AS I watched Billy Connolly last night (In My Own Words, BBC1, September 2) I was reminded of the old guys who used to shuffle into the Sarry Heid (Saracen Head pub) from the Great Eastern or one of the other "models" in the area.

"Models" were "model lodging houses" set up to house the poorest (usually elderly, men and women, I think) people in our society; people, I think it's fair to say who had been through the mill and would spend their days enjoying a pint and a blether in a pub. Many of those men had held down good jobs (in the "yairds": railways and engineering works of Glasgow) but life - or a too-fond relationship with the demon drink - (not unlike the subject of this little tale) had brought them to this pass and they and would sit for hours talking, laughing, remembering.

The bold Billy would have talked and laughed with some of these old "modellers" and loved every minute as they spoke the same language.

Now Billy sits in California and tells us how "cool" it all is to live in such a "diverse" free-wheeling, fun-loving society. Dispensing somewhat mystic advice about how to deal with life's problems. Spare us the philosophy, big man. You're jist as loast as thae auld modellers. Spare us the home-spun maxims.

Tell us what you really think of the problems of today. Fat chance with umpteen minders and agents monitoring/censoring every word you say in case you blurt out your own opinion about immigration/trans rights/ and the like which will have you hounded or "cancelled" by the media.

Another sign of the true Glaswegian is that, despite any nonsense or edited utterance from him is that we all have a special place in our hearts for Billy Connolly, who showed the world just how rebelliously funny we can be - an' in oor ain langwidge. We love him, but we'll slag him when he needs it.

John McInnes, Glasgow.

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Far from sold on assisted dying

EILEEN McCartin (Letters, September 2) has perfectly highlighted the practical reality of assisted dying. It will not simply affect those who want to change the law for their own good, it will adversely affect many in society for whom it was never intended.

Many pro-assisted dying campaigners, including Liam McArthur himself, have claimed the overwhelming majority of the public are in favour of assisted dying. Yet a recent poll commissioned out by Living and Dying Well has painted a very different picture.

Of more than 2,000 people, more agreed than disagreed (56 per cent of those who gave an opinion) that they “support legalising the principle behind assisted dying but feel there are too many complicating factors to make it a practical and safe option to implement in Britain”. Furthermore, 60% agreed that its legalisation would “fundamentally change the relationship between a doctor and patient”. So much so that a majority (52%) think patients “should have a legal right to be treated by doctors and other health professionals who have opted out of participating in it”. Fearing an impact on society more broadly, 56% said assisted dying “could lead to a culture where suicide becomes more normalised than it is today”, as has been documented in Australia.

This is not the enthusiastic support frequently trumpeted by pro-assisted dying campaigners. Rather, it shows a reflective society that is far from sold on assisted dying.

Conall Preston, Researcher for think tank Living and Dying Well, London.

No leadership from the Kirk

MANY will empathise with the points highlighted by John Milne on the inaction of the Church of Scotland on various issues (Letters, September 2). Predictably his observations will be met with a thunderous silence by those charged with the future governance of our National Church.

Mr Milne was responding in part to criticism by Irene Munro (Letters, August 27). I have no doubt Ms Munro is an equally committed church member who highlights the valued work of the Crossreach organisation. For sure, that is Christianity at work. However, Ms Munro concludes by stating "through our leadership, management and working relationship". Sadly these are the particular tenets which I would suggest are lacking in the Church of Scotland's responses to current affairs.

Allan C Steele, Giffnock.

No more faith schools, please

IN Kevin McKenna’s interview ("Scotland may be liberal but there’s a deep disregard for people of faith", The Herald, August 31), Professor Roisin Coll comments that she has difficulty understanding the reasoning behind what she describes as “significant animosity towards Catholic schools” in Scotland. Her evidence is “the sporadic letters that routinely appear in The Herald and other publications”.

Well, here’s another one, but I would make it clear that my "animosity” is not to Catholic schools per se but to any faith-based school. In my view, faith schools, whether publicly-funded or private, are by definition divisive and therefore they perpetuate division in society which need not exist. But according to Prof Coll “Scotland should have a diverse range of faith and non-faith schools”. Well, I reckon we have the latter, but more faith schools? Ye gods, no.

Bill Stewart, Glasgow.

A regal recollection

A QUICK correction to Gaby McKay’s piece about the ABC/O2 in Sauchiehall Street ("Famed art deco façade in Glasgow could be demolished this week", The Herald, September 3): although he’s correct to say it opened in 1929, the original name was The Regal, a name still fondly used by some of the managers there many years later when it became the ABC1.

Stuart Neville, Clydebank.

Arthur MontfordArthur Montford (Image: Newsquest)

Fond memories of a stramash

TO David Murdoch's list of the real doyens of football broadcasting (Letters, September 3), I would add Arthur Montford, famous for introducing the words "What a stramash!" to the commentator's vocabulary, and David Begg, whose radio commentaries could make a 0-0 draw between Stranraer and Cowdenbeath seem as exciting as a high-scoring World Cup Final.

David Miller, Milngavie.