Letters to the Editor
I have now stopped regular letter writing – but here are archived copies of letters published in the press over recent years on a wide range of topics linked to the independence debate. While the dates on the letters stretch from early 2015 to the end of 2019, it is surprising, and rather disappointing, just how much of the content is still as relevant today as ever...
Published in The Herald on 20th January 2020
‘Enough with indyref2, get our country sorted out!’ – published in Scottish Daily Express on 24th December 2019
‘First Minister has deliberately been avoiding key questions’ – published in The Herald on 27th December 2019
‘A second independence vote is off the agenda for now, and Sturgeon knows it’ – published in The Scotsman on 26th December 2019
‘Few benefits to IndyRef2’ – published in the Daily Record on 24th December 2019
‘Davidson's dignity a loss to our political landscape’ – published in Scottish Daily Express on 2nd September 2019
‘SNP must know that there will be no special case made for Scotland on EU conditions’ – published in The Herald 17th September 2019
‘Indyref set to run and run’ – published in The Southern Reporter 3rd October 2019
‘Swinney should have taken parents' concerns seriously’ – published in Scottish Daily Express on 23rd September 2019
Sunday Herald, February 25th, 2018
The Courier, February 22nd, 2018
Edinburgh Evening News, February 19th, 2018
The Independent, February 8th, 2018
Edinburgh Evening News, February 5th, 2018
Edinburgh Evening News, January 25th, 2018
‘There’s no such thing as a “free” anything’ – published in Edinburgh Evening News on 8th May 2017
‘Salmond’s attempt to silence critic backfires’ – published in Scotland on Sunday 7th May 2017
‘Europe may yet prove to be the catalyst for the SNP’s downfall’ – published in The Herald on 2nd May 2017
‘What money will we use in independent Scotland?’ – published in Scottish Daily Express on 3rd May 2017
‘Don’t interfere’ – published in The Scotsman 24th August 2016
‘Nicola Sturgeon is displaying cynical opportunism’ – published in the Independent on 19th August 2016
‘Ambassador bills are a waste of our money’ – published in the Edinburgh Evening News on 17th August 2016
‘Attempting to silence business’ & ‘Question will be different’ – published in the The Courier on 9th and 10th August 2016
‘Not another referendum’ & ‘Numbers that don’t add up’ – published in the i paper on 1st and 26th August 2016
‘Mock outrage rules the waves’ – published in The Sunday Times on 24th July 2016
‘Lift the burden’ – published in the Peeblesshire News 29th April 2016
‘..the SNP are determined to engineer the circumstances for another independence referendum’ – published in Sunday Herald 24th April 2016
‘Scottish referendum’ – published in the Independent on 23rd April 2016
‘…is Scotland better today?’ – published in the Metro on 21st April 2016
‘Groundhog Day’ – published in the Daily Record on 20th April 2016
‘Not against independence or apple pie’ – published in Sunday Herald 24th April 2016
‘SNP must be held to account’ – published in Scotland on Sunday 4th October 2015
‘Nationalists are a mixed up bunch over EU referendum’ – published in Scottish Daily Express on 15th October 2015
‘Scotland is split’’ – published in South Wales Argus on 28th October 2015
‘SNP should use new powers to full effect Scotland for the benefit of all’ – published in The National 11th November 2015
‘Proof that SNP’s case was flimsy’ – published in Scottish Daily Express 18th November 2015
‘Up against it’ – published in The Scotsman 19th December 2015
‘Salmond ‘overplays hand’ in foreign policy initiative’ – published in The Sunday Herald 3rd January 2016
‘This is now. That was then. And this is politics SNP style’ – published in The National 11th January 2016
‘Nicola Sturgeon’s priority is to strengthen nationalism rather than making Scotland a better place for all’ – published in The Herald 22nd January 2016
‘Indy Bandwagon’ – published in The Scotsman 15th September 2015
‘Named persons plan would be a waste of public resources’ – The Herald 2nd July 2015
‘Obsessive Scottish nationalists, it seems, don’t understand ‘no’ – South China Morning Post 7th August 2015
‘Rewarding failure’ – published in Daily Record 12th August 2015
‘Referendum one year on: what progress have we made?’ – published in Peeblesshire News 18th September 2015
‘Wrong answer, vote again please’ – published in the Independent 17th September 2015
Moral pirouettes – published in The Scotsman 1st June 2015
A simple means to an absolute end – The Herald 16th May 2015
Sturgeon is playing trick on everyone – Scottish Daily Express 8th June 2015
Seeing through the pretence – The Herald 12th May 2015
Scotland’s divisive nationalism – The New York Times – 21st June 2015
Re “Scottish leader vows to secure autonomy” (News, June 10): Your article on Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister of Scotland, shows a politician at the top of her game. America was impressed by her recent visit, including a deft appearance on “The Daily Show.” She also won over many viewers during the recent United Kingdom general election television debates. But please spare a thought for those of us in Scotland who do not share her separatist views and have to face the consequences of the rise of nationalism in our country.
For all our first minister’s slick presentation as a modern progressive democrat, the Scotland of today is only welcoming to those prepared to keep quiet about the shortcomings of our government. Anyone taking a stand against the misleading ideology of nationalism faces abuse and intimidation on the Internet and on the streets.
For all her charm, Ms. Sturgeon leads a government that above all else is focused on breaking up our country, even as it regularly fails to adequately address education, health and environmental issues. Its financial demands threaten economic mayhem. Still worse are its dangerous policies for pursuing unilateral nuclear disarmament, without concern for the consequences for Scotland, the United Kingdom, and our allies around the world.
The separatist agenda of our first minister is having a deep and profound effect here in Scotland. Politicians should be judged on the reality of what it means to live in their country, not the effectiveness of their PR.
Keith Howell West Linton, Scotland