Readers' Letters: Try embracing Union and see what happens

First we had Brian Barbour's sensible letter (11 July) bemoaning the ludicrous “Anyone But England” brigade, this was followed by Ni Holmes's letter which hammered anything English.

We are one island. Why is it that we appear to want to be nice to everyone but the English? Has it not occurred to Scottish “patriots” that if we embrace the Union we might well get on better?

Constantly sniping at those across our border simply fuels more dissension. Independence is impossible, we are all dependent on others.

A “good neighbour” policy always pays dividends in your local street. Why not try it nationwide?

Gerald Edwards, Glasgow

Healthier together

Personal experience is just that, but for what it is worth, mine causes me to disagree fundamentally with Ni Holmes’s description of the Scottish-English union as “toxic”.

After being hired as a microbiologist by Ronald Hare, who had worked with Alexander Fleming in London when he was discovering penicillin and had won prizes jointly with John Smith of Aberdeen for discovering the cause of lethal child-bed fever, I applied to the UK Medical Research Council (who had funded Hare as well as Fleming) to work on tropical viruses.

There were no jobs, but i accepted one in Glasgow in an Institute run by a virologist who had come to England to escape the horrors of German nationalism via Kindertransport. The Medical Research Council is a good example of a very successful UK institution that benefits everyone regardless on nationality, but would not fund research in Scotland after independence.

As for defence, with Russia's aggressive tendencies, we still need nuclear weapons as a deterrent. It is wrong to suggest that nuclear power plants are going to be located in Scotland any time soon, because the SNP government refuses planning permission, and although brought up in Lancaster, which was burned to the ground by a Scottish army in 1322, I regard myself as a Scot, having lived in Scotland longer than Nicola Sturgeon, and still living in Aberdeen despite paying more income tax than if I lived in England.

Hugh Pennington, Aberdeen

Changed days

In my earlier, idealistic years, I was a member of Amnesty International. We were encouraged to write to political prisoners and to the governments of those countries where having a different opinion to the government caused one to be arrested, tortured and even killed.

I therefore read with incredulity that Amnesty International UK have listed a number of “gender-critical” organisations as being “anti rights” (your report, 10 July). The “gender-critical” position is that humans can’t change sex. Present and express oneself how one likes but sex is actually immutable.

This is not only a protected belief in law, but also the majority view.

Among those on “the list” is a women-only rape crisis centre and the women’s rights campaign group For Women Scotland. How is it “anti-rights” for women to stand up for their hard-won sex-based rights?

It is a shame Amnesty can’t concentrate on supporting the women in Afghanistan, whose rights to speech, expression, education etc have been stripped away.

Or the 90 per cent of women in conflict areas whose human rights are violated by systemic sexual violence (Red Cross statistics).

Or the rights of gay, lesbian, trans people to be openly so without fear in the 66 countries where it is still criminalised. Sadly, Amnesty International UK has fallen for activist dogma and now themselves wish to restrict freedom of speech, thought and expression.

They are actively trying to intimidate the women in these organisations by putting them on “a list”. How priorities have changed.

Rona McCall, Strath, Highland

Details please

A 26-year-old white British man was arrested on suspicion of murdering former MP and MEP Ann Widdecombe (your report, 11 July). He has since been released and the Devon & Cornwall Police stated that he is no longer under investigation.

Hopefully the person responsible for this horrendous murder will be found quickly.

On the same day The Scotsman reported the arrest of a 25-year-old man in connection with an alleged rape of a woman in the Broomielaw area of Glasgow.

Why did Police Scotland not release his nationality, ethnicity and colour as Devon & Cornwall Police did in the Ann Widdecombe case? This lack of information will only lead to speculation.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow West Lothian

Course bagging

I note with pleasure that Edinburgh man Stuart Bendoris aims to play all of Scotland’s golf courses in memory of his brother (your report, 10 July). I wonder if Stuart knew another Edinburgh man, the late Graham Boone?

He also had that ambition and a spreadsheet to record every course, its details and his score. It was suggested that Graham set up a Boone Bagging tradition to match the Munro Bagging one for Scotland’s 3000 plus hills.

Sadly, Graham died early, but such a tradition would be a fine memorial for him.

Tim Flinn, Edinburgh

Rugby mystery

Some months ago the SRU announced that the CEO Alex Williamson was “stepping back” from his duties, and members of management would assume these.

There has since been a cloak of silence over his departure! Has any specific reason been given?

John R Wright, Edinburgh

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, and in the body of the email – no attachments – and avoid 'Letters to the Editor/Readers’ Letters' or similar in your subject line. If referring to an article, include date, page number and heading. No poems.