THE tone of Monday’s National is worth commenting on. I found it more interesting and less depressing than usual, with more emphasis on positivity and inclusiveness and less on the usual splits.
As a Scottish republican socialist, I found Michael Fry’s quality research on Andrew Carnegie’s schizophrenic philanthropy and ruthlessness to be illuminating, especially when some of his donated libraries are currently under threat of closure in Scotland, particularly George’s Road, Glasgow (How a Scot became the richest man in the world, May 16).
This makes one think, what happened to the nice patronising Tories who, in their own way, always stuck up for their native Scotland? Gone are the nice Alex Buchanan Smiths and Sir William MacEwan Youngers and the intellectual John Buchans and Fitzroy MacLeans or Iain Flemings. Instead, we have the nasty North British nationalist lickspittles who oppose anything good happening in Scotland to appease their London spiv Tory masters – and that includes the Labatories Mark II.
Rory MacClellan’s review of the film about a fictional general strike in Carhill where the fascists attacked food kitchens was reminiscent of Carnegie’s private police force attacking his striking miners in the Allegheny Mountains despite his guilty philanthropy later.
READ MORE: Does film about Scots miners tell real story of the General Strike?
Is Stephen Paton related to Norrie Paton? Whilst disagreeing with their aggressive gender politics I wholly agree with their well-written articles, especially on republicanism. Norrie Paton’s letters should be extrapolated to a regular column. His mixed fascination with Jack London also reminds one of that individual’s take on charity and philanthropy.
Jack posed as an American seaman (to explain his height) and queued up for charity from the Salvation Army as a down-and-out in London. He had to chop wood, wash soiled hospital linen and sing hymns as an “able-bodied” beggar. Jack was also a contradictory “socialist”, as Norrie noticed. He was an out-and-out racist harking back to the days of the Pilgrim Faithers who murdered and robbed the natives who helped them and introduced slaves from Africa. He also railed against Asians taking over the world. As Norrie implied, he still was a fascinating writer.
READ MORE: Stephen Paton: It’ll take more than book of pro-UK propaganda to erase old sins
As the poll pointed out in The National – despite, or because, of the Jubilee and Boris Bunter’s jingoism – republicanism, or anti-monarchism, is on the rise in the United Queendome, slightly in Engerland among younger people, but more so in the Celtic “fringe”, especially Scotland. I can hardly wait and I am only 85.
Donald Anderson
Glasgow
AS I understand it (and please correct me if I am wrong), the SNP were going to set up a national energy company for Scotland. They commissioned a report by PWC which recommended against this. Instead they sold off wind farm permits and raised £700 million. Could it not be using some of that money to help the poorest in Scotland with their energy bills now?
Sadly most of the profits from these wind farm permits are going to private energy companies. I personally thought the PWC report was biased tripe and the SNP do need to set up an state energy company for Scotland.
READ MORE: Ofgem changes could see energy price cap rise for UK households four times each year
That will be difficult and it should be done via a small pilot organisation, then built up, so that when the permits do come to be renewed in 10 years’ time it is fully ready to make money for Scotland. I can understand why the SNP does not want to get involved in running state companies. It shouldn’t have to. These companies should be run by people who believe in state profit for all Scotland’s people. And that requires a different mindset from the people we currently have available. So the SNP to have that difficulty to overcome.
Daibhidh Beaton
via thenational.scot
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