Tag: letters

Letters: GERS exposes the cost of Westminster rule – not Scotland’s potential

Dear Editor,

I, Dhruva Kumar, Former MP Candidate for Glasgow South, write with great concern about the publication of the latest Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) report.

At present, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture, with a fiscal deficit of £26 billion in 2024-25, equivalent to nearly 12% of Scotland’s GDP. The UK figure is larger in cash terms, unsurprisingly, but significantly smaller in relative terms at around 5% of GDP.

Once again, we are treated to the annual ritual of the GERS figures, paraded as though they were a true reflection of Scotland’s finances. The reality is very different.

Every year, the GERS report is wheeled out to suggest Scotland is running a deficit too large for independence. But GERS doesn’t measure the finances of an independent Scotland—it measures Scotland under Westminster rule.

GERS is not an account of what an independent Scotland would look like. It is a snapshot of Scotland under Westminster control. The figures are compiled largely by the UK Treasury, riddled with estimates and assumptions, and loaded with spending on projects that bring no benefit to Scots – from HS2 in England to Trident nuclear weapons on the Clyde.

Meanwhile, Scotland’s vast revenues from oil, gas, whisky, renewables, and exports are understated, or simply swallowed up into UK-wide accounts. The result is a manufactured “deficit” that is then used to tell us we are “too poor” to be independent.

If Ireland had listened to London’s version of its accounts in 1922, it would never have left the Union. Today, Ireland is more prosperous than the UK. The lesson is clear: the only deficit Scotland truly suffers is the deficit of self-government.

We will not accept Westminster’s rigged figures as gospel. Scotland is one of the most resource-rich nations in Europe. With independence, we can build an economy designed for our people, instead of living with a balance sheet designed to keep us in our place.

Yours sincerely,

Dhruva Kumar

Letters: Cats Protection thanks players of People’s Postcode Lottery

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF CHARITY

Dear Letters Editor,

This International Day of Charity (5 September) we would like to say thank you to each of the players of People’s Postcode Lottery whose generosity has enabled us to help around one million cats to date.

Since 2018, People’s Postcode Lottery players have raised £12,439,702 for Cats Protection, helping us be there for cats and kittens in need. One million cats’ lives have been changed for the better and this incredible milestone could not have been achieved without players’ support.

Thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery players we have been able to remain at the forefront of research on cat welfare, using our decades of experience to support cat owners to keep their pets happy, healthy and safe.

Helping people understand their cats means we can often avoid owners having to give up their pets. But when rehoming is the right thing to do, our teams look after cats with care and kindness,  finding them loving new homes.  

We speak up for cats, changing laws to give cats more protection and also run the world’s largest single-species neutering programme, for both pets and feral cats. 

When cat owners face hard times, we work to keep them with their pets, offering a temporary foster service for those fleeing domestic abuse, supporting those facing the loss of their cat as well as peace of mind when an owner passes away that their cat will be looked after and rehomed. 

Whatever it takes, we’re here for cats and the people who care for them, thanks to People’s Postcode Lottery players. 

Yours faithfully

Cat Jarvis

Senior Philanthropy Communications Officer, Cats Protection

Letters: Beauty treatment regulation cannot come soon enough

Dear Editor

Cosmetic treatments which do not require surgery, such as Botox, dermal fillers, and liquid Brazilian butt lifts, are rocketing in popularity. Many people might not know that, as yet, the industry is largely unregulated.

All too often we hear of some such beauty treatments going horribly wrong, and people who have suffered severe, and even life-changing, injuries as a result.

Cases include people left with permanent scarring to their faces from botched chemical peels. Multiple cases of the over-use of Hyalase injections to dissolve filler have led to tissue loss and cavities to the face, which then required multiple fat grafting treatments.

The Scottish Government has now said it will forge ahead with legislation this autumn. The sooner this burgeoning industry is regulated, the safer consumers will be.

Gordon Dalyell

Scotland representative, the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers

Rennie Hogg Road,

Nottingham NG2 1RX

Letters: NSPCC Scotland launching new Community Fundraising Group

VOLUNTEERS WANTED!

Dear Editor, 

NSPCC Scotland is launching a new Community Fundraising Group in Musselburgh, Portobello and East Edinburgh. We are seeking enthusiastic and creative volunteers to play a crucial role in raising vital funds for our services such as Childline and Speak Out, Stay Safe. 

We will only need volunteers for one to two hours a month, and we offer a flexible arrangement designed to fit around work, family and social life. Key activities include engaging with neighbours, local organisations and businesses to spread awareness, organise small-scale events or campaigns, and inspire donations that ensure our services remain free for those who need them most. 

Participants will receive comprehensive support, including practical fundraising advice, promotional materials and ongoing guidance from our dedicated Community Fundraising Team. Beyond the personal reward of helping to keep children safe, volunteers gain valuable experience in communication, organisation and leadership, all while connecting with like-minded individuals who are passionate about making a difference. 

If you would like to play your part in protecting young people and have a couple of spare hours each month, we’d love to hear from you. If interested, contact me via email at arlene.main@nspcc.org.uk or call 07891 598 086. Together, we can fight for every childhood and create safer communities for all. 

Yours sincerely, 

Arlene Main 

Local Campaign Manager, NSPCC Scotland

Letters: Scotland’s Pivotal Role in the UK-India Free Trade Agreement

‘A Transformative Opportunity for Our Nation’

Dear Editor,

As a son of India who has proudly called Scotland home for decades, and as a former Glasgow South parliamentary candidate deeply invested in our nation’s prosperity, I write to share a watershed moment for Scotland’s economic future.

The newly signed UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) is not merely a diplomatic achievement, it is Scotland’s passport to unprecedented growth. This landmark deal strategically positions our whisky distilleries, renewable energy expertise, world-class universities, sustainable fisheries, and advanced manufacturing at the heart of a £25.5 billion bilateral partnership.

Why This Matters to Scotland:

  •  Scotch Whisky Revolution: Decades of punitive tariffs (150%) have finally been shattered. With duties slashed to 75% immediately and 40% over 10 years, iconic brands like Douglas Laing will access India’s 250M+ premium consumers—unlocking £700M in exports and 2,200+ Scottish jobs.
  •  Fisheries & Green Energy: Our salmon gains duty-free entry to India’s £2.8 trillion market, while offshore wind collaborations position Scotland as India’s clean-energy partner.
  •  Automotive Resurgence: Jaguar Land Rover and Rolls-Royce will thrive under reduced tariffs (110% → 10%), revitalising Glasgow’s manufacturing ecosystem.

This is a landmark partnership of equals. India’s gains, including zero tariffs on 99% of its exports, such as textiles and engineering goods, will fuel reciprocal growth. Crucially, 75,000 Indian professionals will contribute to our economy while enjoying social security exemptions, deepening our talent pool.

The road ahead presents challenges, including state-level regulations in India, carbon border taxes, and data policies, all of which require vigilance.

Yet this FTA is a “living bridge” uniting Scottish innovation with India’s dynamism. I urge subnational alliances (e.g., Maharashtra-Scotland green pacts) to accelerate ratification.

Scotland’s distilleries powered the Industrial Revolution. Today, they ignite a partnership redefining 21st-century trade.

With £6B in investments and a £190M GDP boost projected for Scotland, this is our moment to weave tartan and turbans into a shared tapestry of prosperity.

I welcome your coverage to spotlight Scotland’s central role in this historic accord.

Yours in shared ambition,

Dhruva Kumar

Former Glasgow South MP Candidate

Depute Convenor, Alba Party Glasgow

Scottish Children’s Services Coalition: Bill provides opportunity to deliver action on advocacy

Dear Editor

It is well acknowledged that too many care-experienced children and young people are not receiving the vital care and support they need to thrive in education, a point further reinforced in a recent report from the charity Who Cares? Scotland for the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland.

This highlighted the need for a whole-school approach to supporting care-experienced children, as well as a requirement for a statutory right to independent, relationship-based lifelong advocacy for all care-experienced people who need it. This aims to ensure that these individuals are aware of their rights and can make informed decisions about their lives.

The latter is eminently achievable, as the Scottish Government’s recent Programme for Government outlined that a Children and Young People (Care) Bill will be forthcoming.

This legislation aims to further support The Promise, produced by the Independent Care Review in 2020, and which is Scotland’s pledge to care-experienced children and young people that they will grow up loved, safe, and respected.

With the Promise Bill now part of the government’s legislative programme, it is time for this fundamental right, as committed to in The Promise itself five years ago, to be enshrined in law.

Too many individuals are currently missing out on the advice and support they desperately need, often when they need it most.

Scotland has an opportunity to lead the way, and the Bill provides the opportunity to deliver action on advocacy.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Falkland House School

LOVE Learning

Spark of Genius

Young Foundations

42 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ

Letters: Urgent action needed to support older Scots

Dear Editor,

Our charity recently released a new Index into the financial wellbeing of older Scots. Across the country, the results were stark, and closer to home they reveal the tough choices many in later life in the Lothian region are being forced to make.

Our data has shown that, shockingly, in the region, 22% of older people have skipped meals in the last year. Just 20% say that the State Pension is enough to cover basic living expenses.

The Scottish Government recently put forward its Programme for Government, and again, despite rising levels of pensioner poverty, there was no proposed plan to tackle this.  

At Independent Age, we know urgent action is needed. A pensioner poverty strategy should include a Pension Credit awareness campaign, which is a vital source of support for older people on a low income that a significant number in the region – 18% – do not even know about.

The results of our Index show the unacceptable financial difficulties many older people in the Lothian are experiencing. This must change. Both the UK and Scottish Government must act.

Debbie Horne

Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Independent Age

Independent Age is a national charity supporting older people facing financial hardship. You can access advice on money, housing, health and care at independentage.org or through a free helpline on 0800 319 6789.

Letters: Volunteers’ Week

Dear Editor, 


As we mark Volunteers’ Week (2–8 June 2025), I wanted to take this opportunity to celebrate the outstanding volunteers who contribute towards the work of RNID – the national charity supporting 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. 
 
Every day, through our community activities across the UK, around 300 incredible RNID volunteers take part in a diverse range of activities.  
 
Whether it’s offering hearing aid maintenance and advice on hearing loss and tinnitus at RNID Near You drop-in sessions – or acting as ambassadors by giving talks to local groups and organisations, raising awareness of our work. These activities simply wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of volunteers who generously give their time to support others. 
 
Over the past year alone, RNID volunteers gave more than 16,000 hours of their time, helping us reach over 47,000 people across the UK. It’s a remarkable achievement.  
 
That’s why this Volunteers’ Week is the perfect opportunity to recognise everything our volunteers do and say a huge ‘thank you’. Your time, passion and dedication mean the world to us and make a real difference to people who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus.  
 
Yours sincerely, 
 
Jackie White 

Director of Community Services, RNID 

Letter: Quintinshill Rail Disaster

Dear Editor

As a schoolboy, which was not yesterday, I undertook work experience at the National Museum of Antiquities in Edinburgh in a building on Queen Street that now functions as serviced apartments

My task was to catalogue pictures relating to an event which, to my shame, I had never heard of – the Quintinhsill Rail Disaster.

Taking place on 22nd May 1915, at the height of the First World War, the event occurred at the Quintinshill signal box near Gretna Green and remains the worst rail disaster in British history. A train packed with nearly 500 members of the Leith Battalion of the Royal Scots travelling from Larbert collided with a local passenger service at Quintinshill.

Straight afterwards, a Glasgow-bound express train smashed into the wreckage at Quintinshill, setting off a devastating fire which engulfed the troop train. In total, around 226 people were killed (215 of whom were soldiers) and a further 246 people were injured.

Some bodies were never recovered, having been wholly consumed by the fire, and when the bodies of the men of the Royal Scots were returned to Leith, where they were buried together in a mass grave in Rosebank Cemetery.

As we mark the 110th anniversary of this disaster, it is heartening to see continued recognition of this event, including a new exhibition at the Drill Hall in Dalmeny Street, Leith.

Yours faithfully

Alex Orr

Marchmont Road

Letter to the Editor: Cats need sun protection too

Dear Letters Editor,

This Sun Awareness Week (12-18 May) we would like to remind cat owners that it’s not only humans that need sun protection as the weather heats up, but cats too, especially those with pale or thin fur.

At Cats Protection we often take cats into our care who have been out in the sun for extended periods and have developed cancerous cells as a result. Cats with unpigmented ears or noses are susceptible to skin cancer through sun damage and we know that a third of all skin cancers that are presented in cats are due to sun exposure.

We recently treated all-white cat Gracie’s sun damaged ears which had become burned and painful, leading to the development of skin cancer.

The treatment she needed was the complete removal of her ear flaps.

Thankfully she has made an excellent recovery and has been successfully rehomed, however this could easily have been a different outcome if the cancer had developed further.

There are some simple tips that can help protect cats in the sun including:

  • Keeping your cat indoors when the sun is at its hottest, typically between 10am and 3pm
  • Speaking to a vet about a suitable sunscreen for your cat
  • Ensuring there is outdoor shade, such as boxes or plant pots placed close together
  • Providing outdoor water to avoid the risk of your cat becoming dehydrated.

The Cats Protection website has plenty more tips and guidance for keeping cats safe during warm weather  – www.cats.org.uk/help-and-advice/home-and-environment/cats-and-warm-weather   

Yours faithfully

Sarah Elliott BVetMed MANZCVS (Medicine of Cats) MRCVS

Central Veterinary Officer, Cats Protection