Readers' letters: Here’s who should vote in a new indyref

So, Prime Minister Andy Burnham says we should have another independent referendum if there is proof that the people want one.

First Minister John Swinney will “find” the proof. I would therefore suggest if there is a referendum then only three categories of citizens should be allowed to vote: those who work; those who run a business, and those retired and who still pay tax, because these are the people who will pay for everything that happens in the country especially as we will loose the money from the UK government in the Barnet Formula.

Elizabeth Hands, West Lothian

Throw off those chains

Let us rejoice how glorious Edinburgh comes alive in August as a magnificent capital city, with the colour, splendour and multi-national crowds celebrating the arts.

Following the dark days of WW2 the first international festival in 1947 brought light and creativity to a struggling world. Since then it has grown to be the largest annual festival of the arts in the world including Fringe Festivals appealing to all.

However, the UK media constantly talks down Scotland with poor housing, education and the NHS. In fact, this is just not true since the unionist media, supporting faltering London governments needs the wealth of Scotland’s energy, food and drink sectors to survive.

Scotland should shout from the rooftops that our rich land is being held back and misused by Westminster’s ruling class, to keep Brexit Britain in place.

If Scotland is such a subsidised drain on London, how do they explain Westminster’s desperate moves to keep Scotland on board a faltering United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Also, how does Westminster explain the SNP’s unprecedented 20 years reign in Holyrood? The call of freedom echoes down the centuries when Scotland, once again should control its destiny within Europe and the world.

Grant Frazer, Newtonmore

Get on with it

I am sure that Andy Burnham thinks he has put Scottish independence to bed by offering to hold a referendum on the matter once it is clear that there is “a majority of public support” in favour.

This is not good enough without a formal agreement on how this will be measured as we can be certain that he will duck and dodge any way he can to squirm out of making good on his offer.

Mr Burnham needs to understand that in 2014 only a minority of Scots wanted to remain shackled to the toxic union. We know that at least 45 per cent wanted to break free but we cannot infer that 55 per cent did not.

Many who did not vote Yes had been threatened with loss of their jobs or pensions if Scotland became independent so they voted against their preferred choice.

Similarly, there were many who believed what we now know to have been lies or false promises. There are always voters who opt to support the status quo or a perceived majority (this being a serious problem with the proliferation of opinion polls); when independence becomes the status quo they will support independence.

Outwith the vote there was of course a not insignificant number of people who did not care either way and that will always continue to be the case.

It must also be pointed out to Mr Burnham that it is not possible to infer support for the toxic union based on general election results.

Party preferences in general elections are multifaceted and give no indication of support for independence.

In the absence of clarity as to what constitutes “a majority of public support” for independence perhaps we should reverse the question and hold a referendum unless there is clear support for remaining in the toxic union. Is two weeks on Thursday too soon for you, Andy?

Ni Holmes, St Andrews

Sanctions? so what

The UK’s decision to impose sanctions on illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank is economically meaningless and utterly impossible to implement.

Israel has imposed a cruel system of oppression, geographic and political fragmentation and economic impoverishment in areas under its domination.

For more than seven decades, Palestinians have endured displacement, occupation and ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Could someone tell me what has any British government done to end the unimaginable suffering of the Palestinian people since 1948?

Dr Munjed Farid Al Qutob, London

Labour doing well

Gerald Edwards (Letters, 10 September) blames Labour for several decisions which I find questionable.

Sanctions against the Israeli government are a wider policy involving 11 other countries in response to plans before the Israeli elections for tenders for settlements in East Jerusalem that would unlawfully split the West Bank in two, putting the two-state solution in peril.

Timing has nothing to do with the forthcoming by-election or Israeli elections. Perhaps Mr Edwards can make an alternative suggestion because, when former Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was asked that by journalist Robert Peston he was unable to answer.

The reaction of the United States has been neutral, and any risk of an adverse reaction from the US, that Mr Edwards referred to, has dissipated. Donald Trump seems more concerned with the mid-term elections having said he understands why sanctions have been imposed; he was forewarned anyway.

The small boats and high interest rate issues Mr Edwards blames Labour for were started by Tory administrations, the Liz Truss budget spiked mortgage rates, and small boat crossings peaked in 2022 under the Tories. These issues are far from unique to the UK.

The Portsmouth protests Mr Edward’s refers to as ”a wake-up call” for Labour reached farcical levels with protesters mistakenly attacking the Pakistani Uunder-19 cricket team. Unlike the Dover action they were poorly organised rather than any serious threat to democracy.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has started well and deserves time to address what are serious legacy issues. He should, however, realise that Scotland does not need another Independent referendum which will take the SNP’s focus off issues urgently needing addressing. If it does happen though we should not fear democracy.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Nothing new

Israeli anger with Britain is nothing new. In late 1940 the Zionist breakaway group Lehi even proposed an alliance with Nazi Germany to expel the British Administration and its limits on Jewish immigration.

In 1946 the Irgun, a Zionist militant organisation, bombed the King David Hotel, which housed offices of the British Mandate administration, killing 91 people.

In 1947 two British Army sergeants, Clifford Martin and Mervyn Paice, were kidnapped and hanged by Irgun militants and their bodies were booby-trapped.

The right of return immigration policy of Israel is a recipe for unlimited settler expansion since any Jewish person, child, grandchild or spouse has automatic rights to settle in Israel.

That open door for Israelis is the closing of the door for Palestinians.

I often wonder if America’s unquestioning support for Israel is because they both share the same guilty secret. Both countries are founded on stolen land – from native Americans and from Palestinian groups.

Neither country can be unmade, but in the case of Israel even if its 1948 boundaries are no longer viable, at least the 1967 ones should be respected.

Sincere and formal expressions of sorrow and regret from both countries for the suffering so cruelly inflicted on their respective native peoples might be a start for some sort of reconciliation.

John Scarlett, Midlothian

PISA slice

The 13 Across question in Tuesday’s Scotsman crossword was, “Are they clutched at by desperate drinkers?”

Having read Mairi McAllan’s defence of the recent PISA results, they are also clutched at by desperate politicians.

It would be laughable if it was not so serious, but to claim that PISA does not count artistic expression is scraping a very empty barrel of excuses for failures in key subjects.

Even worse is the use of political speak to claim that Scotland’s rating “had stabilised”. This may sound encouraging if it were not the case that it has stabilised at a very low level.

Curriculum for Excellence (?) must take much of the blame, but the real problem is that the SNP are simply synonymous with failure. Our children deserve better.

Ken Currie, Edinburgh

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