ON the occasions where an outside broadcast takes place from Downing Street, it is noticeable that when someone approaches the door to No 10 it opens as if by magic to give admittance. This would give the impression – and I would hope so – that there is a sophisticated TV system in operation to cover who is granted admission.
In the present case of the Christmas party it must surely be easy to ascertain who was present on the date in question. How did the party-goers arrive? How did they leave? What time did they leave? These questions should be answered fairly easily with a quick look at the system. It may be there is a wee secret back door where certain guests can get in and out – if so we should know about it.
READ MORE: Ian Blackford calls for Boris Johnson to 'resign or be removed'
Downing Street is an enclosed and guarded street and it seems incomprehensible that the number of people that are reported to have attended could slip in and out without some note being taken.
Jim Gibson
Selkirk
WITH Mr M Fry conflating the recent extensive wind damage to power supplies with the recommendation not to drill for oil in the Cambo field, retaining both a moral compass and a mechanism for sorting out contradictory and/or increasingly irrelevant messages is becoming ever more necessary, and ever more frustrating (Why destroying the North Sea oil industry is neither brave nor bold, Dec 7).
However, as we slowly move to lateral flow tests becoming the new preferred ID card of access, such messaging protocols clearly do have their limitations, not least that they do not automatically grant access to Christmas parties that do not exist, formally or otherwise.
A policy of animals and government officials first for evacuation from Afghanistan, as it sunk from oversight by so-called Western democracies, has been denied as nonsense, and it has been claimed by those that did not attend the parties that did not exist that there was not a dogs-first policy.
READ MORE: Allegra Stratton resigns from role in Boris Johnson's team
Meanwhile the rates of Covid-19 infection by community transmission, and the comparative ratios between Scotland and England, look increasingly similar to the comparative ratios for how nations voted for Brexit or otherwise, with the more pro-Brexit areas appearing to have the greater Covid infection rates.
Now, to cap it all, we have a UK-wide poll highlighting that a majority of people across the UK believe that in light of a declared no dogs-first foreign conflict policy, and in light of the establishment of multi-variant non-existent Christmas party denial protocols – which are clearly not fuelled in any way by the preferred drug of choice by Westminster, ie cocaine – they, the UK electorate, have concluded that indyref2 is in order, and in this Holyrood parliamentary term.
Not to be left out of these Christmas festivities, China has allowed its migrant pandas currently living in Edinburgh to extend their stay, potentially re-establishing thar status of being both more numerate than Tory MPs in Scotland, and in greater numbers.
Stephen Tingle
Greater Glasgow
I DON’T often find myself agreeing with Michael Fry but his latest article certainly has some merit. Her recent multiple visits to COP26 in Glasgow do seem to have had a rather interesting and powerful effect on our First Minister.
Now that the thousands of delegates have returned to their fossil-fuelled homes and offices via their jet aeroplanes, political correctness now appears to take precedence over the economic realities faced by the ordinary folk of Scotland. With the comfort of a six-figure ministerial salary, it is rather too easy for Nicola and her Green ministers to simply say no more oil, leaving the potential of perhaps 100,000 job losses to slip rather far down the political agenda.
READ MORE: Mike Small: Even as Cambo teeters, Scotland needs a ‘just transition’ plan
I grew up in the seventies when the slogan was “It’s Scotland’s oil”. I still have a badge and a car sticker to prove it. Like it or not, oil has been used to help balance the books of a potentially independent Scotland for as long as I can remember.
I was recently reminded of the slogan from the Thatcher years: “Coal not dole”. I do not want to see badges and posters appearing that say “Oil not dole” – time moves on, and climate change is now a thing of the present and not of the future – but to simply ignore the oil industry is economic madness.
In the new year huge gas and electricity bills will start to land on our doormats. We are not all able to find more than £10,000 and dig up our gardens to install heat pumps. The First Minister and her new Green friends should perhaps be spending some time considering the impact that energy prices are having. They could make a start by reading the article in The National (Dec 6) headed “Third of Scots find energy unaffordable.”
I do not remember this sudden hatred for all things oil and gas being discussed at an SNP conference before it became Scottish Government policy, or is it simply the First Minister’s new policy?
I have a horrible feeling that in the years to come those with political power, a warm office and a warm home will continue to lecture us ordinary mortals on the benefits of a green economy while turning a blind eye to the coal-fired power stations of China and the open cast coal mines of sunny Australia.
John Baird
Largs
WITH reference to your Tuesday front page, the numerous photographs in the national newspapers and the extensive coverage on TV – I always understood that it was a criminal offence to impersonate a police officer? On further thoughts, it is very appropriate!
Paul Gillon
Leven
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel