Readers' letters: Is SNP conference agenda a spoof?

" SNP HQ has leaked a spoof agenda, so anything marginally less hare-brained on the real agenda will sound like a blessed relief”
Scotland's First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, gestures to supporters after her speech at the annual SNP Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, on October 15, 2019. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)Scotland's First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, gestures to supporters after her speech at the annual SNP Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, on October 15, 2019. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Scotland's First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Nicola Sturgeon, gestures to supporters after her speech at the annual SNP Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, on October 15, 2019. (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP) (Photo by ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Is SNP conference agenda a spoof?

The draft agenda for the next SNP conference has been leaked. Or perhaps it is merely a spoof? After all, it makes a number of self-evidently unrealistic - to put it no stronger - proposals.

To no-one’s surprise, it involves spending a lot of money that we simply don’t have - on more generous pensions and a universal job guarantee, for example.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

With the jobs planned for the public sector, this means public spending of a kind that would not be possible, given a separate Scotland’s financial problems.

In particular, the loss of the £10+ billion that Scotland receives, over and above what we generate in revenue, from HM Treasury would mean that public spending would shrink rather than expand.

There is to be a new commission to show a hard border with England would ‘invigorate’ the Scottish economy. That is, a hard border with the partner with whom Scotland does 60 per cent of its trade.

As John McEnroe used to say, “They cannot be serious”. So the only conclusion is that SNP HQ has leaked a spoof agenda, so anything marginally less hare-brained on the real agenda will sound like a blessed relief.

Jill Stephenson, Glenlockhart Valley, Edinburgh.

Boxing heroes

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

We have in Scotland two of the best boxers in the world, elite athletes, but what did Edinburgh do for Josh Taylor winning the undisputed world championship? Nothing!

Lee McGregor is fighting next week, where is all the publicity? is it because it’s boxing? They work as hard as other sportsmen. We are a small country, let’s support all our athletes. Highlighting our achievements helps our own, especially sports people.

Roy Reynolds, Easter Hermitage, Edinburgh.

Learn online

As the US Centre for Disease Control announces a “do not travel” instruction to countries like Ireland and Greece, it is a potential disaster that Nicola Sturgeon has opened up travel to Scotland to the whole of the EU and the USA.

On top of that, Scotland's schools reopen in two weeks with unvaccinated kids, then even worse, the university campuses reopen with thousands of students from around the world descending on our cities. Have we learned nothing from the deadly second wave last autumn?

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I beg the SNP to ignore the lobbying of Devi Sridhar and Edinburgh University and make all learning online until this pandemic is over.

David Watson, Leith.

Electric shortage

I have received an email from one of our suppliers boasting about their 17 new all-electric light commercial vehicles. These wondrous vehicles are “filled with state-of-the-art batteries - providing up to 75 miles of all-electric power; with an 80 pe rcent charge being achievable in only 4.5 hours.’

I suspect our suppliers have major doubts about the utility of their new all-electric fleet, because they are only going to be using them in London.

Otto Inglis, Crossgates, Fife.

Take a note

I received my new debit card from the Clydesdale Bank - sorry, Virgin Money - which surprised me as the current one had over two years left to run. However, it would appear cost is not an issue for Virgin Money in its rush to removes all traces of the institution which has served Scotland well and replace them with its gaudy, tacky and infantile new image.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

I was saddened at the possibility of the Clydesdale notes disappearing, but they represented solidity not triviality, so I shall not feel bad should they go the same way as the name.

John Thornton, South Australia.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.