Readers' Letters: Would SNP/Green deal just lead to more waste?

By Scotsman Letters
Published 20th Aug 2021, 10:22 BST
Comment
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater could get a Cabinet seat if her party does a deal to indefinitely prop up the SNP government (Picture: Jane Barlow/Getty Images)Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater could get a Cabinet seat if her party does a deal to indefinitely prop up the SNP government (Picture: Jane Barlow/Getty Images)
Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater could get a Cabinet seat if her party does a deal to indefinitely prop up the SNP government (Picture: Jane Barlow/Getty Images)
The Greens understandably want to save the planet as do others with different political colours. The likelihood of a coalition with the SNP seems real, with two cabinet posts as part of the price.

Would our First Minister be displacing two existing members from her not-long-appointed cabinet to make way for Green ones? Or would Nicola Sturgeon, to save internal party pressures, simply create two new cabinet posts and thereby add pressure on the environment with more bureaucrats and offices and salaries, all adding to tax demands for the Scots taxpayers?

Jim Craigen, Edinburgh

Green with envy?

Journalism-wise, Murdo Fraser's latest article (Perspective, 18 August) is very skilful: eye-catching headline, recently invented words, striking opening sentence and clever choice of accompanying photo all conspiring to draw the reader into his critique of the Scottish Greens and, in particular, its co-leader Mr Patrick Harvie.

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The average Scottish voter who follows politics will have seen Mr Harvie on TV, participating in debates and giving interviews. I cannot believe they would have formed an opinion even close to that of Mr Fraser: "Bullying, insulting, sectarian, threatening, misrepresenting, traducing, intimidating, debate-denying, simperingly sanctimonious, possessed of a cynical, ruthless and self-serving ego".

Our Scottish Parliament has set standards in debate of which we should all be proud. Vigour? Fine. Disrespect? Not fine. Verbal abuse? Definitely not fine.

Nonetheless, my genuine best wishes to Mr Fraser.

Scott Weatherstone, Edinburgh

Try ‘thank you’

Scotland's Employment Minister Richard Lochhead says “the UK Government must extend furlough for those who still need it" (your report, 18 August). The arrogance of this man and the Scottish Government which, at every opportunity, blames Westminster for its self-inflicted failures too numerous to list and which have cost the people of Scotland billions of pounds.

Scottish furlough cash is coming from Westminster and English taxpayers and is a scheme which an independent Scotland could never afford. A thank you to Westminster would not go amiss.

Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Twisted rhetoric