Readers’ Letters: Idea taxpayers should give artists a minimum wage is a joke

In London, he organised a successful music hall performers’ strike against unfair wages and employment practices by theatre owners. This young firebrand was urged to stand for election as a candidate for the newly founded Labour Party, but he dismissed the idea for fear of alienating fans of other political persuasions.

My great-grandfather was subsequently blacklisted by many entertainment venues, spending long periods of time “resting”, a polite theatrical euphemism for being unemployed. His career recovered, however, with shows touring nationwide and beyond. In later life he voted Tory, remarking that “I became a Conservative when eventually I got something to conserve”.

“In its manifesto, the SNP vowed to pilot a minimum income for artists, following a similar scheme introduced in Ireland earlier this year” (your report, 13 May).

Scotland simply can’t afford yet more additions to the growing list of cash giveaways. Joseph would probably have been amused by the notion of the public purse being obliged to fund artists’ and entertainers’ wages, regardless of whether any of the hard-pressed taxpayers in question actually went to see these people’s work; he may even have used this proposal as promising material for a comedy sketch.

Martin O’Gorman, Edinburgh

When the very small tail wags the very big dog then we are in deep trouble (“Holyrood drops ‘sex’ category from website”, 20 May). Those in command at Holyrood are obviously looking for a fight with the Supreme Court judgment on this issue and, no doubt, at taxpayers’ expense.

Labour made a big mistake as it assumed office in 2024 when it dropped the Winter Fuel Payment out of the blue. History looks to be repeating itself as the SNP start their new term with this apparently unannounced move. It played out badly for Labour to change the rules.

Will the SNP survive the ire of the now apparently “sexless” general population any better? Can Holyrood retain the trust of even the small percentage of the population that voted only a few days ago? This does not bode well.

In his letter “Affirmation bias” (18 May) Dr Paul Beswick considers that the Yes/No to Scotland’s independence question has a built-in advantage for Yes and, as a result, he wants to see a “Leave/Remain” question instead. He clearly doesn’t want to see Scotland leaving the UK and reaffirming our independence so wants a question format that might better support his preferred result.

But folk are already clear about what the Yes/No question for Scotland’s independence means, whereas introducing a different formula for the same situation, after that new formula was associated with a very negative outcome for all of the UK, would likely deliver a third negative outcome for Scotland. People are now clear about the unintended consequences of voting No in 2014, when we were promised “near full federalism” or “Indy max”.

And now Keir Starmer, being faced with “nationalist” governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, is telling us he is willing to talk about further devolution? Proposals for further devolution were considered by the Smith Commission following our No vote in 2014; and the Labour contingent rejected more items on that list than any other party represented. Why should we believe anything this Labour government promises? And what of the polls that suggest the next Westminster government will be led by Reform UK, a party which would prefer to shut down devolved parliaments altogether?

Let’s not cloud this issue by messing about with a very clear question.

Why is it that going on for two weeks since the election, we were still waiting for John Swinney to announce his cabinet? An incoming UK government almost always has this done within a day or so.

It does not say much for their sense of urgency of doing anything that at Holyrood they stretched it all out until yesterday. Surely it should not have taken them that long to get inducted, given that most of the cabinet have turned out to be a reheated version of went before anyway?

Victor Clements, Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross

Would the media please insist that the next SNP politician who claims to have lifted “X” number of Scots “out of poverty” produce the corresponding data to show the equivalent reduction in people on benefits?

If not being in poverty means a person or family are earning enough to meet their basic needs, plus enough to make life worth living, then without this information we can only assume that the Scottish government is merely “alleviating” the effects of poverty at taxpayers’ expense and not actually creating the conditions where more people become self-sufficient.

The Labour Party and Keir Starmer swept to power in the 2024 election with their ethos of change – yes we have had change, but not for the better. Change in NI charges, business rates, energy and inflation, all of which increase unemployment, which is now almost 0.5m higher since the last election.

Not only these changes but we now find that there is no one among Labour MPs who is held in sufficient esteem to be prime minister, that they have to parachute in the Mayor of Greater Manchester.

They also have to find him a seat in Parliament as he is not an MP.

We all want change but could we please have change for the better – we want growth and sustainability, not more costs and chaos.

Keir Starmer is holding on to his job in the meantime, but nobody knows if a new incumbent will be any better.

James Macintyre, Linlithgow, West Lothian

Brian Monteith must be feeling increasingly isolated in the diminishing world of Brexit supporters. Always struggling to identify any benefit from Brexit, he has dug up some very dubious statistics to support his position in his Scotsman column (Perspective, 19 May). Although I rarely agree with his opinions he does usually support them with reasonable facts.

However, I would love to know where he sourced a massive 11.4 per cent “real increase in trade” for the UK, whereas the EU has performed less well. Certainly most reliably provided statistics show trade with the EU has suffered since 2019 and the “bonanza” of trade with other parts of the world has failed to materialise.

Still, the Brexit project has always relied on half truths and fantasy.

David Morris, Dalkeith, Midlothian

In the NHS we have a huge amount of seriously ill people being treated in corridors in hospitals, due to the fact that healthy people are occupying the beds because they can’t be sent home.

Would it not be prudent to move the healthy people to the corridors and vice versa, then patients needing the most attention are in the ward beds and there would be no need for treatment in the corridors, making more room and freeing up medics so they can concentrate on the wards. Some might even make more serious arrangements to leave the hospital once the comfort factor and all-day TV are removed.

Andrew Thorpe, Dunfermline, Fife

The punishment meted out on Southampton, expelled from the Championship play-off final for spying, by the footballing authorities south of the Border is as courageous as it is stunning. It should serve as an example to the effete members of the SFA who adjudicate on misbehaviour in relation to the clubs under their jurisdiction. They bumble and bluster about how awful it all is and then impose a paltry fine having no effect whatever.

Here’s a suggestion. Punish the two pitch invasions and the dreadful scenes in Glasgow perpetrated by Celtic supporters with a deduction of two points – retrospectively. Not only might it actually have an effect, justice would be served for Hearts, who were robbed of a once in a lifetime league title by officials’ decisions which were as egregious as the actions of Celtic fans.

And yes, I am a suffering lifelong Hearts supporter.

Colin Hamilton, Edinburgh

I note the comments of John V Lloyd (Letters, 19 May) regarding the unseemly events surrounding the conclusion of the Premier League title decider, and their aftermath; and more specifically the question of safety when attending the upcoming Scottish Cup Final. I hate to think what could happen should a VAR review award Dunfermline a match-winning penalty in the last minute of the game.

Oh wait – I’ll have to go now – here comes that nice young lady with my medication, and those two big strong lads with the special jacket.

David J Mackenzie, Inverness