Cowardice of Ian Murray

HOW did Ian Murray vote during last evening’s House of Commons debate on an SNP motion calling for a ceasefire in Gaza (“Starmer

suffers major rebellion as dozens of MPS defy him over Gaza”, The Herald, November 16)? He abstained, which was the height of cowardice and should preclude Labour from ever assuming power. Why? Because by abstaining both he and Keir Starmer are refusing to honour the UK’S legal obligation to uphold the 1949 Geneva Conventions on the rules of war, known as international humanitarian law.

The fourth Convention outlines protection of civilian populations during war. Attacking civilians and destroying things essential to their survival - water, food, fuel, electricity, hospitals and schools as Israel is doing in Gaza, is a war crime.

But the fourth Convention didn’t cover the state obligations to its own civilians. This oversight was corrected in 1977 by two additional Protocols, prohibiting attacks on civilians and their infrastructure within a state engaged in armed conflicts within its own borders. This law also applies to a state that has effective control, without the consent of the controlled, of a territory over which it has no sovereign title, such as Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory.

Wednesday night’s Commons vote again shows that Scotland’s voice will always be ignored because we are outnumbered 10 to 1 in the so-called United Kingdom Parliament, the de facto English Parliament. Scottish MPS shoul long ago have abandoned this English institution to re-establish Scottish national sovereignty.

Scottish Labour will never represent Scotland because it is beholden to its English bosses and will always dance to their tune.

It’s quite simple. For Scotland to restore its international voice, it must end the Union.

Leah Gunn Barrett,

Edinburgh.