Readers' letters: The challenges we face must be tackled head-on

In his article on school violence, Cameron Wyllie relates some truly shocking statistics from a recent NASUWT survey (Scotsman, 30 September). For me, Wyllie’s main point is in the advice to be had from his gran: “If Johnny attacks Jimmy, then send him home!'” The problem rests with the child’s parents. It is a family problem. The buck stops there.

​Too often nowadays, rather than tackle problems head-on, our pusillanimous government simply shovels problems into the nearest available pigeonhole.

Witness, legal public demonstrations expressing concern about some social issue. Solution? Dump it on the overworked police. Witness, broken NHS. Solution? Dump it on overworked doctors and nurses. Witness, illegal Channel crossings. Solution? Dump it on the overworked social services in the nearest towns.

Parents should be held responsible if their children are involved in school violence, a reader says (Picture: Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)

We live in a participatory democracy. Problems are there as challenges to be solved. Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it as not as dreadful as it appears, discovering that we have the strength to stare it down.”

Doug Clark, Edinburgh

Holy unacceptable

There is Christian charity and there is taking the proverbial. Now, I don’t doubt the truth of the origin of many saints in a very different world, as Alex Orr says (Letters, 30 September). We know that St George came from the Middle East, but he didn’t come here, did he? Neither did the other saints he refers to.

However, between 2012 and 2024, 4.8 million other people did. Out of a native population of maybe 64 million, that is a lot, by any means. In fact, I believe that William the Conqueror captured the entire kingdom of England with around 10,000 men, so 4.8 million should just about do the job. Consider how hugely different England was following the cultural and linguistic changes wrought by the Normans and you can see the danger that millions can wreak.

The people of Britain are generally welcoming. Consider how many people had settled here before 2012 if you doubt that. When we have the influx we have had in the last 13 years, however, I think that we need to ask a party to do something to reduce the excessive number who have arrived here unbidden. Someone needs to put things right. Britain is, after all, our country and we should be the people who decide who comes here, not criminal gangs.

Dave Anderson, Aberdeen

Marching together

If Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood wishes to dog-whistle the 150,000 marchers in London recently as those who assaulted non-whites in the 1970s, how does she explain away the contingent of black and Asian people with them?

She knows nothing of fearful parents that – having made every sacrifice to give their children the best possible upbringing in life, imbued in the virtues of hard work and sound morality – now see all threatened by indolent outsiders of a criminal mindset dumped in their streets without their consent simply because they come from the same broad ethnic or religious group.

The fears of Southall and Smethwick in the 1960s have come ironically to haunt their immigrant descendants six decades later, although Enoch Powell in his worst nightmares could never have envisioned what barbarian hordes smug middle-class white politicians inflict upon them in the name of “inclusivity”.

Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire

Beating Reform

The other parties are clearly worried about the Reform Party, but you do question their tactics at times when attacking them. Last week, from the Liberal Democrats, we had, amongst other things, the absurd claim that under Reform we could see US-style school massacres. Not to be outdone, this week, from Labour we have had “Farage is in bed with Putin”.

Go for Reform’s weak spot – the fact they have little to say outside of mass immigration.

William Ballantine, Bo’ness, West Lothian

Colonial blunder

Will we never learn? The news that Tony Blair wants to lead the renewal of Gaza towards, along with the West Bank and East Jerusalem, a Palestian homeland, is very bad indeed. A Palestinian spokesman condemns this as colonialism.

After the First World War, The UK and France carved up the remnants of the Ottoman Empire, and shared it between them, leaving the mess in the-war torn Middle East that we have today.

British and indeed French and American colonialism, have no place in the Middle East of today. We have played our part by recognising the Palestinian state and now must step aside to allow the Palestinians to make their choices under their own leadership.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is the main obstacle, even to the majority of Israelis, who long for a much-needed general election. There is, at long last, a flicker of light at the end of a long and dark tunnel.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Peace farce

President Trump may think a Gaza peace deal is “beyond very close” but like the Scottish Water chair claiming Scotland doesn’t have enough water due to climate change, the reality is very different. When will Trump give up, as he has with Ukraine? A smiling Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, would grant amnesty to Hamas terrorists as part of the deal, so effectively they can walk free. Really? No justice for terrorists murdering 1,195 mainly civilians on 7 October then.

Netanyahu knows that this deal will never be agreed by Israeli hardliners and Palestinians who in turn would have no role in governing Gaza. Hamas will not want to accept a deal which effectively ends its existence. By backing the deal it buys Netanyahu time to “finish the job” in Gaza, evict Palestinians and finish cleansing the West Bank to create a Greater Israel. Netanyahu will say anything to save himself. No change there.

Of more interest are reports by Channel 4 News of record arms exports to Israel worth £400,000 by the UK Government in June at a time when the public were led to believe arms export licences to Israel were being reduced. This reportedly included bombs, bullets, grenades, torpedoes and mines.

If true, this is rank hypocrisy given Labour’s recent recognition of a Palestine state. Labour has questions to answer about potentially facilitating the genocide of Palestinian civilians.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

History of violence

I was surprised at the proposals made in the plan President Trump put forward when Benjamin Netanyahu visited him. Even so, it is unlikely that it will ever see the light of day if Prime Minister Netanyahu is involved. He was humiliated by Trump’s demand that he telephone Qatar right then and there to apologise for Israel’s recent attack. He may have smiled for the press, but I bet that he was seething.

Another thing which jarred was Trump's position that he doesn’t wish to see Hamas being rewarded for terrorism. Now, call me picky, but I would suggest that Mr Trump should settle down and read up on the experience we British had of the mandate we were given over “Palestine” which we terminated in May 1948. Between 1945 and 1948 alone, well over 700 British people, both military and civilian were murdered there by such people as the Stern Gang, which was a Jewish terrorist group. The later Israeli Prime Minister Begin was said to have strangled a British army sergeant to death with barbed wire and a bomb planted by Jewish terrorists at the King David Hotel killed 28 British citizens in 1946.

President Trump should carefully consider who is being rewarded for terrorism.

Peter Hopkins, Edinburgh

Accept the law

Jenny Gilruth, the Education Secretary, was interviewed by the BBC on Monday regarding the new guidance on toilets in schools (Scotsman, 30 September). When asked if it would be acceptable for a trans girl to use the girls’ toilets, she claimed it would be a matter for the individual education authority.

The Supreme Court ruling in April made it clear that transgender women and girls are not legally considered women, meaning that they should use single-sex spaces relating to their biological sex.

It is not a matter for the Education Secretary or the education authority to rule on which toilet a pupil should use. Schools and all other institutions must adhere to the law.

As a government minister, Ms Gilruth should accept the law and advise accordingly, not skirt around the issue.

Jane Lax, Aberlour, Moray

Indefensible stance

The UK Government will fund the £11 million specialist welding facility required to keep the skills required for building warships in Scotland at the highest level. Those responsible in Scotland were clearly in principle against warships to defend our country being built in our country at all and would not put up the cash – which can now go, no doubt, on another couple of pretend embassies. The only training that can be gleaned from that expenditure is in how to milk taxation. As a means of demonstrating some kind of principle or in providing hi-tech employment, this was as dismal a failure as it could be for the SNP.

Unfortunately, keeping principles were not much help to Ukraine when they were invaded by Russia after being persuaded to give up their own nuclear arms.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

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