I WATCHED the Andrew Marr Show last Sunday. Mr Marr is of the mind that a polite interviewing style is key to getting good stories. However, Boris Johnson seems to regard Marr as a less challenging interviewer than, say, the attack dogs of the Robin Day school of interviewing like Andrew Neil and – God forbid! – Piers Morgan when he was with GMB.

Despite saying he would consent to being interviewed “by anyone named Andrew”, Johnson has sedulously avoided Andrew Neil. Still smarting from the torrid experience of his last interview by Neil, this is one Andrew that Johnson is giving a wide berth.

WATCH: Boris Johnson squeals as he's grilled about pig cull by Andrew Marr

Like them or loathe them, the British public rather enjoy the likes of Neil and Morgan’s uncompromising style of interviewing and they certainly like to see politicians being put through the wringer.

So I was heartened to see that Andrew Marr had decided to abandon “polite interviewing”. Marr was far more challenging in his line of questioning, determined to cut through Johnson’s customary bluster and tangential circumlocution and attempts to talk over the interviewer.

Well done, Mr Marr, and more of the same please.

Sandy Gordon
Edinburgh

THE former EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who is now running for the French presidency, has challenged Boris Johnson’s claims that Covid is solely to blame for the UK’s present supply problems. Mr Barnier asserts these problems, including the shortage of lorry drivers, pumps running dry etc, are all down to the UK’s decision to leave the EU and choosing to end the free movement of people. He further went on to say that the British PM “knew exactly what he signed” when he negotiated the Brexit international treaty.

READ MORE: Brexit could happen in other European countries, Michel Barnier suggests

The consequences of Boris Johnson’s poor deal include a disastrous outcome for the fishing, farming and food sectors in Scotland. This cosy Westminster cabal is now struggling to maintain Great Britain in the face of Brexit Britain, the Irish question and English nationalism while the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is breaking up.

Grant Frazer
Newtonmore

THE recent announcement of relaxation of rules governing GM crops in England by the Westminster government opens up lots of questions and/or problems which need to be addressed fairly quickly.

Is the Scottish Government still opposed to GM crops, and if so what are they going to do about possible contamination crossing the Border (the one that some Tories say doesn’t exist)? Perhaps there should be a 20-mile exclusion zone to prevent any pollen and genetic material being airborne spreaders. If this is not far enough, it could mean mainland Europe could also be contaminated.

Westminster also said they expected to legalise the whole scheme over all of the UK. Where does Scotland stand? Up until now the Scottish Government has complied with a “four-nations approach” in most recent Covid plans despite not fully agreeing with them, but surely they cannot sit on their hands with the Greens and be dictated to on this issue? As I have said before some years ago, I can see the Glenmorangie distillery across the firth from my window upstairs,band I am sure contaminated barley with GM could have a huge catastrophic effect on the perception of Scotch the brand.

There is no going back from any change with GM, so I would like to ask what the Scottish Government plans are (please tell me they have some).

Richard Easson
Dornoch

I AM sure that the records will confirm the river Tweed hasn’t been so low for so long so early in the year before being refilled by the recent downpour.

Fires, floods other extreme weather events are so common now we are not surprised when it’s not just around the world but we can feel some of the consequences of climate change here, is not only in scale but intensity.

Many of the solutions are immediately available and most don’t need some special extra technical fix, however the solution requires political will.

There’s likely to be some short-term pain for us so today’s youngsters don’t spend the rest of their lives cursing their elders (us) as a greedy and thoughtless generation.

Next month COP 26 in Glasgow should hear yet again that rather than reducing carbon emissions dramatically we have increased them, making the worldwide emergency even worse!

I have become more hopeful but not optimistic after reading Jonathan Neale’s book Fight the Fire.

I recommend readers ask any future election candidates or our current government members (Westminster and Holyrood) for their serious suggestions that are realistic and attractive for the majority of the population. We cannot all afford electric vehicles but nearly everyone can make use of free public transport, for example.

Norman Lockhart
Innerleithen