Where is the respect?

“INTEGRITY, professionalism and accountability” was the promise of Rishi Sunak on entering 10 Downing Street. Setting aside his dubious choices of Cabinet ministers, if he is indeed a man of principle then he could demonstrate this by now granting a Section 30 Order.

A poll showing majority support in Scotland for the Scottish Government to hold an independence referendum next year has been quickly followed by a poll also showing majority support for this action across the UK. The Scottish Government already has a democratic parliamentary mandate to hold such a referendum and with both the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine relatively “stabilised”, the only remaining excuse, albeit a poor one given it is bad decisions of the UK Government that has substantially caused the crisis, is the rampant increase in the cost of living. However, if there is any legitimacy at all in such thinking, surely it is up to the people of Scotland to decide whether or not their day-today concerns are best served by having the most fundamental governmental decisions made for them at a distant Westminster.

To any sincere democrat it should not be acceptable for a Prime Minister with no personal mandate leading a political party with no direct mandate in Scotland to deny the democratic mandate of the proportionately elected Scottish Government. Continuing to parrot “now is not the time” or to make reference to the previous referendum held in significantly different circumstances is not only showing a lack of integrity, professionalism and accountability, but a lack of respect for the people of Scotland. Stan Grodynski, Longniddry.