Readers' Letters

First Minister Humza Yousaf's government is too slow to improve Scotland, says reader (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

The SNP is clearly the party of delay. In just one issue of The Scotsman, the SNP-led government has announced delays in its climate change plans, education reform and the building of a new HMP Barlinnie.

Added to that are the two most monumental delays in maritime history, namely the money-guzzling ferries being built at Ferguson Marine. Scottish Government ministers frequently point to external factors like Brexit, Covid, and Westminster as major obstacles to delivering their plans for the country and promise that everything will work smoothly once Scotland is independent.

However, independence will not improve incompetence and that seems to be the major factor in the country's failure to move forward.

Bob MacDougall, Kippen, Stirlingshire

Devolution days

A bit more research would have informed Jill Stephenson (Letters, 7 November) that the 1979 referendum was conducted on an almost one year-old electoral roll which deflated the turnout percentage and aided the wrecking ball by Labour backbencher George Cunningham that required 40 per cent of the total electorate to vote for devolution.

Therefore, those who were dead or incapacitated were effectively counted as a No voter as postal votes were much harder to obtain and only comprised two per cent of those voting on that snowy 1st March polling day.

Many Labour MPs, including Old Etonian Tam Dalyell and Brian Wilson, plus several trade unions, were opposed to a Scottish Assembly and actively campaigned for a No vote. Despite a majority of those voting Yes in the advisory referendum, Prime Minister James Callaghan refused to legislate for devolution and the extent to which some Labour anti-devolutionists were prepared to go can be summed up in the words of Patrick Cosgrave in his book The Lives of Enoch Powell, when he wrote: “Confidential exchanges took place between Thatcher’s aides and a number of Labour backbenchers hostile to Devolution.”

The secret 1975 McCrone Report on the Scottish economy, which was concealed from voters in 1979, stated: “What is quite clear is that the balance of payments gain from North Sea oil would easily swamp the existing deficit whatever its size and transform Scotland into a country with a substantial and chronic surplus.” If this had been made public, support for devolution and independence would have been overwhelming and saved Scotland from Thatcherism.

Fraser Grant, Edinburgh

Wrongly aimed

With knee-jerk predictability, the SNP’s Tommy Sheppard weighed in – after severe disruption and rioting involving youths in an area of Edinburgh on Bonfire Night – with criticism of the UK. He claims the UK government should have banned the sale of fireworks.

Apart from the fact that banning fireworks altogether will be depriving the 99.99 per cent of the population who do not mob or riot of much fun, there are other factors. For example the horrendous drop in police numbers under the SNP, and much as it may hurt a nationalist to have his crutch of grievance removed, the power to control fireworks was devolved to Holyrood many years ago and was and is controlled at present by the SNP; someone should tell Tommy.

There is also the SNP policy of considering brains under 25 years old not mature enough and therefore not really culpable for offences.

Add it all together and you have the situation being suffered by residents of the capital at present.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Have faith