STEPH Brawn’s article on “The UK restricting Scotland on world stage is ‘abnormal’” in The National on Tuesday shows how the UK Government’s reasoning has become distorted through its obsession with playing a major role on the global stage and the preservation of England’s supremacy in the Union.

Boris Johnson’s revelation at the Covid Inquiry that, even in times of domestic crisis, English dominance takes precedence over cooperation with the devolved governments is closely aligned with the UK Government ambition to restore Westminster to a major player on the global stage.

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Boris Johnson’s Greenwich speech in February 2020 envisaged the UK emerging as a super hero, ignoring the pandemic, to lead a worldwide economic recovery. Perhaps the world was just too busy dealing with the spread of Covid to take up his offer.

His Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, likewise spoke of the UK increasing its military influence and lethality, east of Suez and west into the Caribbean, with its two new aircraft carriers. Perhaps the lack of aircraft to fill their decks ultimately led to the UK having to take a back seat and abstain in the vote at the UN on the war in Gaza.

Rishi Sunak is following in Boris Johnson’s vapour trails, jetting around the world to give the impression that the UK is a cohesive force in the great global scheme of things.

Meanwhile back home, oblivious to world opinion, at least five factions in the Tory party are squabbling over how to legislate to stop the boat people.

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In spite of the principle that UK courts are completely independent of government, Rishi Sunak is attempting to rush a bill through the Westminster Parliament that says “a [UK] court or tribunal must not consider any claim or complaint that the Republic of Rwanda will not act in accordance with the Rwanda Treaty”.

How long will it be before the Westminster Parliament is debating a bill that says “a court or tribunal must not consider any claim or complaint that the UK will not act in accordance with the Scotland Act?”

John Jamieson
South Queensferry

DAVID Cameron, the unelected Lord and unelected Foreign Secretary, is cutting off his nose to spite his face with his attack on Scotland’s business activities overseas.

He is well representative of the Tory attitude towards Scotland, being the creator of the Brexit fiasco with his slip-up of all that he created in 2014. It cost him his premiership and left him well and truly out in the cold. It’s no wonder he accepted the offer of Foreign Secretary, knowing fine well what that Tory position had to offer.

His threat of cutting Scotland’s overseas business activities would eventually have an impact on the UK Treasury. Surely Cameron must realise the amount of fiscal support Scotland provides for the UK economy. Here in Scotland we know the amount of “actual” subsidy Scotland’s business interests provides for the UK Treasury. I’m no expert but appreciate at least the business and corporation tax that Scotland’s business sends down to the UK Treasury coffers.

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David Cameron is just another demonstration of the arrogance, and indeed jealousy, that is flagrantly displayed time and again by the Tory government and its political party. How Scotland overall is performing well exceeds that of Westminster’s command of its UK governance.

We have seen enough of this from the so-called Scottish Secretary who has been responsible for blocking the democratic process of the Scottish Parliament.

Why the Scottish Government has not shown any lead in where, when or how it plans to take Scotland out of the collapsed Union has become a frustrating annoyance to put it mildly. Having to suffer Alister “Union” Jack is bad enough without having to deal with the likes of “out from the cold” David Cameron.

Alan Magnus-Bennett
Fife

If you or someone you know is intending to vote for Labour, it is essential to consider the realities of the situation.

Conflicting opinions have arisen between Anas Sarwar, the Labour leader in Scotland, and Sir Keir Starmer, the UK Labour leader. Unlike Anas Sarwar, Sir Keir Starmer supports the two-child benefit cap and refused to support a call for a ceasefire in Palestine. Most strikingly, Sir Keir Starmer recently heaped praise on Margaret Thatcher. Anas Sarwar in contrast stated the reality that Thatcher’s policies destroyed major industries in Scotland and devastated communities.

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Potential Labour Party voters in Scotland must realise how increasingly different their values are from those of the Labour Party in England.

To defeat even this totally incompetent Conservative government, UK Labour have to attract English voters with policies reflecting the English electorate’s values. Most clearly, Thatcher is still so revered in England that Starmer has to emulate her policies to have a chance of winning. This emphasises a basic difference in attitude between the majority of voters in Scotland and England.

Scotland’s population’s goals and priorities cannot be achieved when we are outnumbered more than ten times by the English population. This is very clear with Scotland being ruled since 1979 by UK Conservative-led governments Scotland didn’t vote for and right-wing Blair/Brown-led Labour governments which continued public-service-damaging austerity economics.

This clearly shows Scotland can’t get real democracy reflecting our values while part of the UK. The only realistic way to get policies implemented in Scotland that reflect Scottish Labour voters' social values is to get Scottish independence first.

Jim Stamper
Bearsden