Readers' Letters: Sturgeon seems to have lost all interest in being an MSP

Fast forward four years and those words surely are coming back to bite her. Having been absent from Holyrood for most of the time since she stood down in March 2023, and having spent the summer promoting her book, she is now heading off to London next month for a series of events talking about her favourite subject, that being Nicola Sturgeon, of course. In November she is heading to Iceland to give a talk on, of all things, “lessons in leadership” (your story, 21 September). Who knew the Icelanders wanted to know about autocrats?

Ms Sturgeon is clearly finding parliament a frustrating place to work in since she is no longer in charge. It is unacceptable for her not to turn up and do the job while still taking the taxpayer-funded salary and not representing her constituents. She should stand down with immediate effect.

Jane Lax, Aberlour, Moray

Don’t declare

Stephen Jardine exposes the contradictory stance taken in some workplaces over “symbols” (Perspective, 20 September). He reminded me of the time I was supervising a social work student on placement in the 1970s who arrived one day wearing a “Jesus Saves” lapel badge. I pointed out that our professional aim was to minimise barriers between ourselves and the people with whom we sought to develop a working relationship. The badge was taken off.

Why should a GP, other professional workers or service bodies consider it OK to promote causes that have no bearing on, or might be an obstacle to, the delivery of non-discriminatory assistance?

Richard Perry, Burntisland, Fife

Marine buoyed

It is not surprising that some of the workers at Ferguson Marine are becoming apprehensive that the failure of the yard to secure new orders may be a threat to their jobs (your report, 20 September). Up to now the SNP have done a sterling job of keeping them in employment with a series of delays in completing their current projects, stretching now to something like 7-8 years.

It is within the SNP's gift to do more. Given their penchant for soundbites I am surprised they have not already announced a further set of delays. Indeed, they could up their game and institute at a stroke a world-leading delay of, say, 10-15 years. And given their history in government it would not be a challenge for them to match this with what would be an essential record-breaking cost overrun. This would enable them to continue for the foreseeable future to recite their mantra that they “will make no apology for retaining shipbuilding on the Clyde”.

Colin Hamilton, Edinburgh

Proof positive

Candace Owens claims France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, was born a man. How ludicrous, I hear you cry, and why should we care? Because the issue has wide resonance. Mme Macron cares enough to be suing Ms Owens in the US, because Owens is an influential podcaster and supporter of Donald Trump. She can make people believe what she says simply by saying it, like President Trump. So poor Mme Macron is sending “scientific evidence” that she is a woman.

In Scotland, land of the Enlightenment, all Brigitte would have to do is brandish a certificate that says she is a woman, and never mind what the midwife said at the moment of her birth! Job done and the civil case won.

Crawford Mackie, Edinburgh

Defend borders

Charles Sinclair says the UK has a serious illegal immigrant problem (Letters, 20 September).

That is the understatement of the year, as 182,188 have breached our shores since 2018. There are now 1 million illegal immigrants in the UK. He adds: “I am confident this can and will be resolved.” Could he please explain the reasons for his optimism, since when I see photos of young men in dinghies all I see is trouble, escalating crime, longer NHS waiting times and an increasing housing shortage and escalating taxation to pay for this unwelcome invasion. Why does the UK pay for migrant lawyers who are there to prevent the deportation of their clients by using every trick in the book?

“The book” is the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which is an international court established in 1959 to ensure that member states of the Council of Europe uphold the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

The ECHR is long past its sell-by date and the UK should terminate its membership, take back our borders and immediately be able to deport those who have no right to asylum or to remain here.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Private lives

I refer to Martin O’Gorman’s letter on the closure of New Struan School (20 September). It has been assumed by this Labour government that those who send their children to private schools must be wealthy.

That is very far from the truth. Many hardworking parents who already struggle to pay the school fees, sometimes helped by grandparents, are finding that the introduction of 20 per cent VAT by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves is the final straw.

Private schools offer facilities which State schools do not. For example, many such schools accept children with special needs such as dyslexia and autism.

What Starmer and Reeves ignored was that State schools do not and cannot offer the smaller classes and individual tuition, which the Private school option does.

Doug Morrison, Tenterden, Kent

Write to The Scotsman

We welcome your thoughts – NO letters submitted elsewhere, please. Write to [email protected] including name, address and phone number – we won't print full details. Keep letters under 300 words, with no attachments, and avoid 'Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters' or similar in your subject line – be specific. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading.