Gender Act proceedings showed Holyrood working just as it should - Readers' Letters

In the proceedings leading to passage of the Gender Act, the Holyrood Parliament has functioned as its founders intended but which has rarely been put into practice.

A contentious proposal was advanced by the parties forming the government, it received support from one of the major opposition parties, it was debated at length and it passed with support from MSPs from every party, including the Conservatives.

For once, the argument was about the merits of the Bill, not a mindless re-run of the habits of Westminster, despite the best efforts of Douglas Ross to frustrate the majority view. For once, we had MSPs speaking for themselves, not just acting as party cannon fodder.

Those who opposed it continue to speak out, but they should accept that in a democracy not everyone gets his or her own way.

Parliament debates amendments to the GRR Bill

James Scott, Edinburgh

Far from a rush job

With the overwhelming support of Labour, the Greens and the Lib Dems, as well as the SNP, the main opposition to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill has come from the same party that persistently opposed enfranchising women and gay rights, the Conservative and Unionist Party.

Given it has already taken six years to deliver this Bill it seems the claim it has been “rushed through” is simply another deliberate attempt to divisively add politically-motivated misinformation into important debate around the rights of “minorities” in a truly compassionate society.

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry

Picture perfect

What a wonderful article “Scotland’s first Ever ‘selfie’ pic?” was (News, 23 December). This featured an early Scottish selfie from 1907. The person who is attributed as having taken the first ever selfie was Robert Cornelius in 1839. He was a pioneer in photography and took a self-portrait standing in front of his camera at the family store in Philadelphia. On the reverse of the image he wrote: “The first light picture ever taken. 1839.”

The article also wonders who the person taking the selfie in 1907 might have been. I believe it is likely to be Ronald Stuart Asher (1897-1917), the son of Sir Augustus Gordon Grant Asher CBE and his wife Emma Berry Barclay.

Alastair Murray, Edinburgh

Mixed message

In his otherwise well-meaning Christmas broadcast King Charles III tried to reach out with, “whatever faith you have or whether you have none”.

Citizens with no interest in religion may define themselves more positively: rationalists, empiricists, Darwinists.

The head of state is of course entitled to his own private beliefs but is it inclusive to parade them in an official message where he describes the now non-religious majority by something they lack?

Neil Barber, Edinburgh Secular Society

Music hits wrong note

What a disappointment in the Watchnight Service from St Mary’s, Edinburgh, this year on BBC1. No clear Christmas message, very few known carols and no Christmas Blessing. If anything was designed to chase away the sincere “Christmas” congregation – this was it. The music, repeated on Christmas Day from The Quay, may have been appropriate in that setting but was a complete turn-off on Christmas Eve.

No wonder church attendance is tumbling, if musical elitism is put above the Christmas Eve of the masses.

The “secular” programmes of Christmas Day had more participation for the ordinary mortal than this self-promoting contribution from St Mary’s.

James Watson, Dunbar

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