Readers Letters: Are different values doing young any favours?

That suggests a generation of mass higher education has not brought the “good jobs” that were promised. Yet young people have their nightclubs and electronic devices and frequent higher-end restaurants. When a pop star visits, pricey tickets sell out easily. The impression is that many young people would rather enjoy life to the full now than save for a mortgage, as previous generations did. That is their choice.

There is, however, more to it. The cultural change to an emphasis on emotion and identity has meant that the young have been educated to have different values. “Black Lives Matter” was an honourable sentiment, until corrupted by the reverse racism of militant purveyors of “white privilege” with the expectation that white people should permanently wear sackcloth and ashes. Political parties campaigning to impose “gender” theory, at the expense of women’s rights, have a much larger following among under-30s. This is true not only in Scotland, but in the UK and western Europe.

There is a patent sense of self-loathing in the western world, particularly among the young, based on guilt about aspects of our history. The achievements of our society, especially those of the Enlightenment, are jettisoned or airbrushed out of our perception of who we are.

The young want to be someone else, based on a false analysis of both the present and future possibilities. Hence they gravitate to populist parties – like the SNP and Greens in Scotland (but not Reform) – whose siren appeal of imagined virtue is illusory.

Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh

Identity politics

Some correspondents are dismayed at how SNP support is still relatively high (although down on previous years) after what many agree is a poor performance in government (Letters, 26 February).

The answer is simple – many vote on identity and not on performance, with the SNP convincing many that being “Scottish” means voting for “Scotland's party”, ie the SNP. It’s not a new problem but is one that Unionist parties do not address!

William Ballantine, Bo'ness, West Lothian

Warmongering

“Help has come”, to paraphrase President Donald Trump, but why order Operation Epic Fury against Iran now? Is it to “destroy their missiles” which he claims threaten the US or to obliterate Iran’s navy or to annihilate their nuclear capability or to help force regime change? Maybe it’s all of the above; either way it’s poorly considered, driven as much by Israeli fury against the Iranian regime as US public opinion, that’s split on using military force. Trump has not consulted Congress, the UN or his allies. Nothing can deflect from the notion of US and Israeli illegal warmongering.

Trump claimed he would not engage in foreign wars but the US is not defending itself, as Trump claims, but rather its greatest ally Israel, and wider interests in the Middle East. The US-Israel partnership has “reached its peak” according to Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and attacks had been “planned for months”. So much for diplomacy.

Trump could use the missile defence argument against North Korea, openly developing nuclear weapons, with missiles in range of the US mainland. Instead Trump again chooses to mislead, just as he did six months ago when he stated that Iran’s nuclear programme had been “obliterated”. Since then thousands of Iranians have been killed by the regime. It’s unclear how an uprising could lead to a democratic government without ground troops. This isn’t about Iran's people, it’s “epic fury” with no plan, from opportunistic leaders with a view to legacies and upcoming elections, above the interests of the wider region and UK citizens, including those held in Iran.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Micawber’s way

One may encapsulate the terrifying wilful ignorance of today's electorate from Talk TV journalist Samara Gill’s interviews with some of those locals who could be bothered to actually vote in the Gorton and Denton the day after.

Several said, straight faced, they were celebrating the Greens winning because “they'll stop all those blooming immigrants coming in”. Another, who proudly voted Green over Gaza, was horrified to learn he'd elected a party whose planned hyper-taxation of luxury goods would, by his own admission, put his modest handbags and novelty mobile phone cases stall out of business.

Micawberism has become the political philosophy of the 21st century electorate: treating the electoral process like Lotto tickets and hoping one day they'll win from it.

Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire

Fat cats milk us

With very few exceptions councils in Scotland have said they will increase Council Tax by more than inflation, some much more. (your report, 27 February). All those who are moaning about this should realise that this extra money is going to a good cause, otherwise known as “The Fat Cats”. Every year the TaxPayers' Alliance publishes details of those council employees receiving salary, bonuses and employers’ pension contributions of over £100,000. Those of a nervous disposition should look away now.

The latest figures, for 2023/2024, showed that 345 Scottish local government employees were paid more than £100,000 that year. The total cost was £47,305,908. The City of Edinburgh had seven individuals and Glasgow City 42 individuals.

So stop moaning, pay your Council Tax and think of the pleasure you will be bringing to the current crop of fat cats.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

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