Letters

Prime Minister Andy Burnham shakes hands with Scottish National Party First Minister John Swinney in Glasgow back in July. (Picture: Alastair Grant / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Scottish and UK governments should grow up and work together
Scottish and UK governments need to stop messing about, says reader

West Port, site of Edinburgh's 'sexual entertainment venues', pictured in 2017 (Picture: Jon Savage)

Readers' Letters: Swinney must oppose licensing of strip clubs

A reader has proposed an alternative use for the money paid to wind farm companies not to produce energy (Picture: John Devlin)

Readers' Letters: We need new ideas to liven up tired energy debate

Transport Secretary Stephen Flynn (right) with First Minister John Swinney at this month's SNP conference in Aberdeen (Picture: Paul Reid/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: New ferry delay makes Flynn's position untenable

Readers' Letters: Lessons should be learned from changed school

Earlier this year local energy specialist Gensource announced its expansion as a charge point operator with the completion of its first fully managed commercial EV project on the Archerfield Estate in East Lothian

Readers' Letters: The number of EV chargers is in decline? Hardly!

Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey holds up the traditional red ministerial box outside No 11 Downing Street before delivering his Budget yesterday (Picture: Dylan Martinez - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Readers Letters: Fifty years on, another Healey bungles Budget

Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer has promised a new railcard for millennials paid for by wealthy flyers (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Greens climbing the Magic Money Tree with rail promise

Jimmy Reid, UCS Shop Steward, at a Clydebank mass meeting on 1 October 1971 (Picture: Allan Milligan)

Readers' Letters: Scottish workers must knuckle down for success

A statue of Socrates in the Ancient Agora of Athens (Picture: Martin Bertrand/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty)

Readers' letters: The wisdom of Socrates offers lessons for today

Dumfries and Galloway is the only UK location listed by National Geographic as one of the world’s best travel destinations for 2027

Readers' Letters: The beautiful irony of a National Geographic accolade

Demonstrators hold anti-Jackdaw and anti-Rosebank placards outside the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero in London yesterday (Picture: Brook Mitchell / AFP via Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Anti-Jackdaw protestors can put money where mouth is

First Minister John Swinney after giving a speech during the 92nd SNP conference at the weekend (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers Letters: Does anyone really believe SNP could run Scotland's buses?

Jenny Gilruth this week condemned 'rote learning, the shallow learning that was applied in England' after pupils south of the Border scored better than Scottish ones in the Pisa tables (Picture: Paul Reid/Getty Images)

Buyer beware

Readers' Letters: Neverendum is a cosy status quo for SNP politicians

Edinburgh University announced plans to mothball 90 courses last month

Readers' Letters: Scotland must not neglect its own literary heritage

Readers are split over Andy Burnham's overtures to the European Union (Picture: Jordan Pettitt/PA)

Readers' Letters: Closer links with the EU would be fine – on our terms

Andy Burnham has said the UK's existing relationship with Europe is “not good enough” (Picture: House of Commons/PA)

Readers' Letters: Russian interference in Brexit claim is a red herring

Angela Constance wants cut the number of Scotland's health boards from 14 to two (Picture: Jeff Moore/PA Wire)

Readers' letters: Restructuring won't cure the many ills of Scotland's NHS

On one day in August it was reported that only 36 staff turned up for work at 9am at Victoria Quay in Leith, one of the Scottish government’s biggest buildings (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Readers' Letters: What a shame civil servants must go back to office

First Minister John Swinney during a visit to Crieff this week (Picture: Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Swinney wrong to swerve question on Scottish Greens

UK Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to build a £10 billion air defence system named 'Britannia Shield', which was initially described by party officials as 'in essence, a British Iron Dome' (Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: How would a Badenoch government pay for a UK 'iron dome'?

Construction work at the Hinkley Point nuclear power station in the south of England continues - but do we need such a facility in Scotland? (Picture: Adrian Dennis/ AFP via Getty)

Readers' Letters: Scotland does not want or need nuclear power stations

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation report said a 'shocking' 21 per cent of children are growing up in poverty (Picture: John Devlin)

Readers' letters: Scotland must keep its child poverty promises

John Swinney speaks during First Minister's Questions at Scottish Parliament Building last week (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Swinney is spreading disinformation about pensions

Education Secretary Mairi McAllan has a big job ahead, reckons reader (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Scottish government must sort out schooling now

Nearly 400 jobs are to be lost in Grangemouth as chemicals producer Syngenta prepares to cease operations in the town (Picture Michael Gillen)

Readers Letters: Syngenta shutdown shows Scottish government bad for business

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay is backing Brown and Blacks publican Katie Long

Readers' Letters: Swinney and co should try living in the real world

Prime Minister Andy Burnham as the Labour Party Conference came to an end in Liverpool yesterday (Picture: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Burnham cares only about appealing to England's 'Red Wall'

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled a willingness to look at reviewing or ending the state pension triple lock

Readers Letters: Are you sure UK can't afford pensions triple lock?

Lib Dem Christine Jardine has said she will step down as an MP after the next election

Readers' Letters: Lib Dems are mad to let Christine Jardine go

Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord called for a vote of no confidence in SNP drugs minister Maree Todd (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire)

Readers' Letters: SNP and Reform UK fiddling while Rome burns

Cubicles in Glasgow's safer drugs consumption facility, The Thistle, which opened in January 2025 (Picture: John Devlin)

Readers' Lettters: Swinney more interested in independence than drug deaths

Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles, blanketed in snow (Picture: Ian Rutherford)

Readers' Letters: Mess in Ben Nevis bothy is the height of ignorance

Edinburgh University has announced plans to mothball 90 courses

Readers' letters: Use AI to radically reformulate the university model

Michael Marra shakes hands with a party member after being announced as winner of the Scottish Labour leadership contest (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: 'New Labour' to blame for Scottish party's decline

An SNP MSP has suggested his colleagues at Westminster should not take up their seats (Picture: Parliament TV/PA

Readers' letters: Call SNP's bluff on withdrawal from Westminster

Canada's Prime Minister, Mark Carney, greets European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after delivering a speech at the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday (Picture: Jean-Christophe Verhaegen/ AFP via Getty Images)

Readers' letters: Follow Canada's example and build bridges with the EU

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney, First Minister of Wales Rhun ap Iorwerth, Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald and First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O'Neill this week (Picture: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: The decision was made in 2014 – get over it

First Minister Alex Salmond and independence supporters before the 2014 referendum (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Scottish independence gets ever closer

Màiri McAllan is the latest SNP Cabinet member charged with improving results for Scottish pupils (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Scottish education is not in decline - aye, right

Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth, pictured with First Minister John Swinney (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Gilruth's rebuke to Burnham reveals nationalist mentality

A reader strongly agrees with Paul Wilson's assessment of wind and solar power (Picture: John Devlin)

Readers' letters: Facts will have climate apostles crying green tears

Prime Minister Andy Burnham and First Minister John Swinney.

Readers' letters: Here’s who should vote in a new indyref

The Scottish mean score declined by five points in reading and four points in maths since 2022 (Picture: Rui Vieira/PA Wire)

Readers' letters: Swinney should hang his head in shame over Pisa results

Secondary school teachers need specialist knowledge of their subjects (Picture: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

Readers' letters: Secondaries need specialists as teachers, not generalists

Former MP Douglas Chapman described Edinburgh Airport as a 'disorganised, unwelcoming shambles' (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Readers' letters: Criticism of Edinburgh Airport is entirely justified

Exam pass rates have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with maths and STEM subjects particularly hard hit (Picture: John Devlin)

Readers' letters: Falling standards in schools shows need for major reform

Jubilant Glasgow University graduates - but are too many young people going to university (Picture: John Devlin)

Readers' letters: Higher education needs a major rethink

First Minister John Swinney unveiled the 2026 Programme for Government on Tuesday. (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' letters: For Programme for Government read More of the Same

First Minister John Swinney unveils the SNP's Programme for Government at the Scottish Parliament (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' letters: Learn the lessons from previous merger of health boards

A big Fringe crowd watches a performer juggleswith knives while balancing on a giraffe unicycle on Edinburgh's High Street (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' letters: Rumours of the Fringe's death are greatly exaggerated

Scotland's sole nuclear power plant, Torness in East Lothian, is scheduled to end generation of power in 2030 (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' letters: Nuclear power is not the answer for energy needs

Buses run along Princes Street in Edinburgh as it reopens following a fire at the old Debenhams store building in early July (Picture: Neil Pooran/PA Wire)

Readers' Letters: Water isn't the best way to fight historic building blazes

Glasgow University

Readers' Letters: All SNP successfully delivers for Scotland is Groundhog Day

The Scottish government has been warned against the rapid expansion of GP walk-in clinics (Picture: Brian Jackson, stock.adobe.com)

Readers’ Letters: ‘Walk-in’ provisions should be standard for all GP practices

Wind turbines - popular with energy companies, but not always local residents (Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP)

Readers' Letters: How about an unwanted visitor levy in the Highlands?

The Scottish Greens have backed a campaign to give the Scottish morning roll UNESCO status

Readers'' Letters: Is Holyrood a disgrace to the Scottish taxpayer?

Jimmy Reid addresses a mass meeting of the Upper Clyde Shipyards workforce at Clydebank in July 1971 (Picture: Allan Milligan)

Readers' Letters: What Scottish Labour needs is a new Jimmy Reid

The ZEV Mandate requires that by 2035 100 per cent of new cars sold are battery-powered

Readers' Letters: Zero Emission Vehicle targets are too ambitious

MSPs want an exemption from Edinburgh Council's proposed 300 per cent council tax hike on second homes on the basis many live far from Edinburgh, where the Scottish Parliament is based

Readers' Letters: As usual, MSPs want a perk Scottish voters don't have

Could Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, benefit from more parking spaces?

Readers Letters: It's time to make more parking spaces at our hospitals

Readers' Letters: What on Earth has happened to this island? Scotsman Letters

City leaders are killing the 'golden goose' of Edinburgh’s festivals due to a lack of funding support, says Tony Lankester (Picture: Lisa Ferguson)

Readers' Letters: Another year, another case of the Fringe pleading poverty

A helicopter water bombs the Cairngorm wildfire that has burned for weeks after breaking out last month (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Outdoor blazes aren't always caused by climate changed

The mobile phone alert sytsem message sent to millions of people on Friday warning them against lighting anything that could spark a wildfre (PictureL Annabel Lee-Ellis/PA Wire)

Readers’ letters: Europe should take lead on climate emergency

First Minister John Swinney has promises Scotland's classrooms will become phone-free (Picture: Jane Barlow - Pool/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: What happened to Swinney 'first 100 days' promises?

First Minister John Swinney wants Prime Minister Andy Burnham to reconsider the UK government’s block on plans by a Chinese firm to build a wind turbine factory in Scotland (Picture: Steve Welsh - Pool/Getty Images)

Readers' Letters: Swinney's stance on Chinese wind factory makes no sense

The Scotsman Top Stories

Scotland has failed to meet its latest target for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, the latest official figures show. Picture: John Giles/PA Wire

Fail: Scotland misses climate target

Pro-independence protesters with Scottish Saltire flags (top) march for Scottish independence. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images

Yousaf: Growing popular support for Yes the only way to Scottish independence

Nadine Dorries. Picture: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

SNP MP cleared of bullying Nadine Dorries