Премьер-министр Анди Бёрнхэм запускает по стране турне для оценки потребностей граждан

Itinerant kingship was a far from rare practice among English kings, who paraded through their kingdoms at regular intervals with their court retinue in attendance. Those tours were useful for enforcing law, displaying their authority, and maintaining personal loyalty from regional nobles. It would appear that Prime Minister Andy Burnham is reintroducing this practice for PMs to take the political temperature of areas, to sample what are the topics which command the people on the ground and to make himself known as a person to whom they can address their concerns instead of thinking of him as a distant resident of Number 10 who just dictates from the centre ("Prime Minister to go on national ‘cost of living’ listening tour", The Herald, August 10). Such a tour should bring home to those on his itinerary that he is a politician who cares for every region, regardless of its size or importance For too long PMs have been seen as obsessed with the south of the country and not taking particular notice of less prosperous districts. His presence in places not normally visited by prime ministers save in times of emergency may just break the narrative that they only bother with lesser mortals when they need their votes and then just leave them to fester when they have triumphed in elections. If Mr Burnham can succeed in restoring the faith of those at grassroots level in politicians as people who care instead of just being out to feather their own nests, then we may see those who live by scavenging on people's grievances running out of road as he makes them believe that Parliament is the servant of the people intent upon improving their lot. Government of the people for the people by their elected representatives must be refreshed as the mantra behind our democracy. Let us hope that Andy Burnham breathes new life into our tired democracy instead of it being in hock to private interests interested only in promoting their notion of penny-pinching public services and low taxation, leaving those at the bottom of the pyramid unable to offer their families hope for the future. Denis Bruce, Bishopbriggs. Read more letters - So you think Holyrood is in decline? What about the UK? - The party’s over: Did Sturgeon and Murrell slay the SNP? - Burnham enjoys break, but bounce fades Sturgeon's hypocrisy Nicola Sturgeon's stunning hypocrisy and need to be front and centre reflect her narcissistic personality. After failing to get ahead of Roseanna Cunningham in the 2004 SNP leadership campaign she stepped of out the race and piggy-backed onto Alex Salmond. Despite years of working very closely with Mr Salmond she apparently had no idea of any issues and supported him right up until the moment when he needed her most. After 15 years of marriage her husband was convicted of crimes that affected all Scots and those in the SNP in particular. She went through a police interview with no comment on anything and John Swinney tells us it was a thorough investigation. The sentence was delayed until after the elections but, guess what? Yep, she knew nothing about any of it. Her grandstanding during Covid was truly awful. She had her “expert” beside her and he was a dentist. She has the cheek to suggest misogyny is at work when she is criticised as she swans around London without a hint of personal responsibility for any mistakes she’s made – conveniently ignoring that two of her biggest critics are women. She also appears to be blissfully unaware of the irony of moving to London. This person is a survivor who has no shame or even humility. As a new Londoner she should stop interfering in Scottish politics and give us all peace. John Gilligan, Ayr. • By much of its content, today’s Herald (August 11) can be considered as a mouthpiece for those unfortunates still obsessed with Nicola Sturgeon. She takes up much of your newsprint by featuring in long-winded articles about or from Joanna Cherry, Kevin McKenna, Rebecca McQuillan and Neil Mackay. Perhaps your one saving grace is that she goes unmentioned on the Letters Pages, but for how long? Enough is enough. Gie’s a break while she flits between the Fringe and her interminable paperback promotional book tour. Please self- impose a moratorium on her at least until those are over, of course excluding from that moratorium this submission. Alan Fitzpatrick, Dunlop. They're all failing us Eric Melvin (Letters, August 11) is correct about his comments on all the UK governments' mistakes and awful decisions but the comparison doesn't excuse the Scottish Government's failings as stated by Gerald Edwards (Letters, August 10). Both governments are failing us. As for Mr Melvin's comments about the SNP victory, John Swinney failed to get an overall majority and with a much-reduced electorate voting so this tells its own story of disinterest in politics. Jack Robertson, Lenzie. The language of outrage A number of years ago I listened to a particularly memorable Letter from America in which Alistair Cook demonstrated how words that should be powerful descriptors lost their meaning through persistent overuse in inappropriate circumstances. I was reminded of it some time later when I read a piece by Trevor Phillips about some of the frustrating times he had at the Commission for Racial Equality where serious discussions on racial matters broke up after someone was accused of racism. So, whether intentionally or not, Kevin McKenna’s rant today against all he hates in 21st century society (“Scotland’s political elite has turned ‘far right’ into a trite and meaningless smear”, The Herald, August 11) does have a point. (But please tell me he writes these at least slightly tongue in cheek.) The left in the UK does have a wee bit of a history of over-egging the pudding when attacking those whose views they disapprove of. However the right is also not immune to destroying the language at times. The term “far left” is waved around to good effect to describe people whom proper left-wingers wouldn’t touch with a bargepole. Indeed, in America, the term is used to describe views that would struggle to get house room within the policies of the UK Liberal Democrats. So perhaps we should be rowing back a bit on our use of the language of outrage which allows genuinely extreme views to hide in plain sight amongst the merely controversial. Perhaps we could even start with phrases like “Scotland’s political elite”. Robin Irvine, Helensburgh. Out of date Ian W Thomson (Letters, August 11) needs to update his House of Lords current list of Labour peers. Alistair Darling died in 2023. Ian Hislop, Edinburgh. Thank you, Donald Trump It must surely be time for all those who criticised the Trump golf course in Aberdeen to concede they were wrong and apologise. At the outset, detractors such as Aberdeenshire councillor Martin Ford – who cast the deciding vote against the plans – and local campaigners including Michael Forbes and the Tripping Up Trump group insisted that few jobs would be created and that few golfers would come. The project was dismissed as a vanity exercise with negligible lasting benefit and harmful to the environment. Fast forward to today and the opposite has happened. The resort now employs over 100 staff, has seen revenue rise to £4.5 million in 2024 and £6.7 million in 2025, and attracts international visitors through events such as the PGA Seniors Championship. This success has culminated in the opening of a second championship course, the MacLeod, in 2025 – named the World’s Best Golf Course by the World Golf Awards and praised for its environmentally sustainable construction, with almost all materials sourced on-site and extensive native habitat restoration, together with new luxury accommodation in the Great North Sea Residences. What was once portrayed as a damaging or even futile venture has proved a genuine triumph. It has put Aberdeen firmly on the map as a destination of international standing for golf and tourism. Thank you President Trump for believing in Aberdeen while the nay-sayers in our city and Holyrood did not. Ian Lakin, Aberdeen.