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The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
We've suffered enough from Brexit. It's time to go back
Withdrawal from the EU has blown a £40 billion tax hole in the public finances between 2019 and 2024, according to a forecasting audit that finds that the Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR's) projections on the impact of leaving the EU have broadly materialised. This equates to an estimated four per cent loss in the UK's long-run productivity, borne out by declining investment and trade volumes, in a period in which the Government raised taxes by £100 billion. A large chunk of these rises would therefore not have been necessary if the UK had voted to remain in the EU. At a time when the Labour Government is desperate to revive productivity and repair the public finances, it is trying to do this with one hand firmly tied behind its back. The OBR said the full impact of leaving the EU would be felt over the course of 15 years and estimates a staggering drop of 15 per cent in trade volumes, compared with if the UK had stayed in the bloc. The massive act of self-harm that is Brexit has severely damaged the UK economy, of that there is little doubt, and is now fully recognised by the public. It is now time for the politicians to acknowledge the greatest economic folly of a generation and seek re-admission into the EU. Alex Orr, Edinburgh. Read more letters Scotland can do better than this It is no great surprise that Martin Redfern (Letters, June 24), in another attempt to denigrate the SNP, does not want Humza Yousaf or John Swinney to openly question UK Government foreign policy decisions which do not appear to reflect the views of the people of Scotland. At the same time, Douglas Alexander, MP for Lothian East – who was complicit as a cabinet minister in the UK Government in taking the UK into an illegal war in Iraq and is now complicit in supporting a fanatical Israeli Government regime accused of genocide in Gaza and engaged in bombing Syria, Yemen and Iran – proclaims that Scotland is in a 'voluntary union' but yet he cannot state (as evidenced on BBC Scotland's Sunday Show) a democratic route for Scotland to leave this failing union. It appears to me that not only have Mr Alexander and the Labour Party abandoned democratic principles but they unapologetically have no sense of shame, having apparently learned little from past mistakes and resultant catastrophes. We can do better and the parliament we elect next year should have the power, on behalf of the people of Scotland, to conduct a constitutional referendum so that we in Scotland can determine our own future, including our own non-imperialist foreign policy, while furthering support for the poor and most vulnerable in our society. Stan Grodynski, Longniddry. Pare NHS to its essentials Another day, another article bemoaning the state of the Scottish NHS ("Doctors in warning Scots NHS is 'dying in front of us'". The Herald, June 24). I write as one of those fortunate enough to have been able to have hip replacements performed in a private hospital, with a waiting time of weeks rather than years. I have used private medicine for other treatments, too. But it is not that the NHS is incapable of excellence. I have twice used the Minor Injuries Clinic at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, for successive injuries to the same elbow. The first time, some six years ago, I simply turned up, was registered by a pleasant receptionist and then waited 20 minutes (yes, 20 minutes) to see a nurse. He treated me and arranged to see me again (continuity of care). The clinic has its own X-ray machine, which is a real advantage. It was a brilliant experience. The second time was slightly marred by having to go through NHS111 to make an appointment, and having to answer questions about what kind of house I live in and whether I have difficulty with household tasks. All I wanted was to book an appointment. Once I got there, the treatment was again excellent. Perhaps this is a microcosm of what is wrong with the NHS. The treatment itself is good to excellent, but there are too many extraneous and often politically correct appendages, like the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary's slavery project. Pare down the NHS to its essentials: anything not involving treating the sick and injured – like NHS Fife's official who advises on "pronouns" – should be scrutinised as to its value and, in most cases, jettisoned. Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh. Unions back on the offensive Peter Wright (Letters, June 24), replying to Eric Melvin (Letters, June 23), who remarked on the origins of the cars waiting at Troon to board the Arran ferry, gives a valuable reminder about the power of trade unions using the Rootes Group car manufacturing facility at Linwood and its eventual demise and then moves on to the power of the unions' influence at Ferguson Marine and their input on the design via CMAL of the Glens Sannox and Rosa. He might like to extend his knowledge to the power of the unions throughout the UK and to the likes of British Leyland and why it came into being from the British Motor Corporation and the reputation that Britain had in those days for strikes. It seems that under this Labour Government the unions think that their time has come again with demands for wages and conditions allied to the threats of strikes that could well change Britain completely; maybe that is what they want. Working through these distant days and again now, I wondered then as I do now about what it would be like if all transport services, especially railways and Scottish ferries, were handed over to the unions to manage and run from top management to cleaners and everything in between for a contract period of say 10 years, similar to the time span of the recent CalMac service award. Could this alternative model of operating these essential services turn out to be a beneficial cooperative or just the establishment of another quango with little or no accountability? I note the recent union demand for London's Tube train drivers to be paid a salary of circa £75000+. I don't know if this is realistic, maybe it is and is achievable due to it being an essential service for millions of customers, but if there were competition, what then? Ian Gray, Croftamie. It's right to ban Palestine Action In criticising the Government's proposal to proscribe Palestine Action, both Chris Ewing and Andy Stenton (Letters, June 24) fail to address the specific reason for that proposal. That reason was the deliberate immobilisation of two aircraft, severely damaging them by spraying paint into their jet engines. Instead they focus on the unrelated matter of their own personal objection to the Government's support of Israel, neither condemning nor condoning that damage, and even in the case of Chris Ewing making light of it. I don't know how long these important aircraft will be out of action, but it is estimated it will cost £50 million to repair them. More seriously, this act by the Palestine Action operatives amounts to a deliberate attack on our national security, which to me amounts to an act of treason which provides ample justification for proscribing the organisation. Alan Fitzpatrick, Dunlop. Keir Starmer (Image: PA) Starmer is wrong on Iran At the weekend Sir Keir Starmer defended the US bombing of Iran when he said it was necessary to "alleviate" the threat of Iran developing a nuclear weapon. I wonder if he recalls an incident during a speech by Benjamin Netanyahu at a meeting of the UN Security Council in 2012, when the Israeli leader brandished a cartoon of a bomb and insisted Iran was close to developing a nuclear weapon? In 2015, the US estimated Iran could produce enough fuel for a nuclear bomb in 12 months if it were so inclined. In an article published on September 13, 2021, the New York Times claimed Iran was just a single month away from being able to produce sufficient fuel for a nuclear bomb. So why has Iran not produced that bomb long before now? Our Prime Minister also said at the weekend: "We call on Iran to return to the negotiating table and reach a diplomatic solution to end this crisis." Perhaps Sir Keir should ask himself who caused the crisis by mounting an illegal attack on a sovereign state. It has evidently also slipped his mind that Iran was at the negotiating table when it was attacked. Alan Woodcock, Dundee.
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The Documentary Podcast Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast 2025
It's the 70th anniversary of this unique BBC radio programme aimed at just a few dozen listeners: The team of scientists and support staff isolated at British research stations in the Antarctic midwinter. Hosted by Cerys Matthews, the show features messages from family and friends at home, music requests from Antarctica and a specially recorded message from His Majesty The King. For decades this show has been part of the traditional midwinter celebrations and has also been enjoyed by listeners around the world. Midwinter celebrations at the British research stations include a feast, exchange of presents, watching the 1982 horror film The Thing (where an alien monster terrorises an Antarctic base) and listening - on short wave - to the BBC's Midwinter Broadcast. Producers: Martin Redfern and Richard Hollingham An EcoAudio certified Boffin Media production
