Pot calling kettle black on passports

Dear Editor Nicola Sturgeon has called plans to bring back the old British passport blue cover “insular, inwardlooking nonsense”.

She described “the open, inclusive, civic, internationalist Scottish independence movement” of which she is so proud and how it “could not be further removed” from the Home Office announcement.

She added: “Never has ‘stop the world, Scotland wants to get on’ felt more relevant.”

Nicola seems to have conveniently forgotten that Scots voted against independence in the referendum. They voted by a majority to stay in the UK. The UK then went on to vote to leave the EU.

The Remain vote of most Scots does not give Nicola the right to demand that we remain part of the EU even after the rest of the UK leaves. Calling the Scottish independence movement “open” and “civic” is meaningless and vague, but how can she describe it as “inclusive” and “internationalist”?

It is driven by a party called the Scottish Nationalist - not Internationalist - Party and the movement certainly does not include me and most other Scots. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

In the mid-20th century, the ScotNats were figures of fun, with no influence on our affairs. They became more popular by feeding on the nostalgia we Scots have for all things Scottish – our music, our language, our culture, our history and our traditions.

When they began adopting the policies of the Scottish Left, Labour supporters realised that an independent Scotland would be forever left-wing ruled by a socialist government in all but name.

They deserted Labour in their thousands and put the SNP in power.

Fortunately, enough Scots saw the dangers of going it alone and voted against independence. Since then, the SNP’s star has been on the wane. Let’s hope their decline continues.

Nicola is hastening the process by her comic announcements.

Apart from any other consideration, I found the old blue passport much more suitable for presenting at passport controls.

The number was on the front and the photo and essential details quickly available in a firm format and solid cover much easier to handle than the present soft, flimsy EUproduced affair.

Subsequent versions of the EU passport even have the important information on a different page!

George K McMillan Perth Dear Editor Does Nicola Sturgeon have nothing better to do than tweet puerile comments about UK passports?

About what colour they are and where they’ll be manufactured?

How about focusing on education as she promised, after 10 years of mismanagement by the SNP?

Or using the Christmas break to prepare delicious meals for the Syrian refugee family she assured us she would welcome into her home?

Or even perhaps - just grow up?

Martin Redfern Edinburgh By email