‘Tiresome’ bleatings of devolved assemblies

Sir, – Looking at events within the UK over the past year, I am inclined to wonder what exactly is the point and the benefit of devolved assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Quite aside from the huge annual costs associated with these assemblies that could be much more effectively spent on improving public services, the decisions arrived at are almost exactly the same, apart from a few minor tweaks to serve the purpose of proving that the devolved assemblies are somehow different from each other and, particularly, from England and Westminster.

Meanwhile the real affairs of state remain the responsibility of a UK Government, and into this category falls defence, foreign affairs, economic management (that is beyond the competence of the devolved assemblies) and the overall protection and well-being of citizens of the UK as a whole.

Here in Scotland, the tiresome bleatings of the SNP and its Green support at Holyrood, surpass those of our herd of Blacknose sheep at Knightsward Farm.

According to Nicola Sturgeon, the current education fiasco cannot be blamed on anyone or anything and, the SNP will “learn the lessons” of the current failure.

My question therefore is: How many lessons are needed to be learmed by incompetent and inexperienced ministers at Holyrood ?

I was under the impression that senior Scottish Government officials were given briefs commensurate with their life and career experience, but it seems that the main qualifying factor seems to be membership of the SNP since the age of 16.

Do any of your readers think such appointments, that are paid for through the tax system by every one of us in Scotland, are a good and fair demonstration of competence and democracy or is it instead just the old-fashioned old-pals act, requiring the old pals to be learning lessons on their highlyremunerated jobs, forever?

Derek Farmer. Knightsward Farm, Anstruther.