THE article “Scottish Tory Falkirk Council candidate said Nicola Sturgeon is a ‘dictator’” (Mar 21) reveals that Claire Brown does not understand how detailed the Scottish Covid data has become because of the incessant, insatiable demands by MSPs from her own and other London-based opposition parties for more and more information.

This is an area where opposition candidates should tread very warily indeed. Government statistics are accurate and independent.

Far more senior politicians than her have been hauled over the coals for misrepresentation of statistics by Sir David Norgrove, the head of the UK Statistics Authority.

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It is only a matter of weeks since he issued a criticism of Boris Johnson and Priti Patel for claiming that crime in England has fallen by 14% when in fact it has increased by that same amount.

Misuse of official statistics appears to be a Tory habit. In 2018 PM Theresa May also received a rebuke from Sir David Norgrove for misuse of statistics to adversely compare A&E performance in Wales with that in England.

In January this year, LibDem MSP Willie Rennie went as far as reporting Nicola Sturgeon for saying that infection rates were lower in Scotland than in England; Sir David Norgrove replied that the First Minister had “correctly stated that the figure for England was more than 20% higher than the figure for Scotland.”

Perhaps opposition parties should make sure that their candidates are familiar with the processes that ensure the accuracy and independence of published government statistics.

The minimum requirements for councillors must include competence in the use of statistics from official sources, as these play a critical role in decisions on the allocation of the councils’ financial resources in the most effective manner.

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

THE events in Ukraine have jolted the Tory government into reconsidering the UK’s energy security and an updated plan is expected this week, which will include new nuclear provision and probably an increased production of Scotland’s oil and gas. At the same time, the Oil and Gas Authority has been rebranded as the North Sea Transition Authority, to reflect the transition to renewables and ensure continued control over this area.

While I have no doubt that independent Scotland will be keen to sell surplus energy to rUK, I find the lack of political awareness rather odd. There is no suggestion that these are mostly Scottish resources, nor is there even a hint that Scotland could be on the cusp of taking back control of them as early as next year. Behind the energy panic and focus on the “UK’s energy needs” is an assumption that Scotland will play only a colonial role in satisfying those needs.

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There seems to be an underlying confidence that the referendum will either not happen or that we won’t return a Yes vote. Or is it that every possible means will be used to make sure that we don’t?

The legislation for indyref2 was promised for early this year. We must not delay this any longer – we cannot afford to be complacent while our future energy wealth is once again taken out of our hands.

Robert Fraser
Edinburgh

GIVEN the recent well engineered demise of Doctor Tim Rideout, including him now being reported to the police, I feel constrained to say what I really think of the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel. Ms Patel’s attitude to the war in Ukraine is, shall I say, difficult to understand. I was also slightly less than impressed with the ranting of Tory MP Mark Harper, who sees refugees as potential spies sent by Mr Putin to murder us in our beds.

I confess to shedding a tear (not something I do often) at the heartbreaking story of one family. The father tells of his daughter, who was 26, and his four-year-old granddaughter who were killed when a Russian shell landed near the shelter where the whole family was seeking refugee from the bombardment of Mariupol.

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The four-year-old, whose picture he caresses on his phone, was killed instantly. Her mother died from her injuries the next day. As broken as he is, the man is trying to stay strong for his second daughter, who was also critically wounded in the blast and was about to undergo emergency surgery.

The accompanying video, filmed at the local children’s hospital, is very difficult to watch. I think I will forward it to Ms Patel and Mr Harper for their comments.

Iain Wilson
Stirling

GORDON Brown claims a “changed UK” is what Scots want. Brown’s fellow London-Scot former PM, Sir Alex Douglas-Home, promised the same thing 43 years ago. On the eve of the 1979 referendum, Sir Alex said: “Vote No and we’ll promise an improved form of devolution.”

Brown was a political duffer. As UK Chancellor he freed the Bank of England from political control, opening the way for a banking free-for-all. He created a housing bubble which consolidated the UK’s economic imbalance towards London and the south-east of England. He raided the UK pension funds to the tune of £150 billion. He sold off half the UK’s gold reserves when the price of gold was at a 20-year low – a blunder which cost the UK £2 billion. He backed the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan.

As UK PM, Brown left an unprecedented UK “black hole” National Debt of £1.5 trillion, massive private debt and a then record annual UK budget deficit of £161 billion. Under 13 years of Labour government, wealth divisions actually widened.

Not surprisingly, Gordon Brown led the Labour Party to its then greatest-ever electoral defeat.

Councillor Tom Johnston
Cumbernauld