THE letters page ower the past week has had heated ink matching the weather.

Michael Fry’s ideas aboot a Scottish tax haven raised some monobrows. Hoose prices in the East Neuk and St Andrews tell ye Fife’s a magnet for moneyed incomers. Ken, it’s like Scotland’s riviera. The kingdom must hae some ancient law that could support tax haven status. Jist hink, the price o’ a fish supper could come doon aboot twa poond. The queue fae Ainster wid reach S’Minans.

Bill Ramsay’s Lang Letter on Friday gans oan that Westminster’s leases on outposts last an affa lang time. Tak Hong Kong … well they did, fir 99 year. The idea o’ lettin them keep British nukes at Faslane efter independence... weel, they’re oor nukes ana’ and Westminster micht dae weel tae tak tent.

READ MORE: Leasing out Faslane to the Royal Navy is a nuclear Trojan horse

Tuesday’s paper hud folk gettin het up aboot orange walks and James Dornan’s spiel. A deh like them either but a hink the sicht o’ a hunner boozed-up dafties shoutin an banging drums keeps ab’dy woke tae the dangers o bigotry. It’ll die eventually, like their auld fitba team.

Surprised there’s no muckle said aboot George Kerevan’s arms race piece (How Scotland is at risk of a frontline role in a deadly news arms race, Jul 19). In a week whaur billionaires took their ane phallus-shaped rockets tae space, I’m minded tae think on Ben Elton’s Stark. The novel has the earth dyin fae pollution an the rich setting aff oan an ark to colonise anither planet. Maks me hink that recyclin ma bottles is like projecting urine intae the wind.

READ MORE: George Kerevan: How Scotland is at risk of a front-line role in a deadly new arms race

The weekend, nae doubt, will have seen some support fir Dawn Butler efter she showed Westminster isnae fit fir purpose by nailin (an no in his usual way) the PM’s lies. The institution is genuinely an asylum that’s been took ower. Gin ye can spout ony auld kiech an be protected, I’m awa tae get a Ken Dodd hairdo and join the Tories. The femily’s got roots in Banffshire so when I’m a fail’t politician I could maybe be Baron Backside.

George Gourlay
Falkirk