Edward Graham Macfarlane

To the Editor, Letters, The Dundee Courier

I cannot agree with First Minister Donald Dewar who thinks the Holyrood version of a Scottish Parliament “got off to a good start” as reported in the central page article, 30-08-99, because I thought Presiding Officer Lord Steel was more accurate to say “a shaky start".

On the fundamentally important issue of an imposed political pledge of loyalty we heard several attempts by MSPs, who were independent of the UK and Scottish Nationalists alike, to require a democratic pledge rather than an English or Church of Scotland or other religious based offering.

Now these were moves which required considerable courage and enterprise as well in what I would describe as “new sociological thought”. But neither Lord Steel nor Mr Salmond nor Mr Dewar showed willingness to introduce a discussion and house vote to possibly remove the set political statement of allegiance. Every MSP with objections to the Dewar format meekly accepted pressure to repeat the pre-ordained (non-Scottish) oath of loyalty.

I thought this was shameful and I can only hope that quasi-global democrats in office will raise the matter later after this very shaky start!

Yours truly,