THE last 24 hours have clearly demonstrated what a pathetic farce we have in terms of the body responsible for managing the very important affairs, the overall welfare, health, education and security of the people of Scotland.
There will be very few indeed who will regret the departure of Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, who by their own admission, and with an acknowledged self-involvement, were more interested and concerned in the welfare and protection of the minority transgender/ LGBTQA+ section of society, than implementing economic growth initiatives for the benefit of the majority of Scots.
Likewise, the more than likely demise of Humza Yousaf next week, when he loses the no confidence vote tabled by Douglas Ross, won't come as a surprise to many. In his year or thereabouts in office, he has done absolutely nothing to “add value” to the lives of any Scots. On the contrary, he has proved himself worthy of his moniker, “Useless”.
Against this farcical background, and to make it even more farcical, if the balance of power potentially, next week, rests in the hands of Ash Regan of the Alba party, then surely, for the benefit of all Scots regardless of their political persuasion, it is high time that Westminster acknowledged that it is no longer allowable or fair that us poor Scots be administered by such a bunch of inexperienced incompetents, and that the process to dissolve devolution must be instigated.
There simply isn't the talent or competence around in Scotland to allow this devolution debacle to continue.
If devolution, as we currently know it, does continue, then all Scots will be by far, in all respect, the worst-off of all members of the United Kingdom.
Paul McPhail, Glasgow.
Time the Greens ditched indy
NOW that the Scottish Greens have been ditched by the SNP as being surplus to Humza Yousaf’s requirements, is it not time that the Greens in turn dumped their support for separating Scotland from the UK, the SNP’s reason for existence?
The Green Party’s primary aim, and the main reason its supporters vote for it, is to protect the environment and to promote the move towards net zero. They would be far better working to reduce the entire UK’s emissions, which although small in global terms, are far greater than Scotland’s miniscule contribution. Not to do so would be the equivalent of deciding to protect one’s own back garden because it’s easier than making the effort to save a nearby forest.
Many whose voting intentions were motivated by either climate change or separation conveniently overlooked the secondary obsessions such as gender recognition reform, named persons bills, hate crime laws and more in the belief that a coalition would help them to achieve their main aims. Having seen the resultant incompetence, turmoil and division, the time has come for a reformed Green Party that addresses green issues on a meaningful scale, working with their equivalents south of the Border and leaving the SNP to its fantasy future.
Mark Openshaw, Aberdeen.
Yousaf has done us a favour
I AM not a fan of either the SNP or Humza Yousaf but he has my undying gratitude for finally evicting the toxic Greens even though it is likely to cost him his job.
Finally the tail will no longer wag the dog and the chain of chaos left in Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater's wake can perhaps finally be cleaned up.
It is just a pity that they can walk away without being fully held to account for the abject disaster that was the Deposit Return Scheme which has cost the taxpayer millions, the costs of which should be sued for by any of the companies left “carrying the can” for their incompetence.
Their preoccupation with and navel-gazing on minority issues cost the Scottish Government hundred of hours of time which would have been better spent on the genuine issues facing Scotland today: NHS, drug and alcohol abuse, education etc.
Most of the Green MSPs were not actually elected and snuck in the side door that is the Preferred Vote and for the SNP to let them hold the balance of power in Hollywood over the last three years in return for propping up the minority SNP regime is frankly a derogation of duty by the Government.
Good riddance and hopefully this will be the beginning of the end for the whole hapless bunch of them.
Gordon Lyon, Bearsden.
READ MORE: I'm so glad the Greens are gone. They won't be missed
READ MORE: We've seen SNP and Greens in action, so why vote for indy?
READ MORE: The SNP is an ideas-free zone. The only way is down
Tories have some cheek
THE proposal for a vote of no confidence in the First Minister is a bit rich coming from the Conservatives, the party noted in recent years for sleaze, lies and crashing the economy.
Douglas Ross sat on the green benches at Westminster during the tumultuous reigns of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, the very ones who brought politics to new depths, yet he was loyal in his support.
We all remember the Conservatives in coalition with the LibDems, a government which introduced tuition fees in England, despite the LibDem manifesto saying the opposite.
As for Anas Sarwar: with a Westminster election looming and no named Labour candidates in some Scottish Tory seats, I am not sure his party would be ready for a Holyrood election.
Catriona C Clark, Falkirk.
Second vote will now go elsewhere
ONE can appreciate the bruised egos of Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, but do they seriously think that the environmental cause, or independence, is advanced by supporting the Tory no-confidence gimmick?
I enthusiastically gave the Greens my second vote in 2021, and supported the Bute House Agreement, but it is fair to say that the Greens left Humza Yousaf with little choice to break the agreement after they decided to put the agreement to their members, leaving another month of uncertainty. It could be argued that he did the Green leadership a favour by saving them from possible defeat. Also, at the weekend the Green leadership refused to accept the medical advice evidenced in the Cass Report which also damaged their credibility.
Thursday’s First Minister's Questions showed Holyrood at its infantile worst and almost makes one long for a return to first past the past which would have produced 62 SNP MSPs, five Tories, four Lib Dems, two Labour and no Greens or Alba in 2021.
The SNP remains the most progressive party at Holyrood as evidenced by its track record on tackling inequality, the cost of living, the environment and standing up for Scotland with the best-performing NHS in the UK and an improving economy, but as things stand the Greens won’t be getting my second vote come 2026.
Fraser Grant, Edinburgh.
Regan should seek revenge
THE miscalculation by Humza Yousaf in ditching the coalition with the Greens would be breathtaking if it were not so unsurprising. His lack of political nous has been obvious for many years, perhaps highlighted by his unnecessary and spiteful comments when he described the departure of Ash Regan to the Alba Party as “no great loss to the SNP group”.
Ms Regan must now ensure she is not bought off by Humza Yousaf in the forthcoming no confidence vote and she should remind herself of the age-old proverb that “revenge is a dish best served cold”. Her revenge would benefit all of the people of Scotland in removing the hapless Humza from office.
Richard Allison, Edinburgh.
Who would Salmond prefer?
GR Weir (Letters, April 26) makes no mention of Alba. Ash Regan, who will, one assumes, accept Alex Salmond’s instructions, is the key voter.
Do ponder: Alex Salmond may prefer the incompetent Humza Yousaf as SNP leader to any more able alternative. Machiavelli has disciples.
William Durward, Bearsden.
Election vital for indy cause
HOLYROOD MPs have always been under pressure from their parent parties in Westminster.
Scotland’s Parliament was set up to be a debating forum with no one party having a serious majority. All the members would discuss new legislation and would feel free to find the best result for Scotland without any pressure from their parent parties in Westminster.
Our voting regulations were set up for this and have largely succeeded. However the dead hand of Westminster politicians could not be prevented from getting a stranglehold on what Scotland’s Labour, Conservative and even the Green Party say or vote for. They obey the instructions of their English party: “Anything but independence”.
This next Westminster election will matter in Scotland. If we want independence we will have to set aside party allegiances for once and vote only for the only party for Scottish independence, the SNP. Then our First Minister can demand that negotiations towards Scotland’s separation from the UK begin.
What happens then is up to Westminster. I would be heart sorry if they did not co-operate.
Elizabeth Scott, Edinburgh.
Hyslop's hot air
WHO does Fiona Hyslop think she is kidding? Of all the fatuous hot air I’ve heard spouted by SNP transport ministers over recent years, her most recent summary of the situation ("Fiona Hyslop tells CalMac to be 'realistic' in ferry repairs row", heraldscotland, April 25) takes the biscuit.
All the easy words that have tumbled out of her mouth, used as a smokescreen to describe what is happening to our ferries, are an utter insult to the nation, and in particular to the inhabitants of our islands who, lest we forget, rely so much on effective and reliable ferry links.
Yes, it’s difficult and challenging to manage repairs and maintenance of ageing vessels, but just be honest. Ms Hyslop, hold your hands up and say "we’ve messed up big time over the past 15 years in not renewing our fleet on a rolling basis". Instead we’ve poured millions upon millions of taxpayers' money down a never-ending money sluice propping up a not-fit-for-purpose ferry fleet.
We could have replaced the whole fleet by now with all the money that has been squandered on repairs and overly ambitious new builds. Shame on all of you who have been complicit in this shambles.
Colin Allison, Blairgowrie.
Memory that's bugging me
BY no means am I a dedicated observer of the natural world but I have most certainly noticed a decline in insect activity, whether it be nuisance flies and wasps or more welcome bees and butterflies ("Decline in 'bug splats' on cars a red flag, insect survey warns", The Herald, April 24).
Recently it crossed my mind that many years ago cars had small plastic shields mounted on the front of bonnets in order to avoid a build-up of "bugs" on windscreens. I did not raise this in conversation as it was unlikely that many would recall such a fitting.
How remarkable to see the lack of bug splats being a subject of concern.
Ken Cameron, Cupar.
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