Sir Keir and his government, by their actions, have made fools of those who trusted them, so why should there be a way back for them?
The recent Norstat poll has led to a prediction of the outcome of the next Westminster election in Scotland as being SNP 44, Lib Dems 6, Tories 5, Labour 2. Do I believe it? No, as many things will change and Reform might play a part (though it is much weaker in Scotland). As for Branchform, I wonder why the media is not asking questions of the authorities, as its deplorable lack of resolution over a relatively small sum of money is prejudicial to natural justice and the reputation and careers of those involved (not to mention the legal system).
GR Weir, Ochiltree.
• CHRISTMAS gave time for reflection. Time for a year-end think.
The Tories were comprehensively defeated this summer. I must say I was expecting more from Labour. In six months, they look as tired and dispirited as the Tories were after 14 years.
The general idea of targeting benefits is a good one, so I was not over-upset at the furore over the winter fuel payment being stopped for some, including me. What I did not appreciate was the PM branding those upset at the Southport killings as being ”far-right”. That remark was palpably wrong and alienated many.
What hurt more was to see the unprecedented rush with which Ed Miliband sent £11 billions of our taxes to ”help poorer countries with climate change”. And pursuing net zero in the UK with zealous ferocity will do much more harm than good. Much the same with the £50 million immediately dispatched, apparently unasked, to the new Syrian leaders. There are infinitely better uses for our taxes much nearer home.
I would plead with the Labour Government to show the same compassion and profligacy to our own poor and needy as they do to others. That will solve most of their problems at a stroke.
And, on the plus side, Labour decimated the SNP at Westminster, so all is not bad.
Alexander McKay, Edinburgh.
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Time to focus on Reform UK
FOR someone who routinely dismisses the prospects of another referendum campaign, never mind the prospects of self-determination, Jill Stephenson (Letters, December 26) seems to write a lot of letters attempting to convince others that Scottish independence “really is for the birds”.
In her latest contradictory saga she dismisses the potential value of Nicola Sturgeon to a future independence campaign, although most sensible persons will logically conclude that Ms Stephenson would not expend effort attempting to convince us if she herself did not only fear Ms Sturgeon’s potential contribution but also the likelihood that the majority of Scots, as evidenced by recent polls, will finally vote to break free from the shackles of a dominant self-serving neighbour.
As with each passing day more evidence emerges that Brexit Britain is broken, perhaps Ms Stephenson would be better employed, as far as actually serving the future interests of Scotland is concerned, in focusing her literary efforts on the dangers of voting for Reform UK and delivering a right-wing nationalist as the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?
Stan Grodynski, Longniddry.
Ambulance service must be rescued
THE news that the Scottish Ambulance Service has declared an emergency due to mounting pressure (“Scots ambulance service in crisis”, The Herald, December 26) highlights an all-too-familiar crisis. As we enter the winter months, our healthcare system, especially the ambulance service, is under unprecedented strain. This situation calls for immediate and serious attention from our government.
Eleanor Roosevelt astutely remarked: “It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” It is imperative that our policymakers move beyond political platitudes and address the challenges our emergency services face head-on. The increasing demand for ambulance services should serve as a wake-up call for the Scottish Government, particularly for Minister John Swinney.
Investing in staffing is crucial. Too often, ambulance crews are stretched thin and unable to respond promptly due to a lack of resources. This not only puts pressure on the staff but also risks the safety and health of patients who require immediate assistance.
Enhancing the workforce through better recruitment and retention strategies can revive the morale of our lifesavers.
Moreover, funding should be reassessed and prioritised. Underfunded services can only lead to delays that endanger lives. A sustained investment into our ambulance infrastructure is critical, offering our emergency personnel the tools they need to serve the public effectively.
As citizens, we trust our emergency services to be there when we need them most. The current crisis jeopardises that trust. We must rally behind our ambulance crews and push for reforms that ensure they are equipped to face the coming winter. Prioritising this issue will not only protect our healthcare workers but, most importantly, safeguard the lives of all Scots who rely on timely medical assistance.
A commitment to action is needed now more than ever.
Alastair Majury, Dunblane.
Poor service from GPs
I AM pleased to hear of the apparently excellent service that Patricia Fort and her son have received from her local GP’s surgery (Letters, December 26), but she should consider herself very lucky as that is not the norm across Scotland as a whole.
For some time now it has been almost completely impossible to get a face-to-face appointment with a GP at my local surgery. Telephone calls, after the usual long wait in a queue, are fielded by a receptionist who appears to have barely a modicum of medical knowledge. If one is fortunate enough to secure an appointment for a telephone consultation, usually with a nurse rather than an actual GP, it is not unusual for that appointment to be two weeks hence.
We are constantly told that our GPs are under so much pressure due to their ever-increasing workload yet on the very rare occasions that I have attended the surgery it has been like the Mary Celeste.
David Clark, Tarbolton.
NHS ills of SNP’s making
RE David J Crawford’s letter (December 26), the Scottish Government funds the NHS in Scotland, not Westminster.
The block grant that Scotland receives from Westminster is for the Scottish Government to spend as it sees fit.
If the Scottish Government chooses to underfund the NHS in Scotland then that is its business.
So let’s have none of this nonsense that Westminster controls NHS Scotland’s budget. It is solely the SNP Government in Edinburgh which does it.
Brian Bell, Kinross.
Remember the Iranian victims
IN remembering the tragedy of the PanAm Flight 103 in December 1988, let us also remember those 290 people who lost their lives in the scheduled Iranian passenger flight 655. It was shot down in July 1988 when it was flying its standard route in Iranian territory by a US warship which was illegally in Iranian waters.
The US initially denied responsibility. It later had to concede it had shot down this civilian plane. In 1996 the International Court of Justice found it responsible and the US paid compensation to families but without accepting liability.
The commanding officer, Will Rogers, was criticised by some other senior officers as reckless and responsible for 290 deaths. He was awarded the US Legion of Merit for his services from 1987 to 1989.
When US and UK media commemorate the tragic loss of life at Lockerbie, the tragic loss of civilian life five months earlier is never mentioned. Do we really think there was no link? As so often we fail to pay regard to that old saying that violence begets violence.
Isobel Lindsay, Biggar.
Justifying Dresden
TIM Cox (Letters, December 22) asserts our bombing of Dresden “was about terror”. Although Churchill had reservations about some of our bombing, that bald comment is unfair and of course made with the benefit of hindsight.
Dresden did not merely make porcelain milkmaids, it was an industrial centre, transport hub, administrative centre and a military base for Germany’s invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1938. No-one in January 1945 knew the war would end just four months later; one study forecast it continuing to November if Germany could stall the Soviet progress.
Nor did we know how advanced Germany’s nuclear programme might be. But we did know very well the devastating results of the V1 and V2 rockets attacking London from late 1944. Despite the clear writing on the wall after D-Day’s success, Hitler’s Wehrmacht continued fighting and tying up the Allied troops in the west; and the utterly unbelievable horrors of the ongoing Holocaust were emerging more clearly.
After over five years of massively destructive total war and millions of deaths, German morale had to be broken, both military and civilian, for the war to end as soon as possible, either by facilitating the Soviet advance as some strategists thought Dresden’s bombing would achieve, or before the Soviets reached too far west, which would clearly have been to the short and long-term benefit of Eastern Europe and the western Allies. To condemn the bombing as mere terror is as facile as blaming Churchill for the 1943 Bengal famine.
John Birkett, St Andrews.
The Scottish Ambulance Service declared an emergency last week as it dealt with increased pressures (Image: Jamie Simpson)
Doubling down on doublespeak
WRITING about the language of politicians, Gregor Gall (“Truly our Prime Minister Sir Keir made 2024 the year of a dystopian world of ‘doublespeak'”, The Herald, December 26) tells us that “the varied vocabulary has become verbose verbiage”. Might not this alliterative quadruplespeak have been more elegantly expressed as “they’re havering”?
Eric Begbie, Stirling.
• IN a world full of shysters and charlatans I have finally found someone worth my vote. Now, how do we get Professor Gregor Gall to stand?
Steve Brennan, Coatbridge.
Secret to roadwork delays
JAMES Caldwell’s comment on road work delays (Letters, December 23) reminds me of Chicago in the mid-1970s, when my city centre hotel overlooked a twin four-lane highway.
When the evening exit rush was over, this eight-lane road was closed, and machines started to re-surface a one-mile section. I expected chaos in the morning, but by 6am they had finished, and the road was open in each direction.
I asked the hotel manager how this could possibly have been done. His reply was: “Penalty clause.”
Malcolm Parkin, Kinross.
For the record…
CAN I please add a wee contribution to David McKay’s letter of December 24 regarding Brian Taylor’s use of “big words”?
When Brian uses the word “caravanserai” I would venture to suggest that rather than showing off his extensive vocabulary he is more likely to be showing his age and musical tastes.
Caravanserai is of course the name of the 1972 album by Santana, who are still touring if David wants to hear them perform.
Iain Boddy, Dumfries.