Preaching over parents’ rights

Sir, – Perhaps, the most concerning aspect of the Scottish Government’s plan to give Scottish school children lessons in gay rights is that no political party in Holyrood is willing to stand up for the alternative view that moral issues are a matter for the parents.

Instead, our political class is united in the totalitarian belief that moral issues should be decided by the state and then taught to our children without any reference to us.

It is unnecessary to share the views of evangelical Christians, Orthodox Jews and the vast majority of Muslims on gay rights to believe that they are, broadly speaking, entitled to bring up their children according to those moral beliefs.

Rightly, there are limits to this, so we have laws against, for example, forced marriage, FGM and honour killings.

However, we should no more prevent people from teaching their own children their own beliefs than we should prevent opposing political parties from campaigning.

If the Scottish political class is not prepared to accept limits on its entitlement to preach political correctness to other people’s children, its members will find that new parties will rise to represent those voters who value their freedom of conscience.

Otto Inglis. Inveralmond Grove, Edinburgh.