Freedomofspeech

Kathleen leslie’ s online insults were certainly unbecoming of an elected politician (“Tory councillor struck off teaching list for ‘drooling hag’ tweet to Sturgeon”, 22 September), and the General Teaching Council for Scotland had substantial grounds to question her suitability to teach.

However, I question the ability of the GTCS to distinguish between abuse and the expression of views at odds with the liberal consensus of the Scottish establishment. GTCS state that a teacher writing that “abortion is immoral” is in danger of transgressing their professional standards. How dare they declare this teaching of the mainstream Christian churches to be potentially at odds with membership of the teaching profession!

It’s one thing to censure vulgar and insulting expression but quite another to stifle the freedom of speech of teachers in areas of perfectly valid debate, but GTCS seems unable to draw this obvious distinction.

GTCS is linked to government, making their intolerant attack on the freedom of expression of teachers more sinister still.

Standing up for what you believe in can be a dangerous business in the Scotland of 2017.

RICHARD LUCAS Scottish Family Party Bath Street, Glasgow Having in the past been on the end of some serious online abuse and threats and even having had threatening, unsigned postcard messages sent to my home, I sympathise deeply and fully with anyone receiving anything similar.

Yet I find the SNP rage at the Tory councillor accused of calling the First Minister “a wee fish wife’’ and a “walking horror show’’ and “wee Jimmy Krankie’’ manufactured and out of all proportion. Sure, it is unpleasant and wrong. But if they are offended by that essentially harmless and knockabout stuff what, then, would they think of being on the end of: “…Mckay needs beheaded – facing up so he can see the blade coming’’? That is real abuse.

What kind of mind could come up with that?

ALEXANDER MCKAY New Cut Rigg, Edinburgh