Power grab

Stance defies logic

there is more awareness of how bereavement and trauma affects children and young people.

We believe that it is essential that services work effectively together and are well resourced and supported.

We look forward to progress on this important issue and the benefits it will bring to bereaved young people across Scotland.

KIRSTEN HOGG Barnardo’s Scotland and RICHARD MEADE

Marie Curie, Scotland democratic process and the news agenda which is supposed to inform it.”

It can only be hoped that democracy will prevail before it is too late and Parliamentary sovereignty will reassert itself when the time comes and, in turn, subvert the malign influence of the self-serving strategies of the owners and editors of the ultra-right wing press.

JOHN MILNE Ardgowan Drive Uddingston It’s all very well Damian Green stating that Holyrood will be getting new powers at the point of Brexit (Scotsman, 11 August), but this will only be after the UK government has negotiated a deal and created a single UK system of subsidies, standards and regulations.

This represents a power grab by Westminster as the Scottish Parliament will be presented with a fait accompli and rendered powerless over negotiations on existing devolved areas such as agriculture and fishing.

If, as claimed, the advantages of having exactly the same regulations and subsidies throughout the UK outweigh a distinct Scottish regime for agriculture and fishing then the Scottish government would probably go along with that but at least Scotland would be “taking back control”.

MARY THOMAS Watson Crescent, Edinburgh I am perplexed, like most people in the UK by the antics of the Scottish administration.

At the drop of a hat, Messrs Russellandswinneywillclaim that the Government is trying to finesse a “power grab” from the EU and they are threatening not to pass the Repeal Bill when it comes before the Scottish Parliament.

I do hope that they will forgive me if I am totally flummoxed as to the logic in this threat. The SNP do not want to agree to take EU law into Scots Law, because that would help the UK to leave the EU.

However, they want Scotland to leave the UK and join the EU, which would mean accepting all the laws from the EU that they are refusing to accept when the Government asks them to, so that we can continue to trade with the EU after Brexit.

Either way, Scotland will have to accept the EU’S laws, unless of course the SNP is simply trying to wangle a dispute with the Government to try to . . . break up the UK. This defies logic.

The only explanation that comes to mind is that Messrs Russell and Swinney were early beneficiaries of the Curriculum for Excellence and think that two and two make five.

ANDREW HN GRAY Craiglea Drive, Edinburgh