Readers' letters: Government is closing down right to protest

Does anyone else see the irony in the UK’s strenuous protests over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its ramming through Parliament the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill that effectively criminalises the right to protest?

Extinction Rebellion block roads and protest outside Glasgow banks. as part of demonstrations around the COP26 summit.

The day after the IPCC published a report that condemns the world’s nations for failing to act to stop cataclysmic climate change, which is already killing millions and is rapidly overwhelming the ability of both nature and humanity to adapt, the UK government will make it illegal to protest the wanton destruction of our life support systems on earth.

The authoritarian measures include criminalising the obstruction of major transport works with imprisonment of up to 51 weeks, increasing the power to stop and search without suspicion and banning people from protests and from associating with particular people

This comes on the heels of the government introducing voter ID laws designed to disenfranchise voters who aren’t natural Tory supporters, weakening of the Electoral Commission giving ministers the power to shut down awkward investigations and ban any organisation from campaigning or donating, and its restricting the use of judicial review that allows citizens to hold government to account.

It seems the UK Government may get away with strangling what’s left of our weakened democracy.

It’s a perilous time for all, but particularly for Scotland where the UK is actively undermining the devolved administration and mounting an aggressive propaganda campaign against Scottish self-determination. The window for Scotland to escape this looming police state is narrowing.

Leah Gunn Barrett, Edinburgh.

Russia will pay price for invasion

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin should think back to Russia’s incursion into Afghanistan.

From history and recent events Putin should realise that countries can only be subdued for short periods of time before they make staying in the country untenable.

Body bags will flow both ways but history will record that the Russian people were the aggressors. Russia’s declaration of war has already achieved one thing and that is the numbers of businesses that have already pulled out and the number of future investment that have been lost.

Does Putin think that after he has invaded and subdued the people of the Ukraine these opportunities will flow back in? If he does he’s more delusional than we realise. No, Russia’s tax payers will have to prop up Russia controlled Ukraine. Does Russia believe that their energy exports make then invincible?

If life has taught me one thing it is that no one person or thing is indispensable.

Finlay G Mackintosh, Forres.

Culture of secrecy in Scottish Government

There is a culture of secrecy at the heart of the Scottish Government. This week the SNP defends its refusal to divulge whether law officers confirm or not if a second independence referendum is within the powers of Holyrood. It is "not in the public interest" apparently!

Last week the education minister had to defend the refusal - for over a year - to respond to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request seeking the details of the draft OECD.

These are simply the most recent examples of the machinations the SNP resort to in order to keep the Scottish people at arm's length from the truth.

Not that it is surprising given that this is a party which has installed "communications frame-works" which "risk manage" and routinely delay or refuse responses to FOIs.

Colin Hamilton, Edinburgh.

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