Queen’s speech was ruined

Sir, – One of my annual highlights, the Queen’s Christmas Day Broadcast, was totally ruined for me this year by widespread advance publication of its contents.

Leaking details of the broadcast was once virtually a hanging offence but it seems that this is now actually a duty of palace officials.

Next year, it would be nice for Her Majesty’s remarks to come as a total surprise.

John Eoin Douglas. 7 Spey Terrace, Edinburgh. to comments made in the House of Commons which apparently caused the SNP to retreat into their familiar place – “high dudgeon and whipped into a fury of frothing outrage” – as a result of criticism by a Tory MP.

It appears that he was referring to comments made by the leader of the SNP at Westminster, Ian Blackford, whose reply in Chamber indicated that ‘“the people of Scotland will reflect on the ignorance and arrogance which is shown by so-called Honourable Members in this House etc etc”.

So now who was Blackford purporting to represent?

Certainly not the majority of Scots voters who were unsupportive of the aims of his party, the SNP, at the time of the independence referendum, and more importantly are still opposed on an electoral basis since that political hiatus.

Also I am sure that many folks in Scotland will recall the accounts of Ian Blackford’s alleged foul behaviour toward his political opponent in Lochaber, the late Charles Kennedy MP at the time of the last general election.

So if anyone is in need of a review of his manners or diplomatic standards it is probably the Central Belt born MP for Lochaber and Skye, the aforesaid Ian Blackford.

Also I am sure that we also recall the day when he was expelled from the House of Commons on the orders of the Speaker for unruly behaviour.

One of the factors which we, the electorate of Scotland, may well be judged on is the behaviour of our representatives in Parliament.

Most of us have absolutely nothing in common with the Salmonds, Swinneys. Sturgeons or indeed Blackfords of the SNP.

We are Scots within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and wish so to remain. Robert I G Scott. Northfield, Ceres.