today? I know there are some decent people still left in the Labour party in Scotland. They are hurting this morning. Make sure the door is open for them.

Dave McEwan Hill
Sandbank, Argyll

I AM desperately disappointed at Keir Starmer’s total refusal to support the case for Scottish independence, which will condemn our people to live for a further four years under the heel of the despicable Boris Johnson government. 

Let us remind ourselves of what Boris has said over the last 15 months. He claimed a No-Deal Brexit would be a “failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible” but then said that a No-Deal Brexit is “very, very likely”. He said that there would be “no checks” on goods between Britain and Northern Island and then agreed to checks overseen by EU officials. He said that “no British Conservative government could sign up to any border in the Irish sea” only to agree to … yes, a border in the Irish Sea. Finally, during his election Boris claimed that a trade agreement with the EU was an “oven-ready deal”, only to breach the terms of the withdrawal agreement and make such a deal much less likely.

Please Keir, deliver us from this lying and deceitful leader and allow us the self-determination which was part of the original policies of the Labour party.

Pete Rowberry
Duns

KEIR Starmer seems a wee bit confused about the UK nations. While he insists that he will never support a Scottish referendum for independence, he suggests that Boris Johnson is not Britain and Nicola Sturgeon is not Scotland. 

Does not Britain mean, traditionally, to be inclusive of all four nations? And just what 
does he mean by this? Starmer is pretty much vague on all things he says anyway.
As far as Scotland is concerned, Johnson never has been so concerned. Him and his party and government were never voted for by the people of Scotland, which is partly why we have our own parliament. And which is why Nicola Sturgeon is in charge of 
that parliament via the SNP, which was voted for by a majority of Scotland’s people.

So, if you want it as Starmer puts it: Nicola Sturgeon is Scotland, whereas Johnson is surely just England.

On a point of information, Sir Keir Starmer, by suggesting that Nicola Sturgeon is misguided in calling for a referendum next year, you are insulting the majority of the Scottish nation. It is us who want a referendum to determine our independence from Westminster control, the people of Scotland. 

It is Nicola Sturgeon who chooses a time as per the wishes of her electorate. A fully democratic way of doing thing here in Scotland.

Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife

DEAR Keir,

Here is the federalism that I may accept. The government of the UK will move immediately to Scotland, perhaps based in Fort William, to get it away from south-east Britain-centricity. It will stay there for 314 years, after which it will move to Wales. 
All Trident and attendant facilities to be moved to Greenwich or scrapped. All NHS to be publicly owned, no part to be made private by law. Consumption of illegal drugs to be decriminalised, supply of same to carry 10 year in Her Majesty’s Pokey. 

All further civil lists to end – they have enough stashed away to see them ok for centuries. All monies in wee hidey offshore accounts to be declared for taxation, failing to do so gets five years in previously mentioned Pokey while all funds therein revert to Inland Revenue (based in Partick). North Sea coffers to fund renewables and food production in greenhouses heated by renewables – a large site will become available in Gareloch.

Well Keir, if you do wish a federal UK you will agree with this. You will write to The National to say so, then you can unleash THE BROON.

M Ross
Aviemore

SIR Keir Starmer’s Labour party has one MP in Scotland. One seat in a polity that sees the SNP with 47 seats out of 59 in Westminster. He has no political legitimacy or moral authority seeking to prevent the Scottish people from exercising their democratic right in a second referendum.

Thom Cross
Carluke

SO the “socialist” knight understands how we feel? The simple answer to that statement is “Naw! Ye damn weel dinny!”

Les Hunter
Lanark