AT the risk of starting a stairheid rammy, I feel I should respond to Michael Watson’s reply (letters, November 21) to my previous letter.
He widens his criticism of the Scottish Government’s “ham-fisted” Covid-19 measures (without indicating what he would do to save lives) with a sideswipe at various other SNP initiatives. His letter concludes: “Our civil liberties are eroding fast: can he [that is, me] not see that?” Well, oddly enough, I can see our civil liberties being eroded.
I can see it when the Prime Minister ignores an independent enquiry into Ministerial bullying and defends his Minister. The highly respected author of the report resigns; the Minister stays in place.
I can see civil liberties being eroded when the extent of the “chumocracy” at the heart of the UK Government is exposed: apparently, at least £10 billion worth of Covid19-related contracts awarded without any tendering to companies, many of which allegedly have close contacts to the Conservatives. One individual receives £21 million as an introductory fee. A contract is given to a jewellery firm, another to a pest-control firm.
I can see civil liberties being eroded when major international companies continue to pay little or no taxes in the UK whilst making large profits (those pesky taxes which pay for schools and hospitals).
Proudly, this UK government says that it will break international law. The Scottish government proposes measures to further civil respect and understanding. Where there is criticism, it is rightly listened to and debated. Can the same be said at a UK level?
Hamish McPherson, Giffnock.
WHY was there not the usual SNP knee-jerk condemnation and pillorying of Priti Patel and the charges against her of bullying civil servants? Instead we had something most rare from the SNP: total silence.
I thought their usual attack dogs would have been unleashed. In this case, that was clearly a step too far for the usually hypocrisy-deficient SNP. What could the problem possibly be with civil servants being bullied by ministers that leaves the SNP speechless?
Alexander McKay, Edinburgh.
OUR PM seems to think not sacking people who break rules (Dominic Cummings, Patel) is a sign of strong management. I’d say it is the exact opposite. Yes, he did eventually sack Mr Cummings but only when he fell out with his fiancée.
He will also live to regret his support for Patel. Does it matter that her abuse was ‘unintentional’? No: abuse is abuse. He also seems to be following Trump’s approach, saying he knows better than his advisers, leaving them with no other course than to resign. He instigated the enquiry, why did he ignore the findings?
There is something rotten at the core of this government but it simply reflects the ethics of the person at the top.
Willie Towers, Alford, Aberdeenshire.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel