Iain Macwhirter's column on Northern Ireland was outstandingly good even by his high standards (What now for peace in Northern Ireland?, Comment, February 18). Though nobody knows how the problem that the Westminster Government has set itself over the border between Eire and Northern Ireland is going to work out, this article makes clear all the factors. The conclusion that "the Brexit process has created a profound insecurity in the province" is also true of the situation in other parts of Europe and the British Isles.

Language and politics have often been intertwined and the conflict in Stormont over an Irish Language Act and other rights that were once protected by the EU have now become critical and may end in direct rule from London. For other reasons this kind of political interference has also come to the fore in Spain where the central government is proposing to remove Catalan language rights from schools. Given the Westminster Government's propensity for using the Brexit process as an excuse for meddling in devolved government (the power grab of Scottish fishing and agriculture) I wonder how long it will be before they think of reducing the present protections of the Scottish vernacular tongues, Gaelic and Scots.

But och! I backward cast my ee, On prospects drear! An forward, tho I canna see, I guess an fear!

Iain WD Forde

Scotlandwell

The strength of feeling amongst many who voted against the UK leaving the EU is very evident, including those correspondents coming to the SNP's defence against my previous accusation of how they have stirred “imagined or exaggerated grievance over every step of the Brexit process” (Topic of the week: Europe and Scotland's future, Letters, February 18). Yet in the same edition Nicola Sturgeon proved the point once more, this time in her reaction to the Prime Minister’s speech at the Munich Security Conference (Sturgeon: May puts party before country when it comes to national security, Politics, February 18). In the speech, Theresa May made clear she was looking for a treaty by next year that would involve a new partnership of unprecedented “depth and breadth” in relation to military, intelligence and counter-terrorism co-operation. That this is a perfectly realistic ambition was reinforced by one after another of the EU leaders attending the event confirming that from the EU’s standpoint that was exactly what they wanted. Indeed, even the heads of the secret services of the UK, France and Germany confirmed in an "unprecedented" joint statement that they wanted the closest cooperation to continue.

For once on Brexit it seems that on these matters all sides want the same thing. Yet what was the First Minister’s take on all of that? As the Sunday Herald reported, “Nicola Sturgeon has accused Theresa May of betraying the national interest by leaving a gaping hole in post-Brexit security arrangements”. There could be no clearer demonstration of how the First Minister is determined to portray Brexit in the worst possible light, no matter what the likely outcome will actually be.

Keith Howell

West Linton

SHOW PEOPLE WERE NOT 'FORCED OUT'

The interesting piece on the issues facing showpeople in Govan contained three sentences in relation to a relocations programme that has been developed and implemented in the Clyde Gateway area over the past eight years, all of which were either factually incorrect or without substance to back the statement that people were “simply forced out” (Is the curtain falling on Scotland’s show folk?, Culture, February 2).

The completion of the M74 extension did not cause the loss of a single showpeople yard in the east end of Glasgow or South Lanarkshire. The Bridgeton and Dalmarnock communities were, as recently as 2010, home to 170 families across 22 individual yards, with all bar one located in Dalmarnock within a radius of some 300 yards of the railway station.

It was in 2010 that Clyde Gateway embarked on a Community Relocations Programme, which was subject to an intensive consultation and engagement exercise, including with the Showmen’s Guild of Scotland and various individual yard-owners. The outcome of our efforts, recently completed after almost eight years, is that 12 yards remain in the Dalmarnock area, all of which have benefited from improvements and investment.

We have acquired 10 former yards for redevelopment but crucially, all of the 60 families and the businesses which operated within those yards have been relocated to other yards, with agreed terms of compensation to the satisfaction of all sides. It is also a fact that a number of these new yards were specially constructed by Clyde Gateway in other nearby locations in the east end of Glasgow and sold to showpeople families to manage and run as they best see fit.

I do accept that regeneration plans can cause disruption to many and that there are challenges ahead in resolving the issues in Govan.

Ian Manson

Chief Executive, Clyde Gateway

JOHN KNOX WAS NO MISOGYNIST

Much as I admire David Tennant’s acting skills, he seems to equate film scripts with factual history (The hipster within, Sunday Herald Life, February 18). John Knox was not a misogynist. This notion that he was against women comes from his published tract, The First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Women. The tract was, in fact, a thinly veiled attack on Mary of Guise and presumably Mary Queen of Scots, who were in favour of suppressing the reformers.

Knox married twice, having been widowed, was dearly loved by the widow who survived him, and had many children. He was sought after by women as a confessor and had an intellectual and meaningful relationship with Anne Locke, who left England to follow him. They worked together on many documents.

Knox founded the Church of Scotland, in which David Tennant’s father served as a minister. He also decreed there should be a school in every parish, a target which was proudly met. The reformed and new faith in Scotland was not enforced by Knox. The proposals were ratified and passed by the Scottish Parliament in 1560. At no time did Knox use violence.

WJ Graham, East Kilbride

SCHOOL PHONE LOCKERS ARE VITAL

The Education Secretary’s shock at the misuse of mobile phones was predictable, as was his mealy-mouthed response that schools have “the necessary controls” to counter this (Swinney shocked by crimewave of illegal sexual pictures in Scottish schools, Education, February 18). If this was so easy, head teachers and their staff would have dealt with this problem.

Mr Swinney’s heart is in the right place but he must show leadership, not bland managerialism by abdicating responsibility to others. He has been keen to ask head teachers to carry extra burdens such as proposed additional responsibilities related to school reform. What part of head teachers’ remit is to be removed to allow them to do this, all the while overseeing the use and misuse of hundreds of mobile phones?

Experts have shown that pupils separated from their phones at school benefit educationally, with lowest-achieving pupils benefitting most. As well as making classrooms more conducive for learning, this would aid the narrowing of the poverty-related attainment gap.

The Government has a duty to protect pupils and school staff from phone-related harassment. This could be facilitated by nationwide provision of lockers for storing pupils’ phones.

David Muir

Edinburgh

IS THE 'SPOOKY FORCE' AT WORK?

The enigma of consciousness after death is bravely tackled by Bill Bain (Future shock, February 18). It raises the question, is this universe a function of quantum mechanics and wavelength/particle duality the basis of consciousness? Solar radiation bathed our planet, producing life ... and is now ironically at the mercy of our ingenuity to unleash its radioactive power. Is reality a hologram, two realms simultaneously meshing by the mystery of “particle entanglement”? Is this Einstein’s “spooky force”, which binds the phenomenon of consciousness to the cosmos?

Iain R Thomson, Cannich