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2. How many women have suffered violence from transwomen accessing their spaces?
3. How many women have suffered violence from cutting back on women’s aid funding, or women’s refuge funding?
4. How many women have suffered health problems or even death through back street abortions or having to go cross-Border for an abortion?
5. How many men will say they’re for women’s rights on this issue but will be undermining their rights on every other, including abortion rights?
My answers?
1. Fingers of one hand stuff.
2. None.
3. Tens of thousands.
4. Tens of thousands.
5. Hundreds if not thousands Of course, my answers are educated guesses, but I believe they’ll be in the “ball park”.
Iain Cope, Glasgow.
Read more letters
Shake up our postal service
Royal Mail has finally become useless for any commercial or domestic letter that is even remotely time-sensitive. This morning, for example, my housekeeper received a hospital appointment for yesterday, and my card from here to Dundee took six days. Other stories abound.
So, as its present Czech owners have expressed their preference for parcel delivery, it is surely now time to allow the many first-rate privately-owned UK delivery services to take responsibility for letter delivery.
Previous legislation to protect Royal Mail has prevented this. That has now surely been negated.
Such a move would without doubt return this useful service to an acceptable level of efficiency.
Malcolm Parkin, Kinnesswood, Kinross-shire.
It’s time to bin VAR
It has to be said that VAR and its consequences are sucking the lifeblood from Scottish football. After last Saturday evening in Paisley, I feel we are reaching a crucial point in regard to the use of technology in our game. I speak as a St Mirren supporter but I know, from discussion with supporters from other clubs, there is sympathy for the harsh treatment St Mirren receives – not just this season but in season 2024-25 also. Unfortunately, the apologies we’ve obtained from the SFA do not count as points.
What has been created in Paisley is a culture of suspicion where, almost every time a goal is scored by the home team, fans face the big screen to await a VAR check, thus slowing the game down and eradicating the immediacy of the pleasure gained from watching our team scoring. It’s making me seriously doubt the sense in renewing my season ticket for next season.
Despite the comments from pundits on Sportscene, I consider last Saturday’s game (“Hibs bounce back to banish Paisley jinx”, Herald Sport, November 9) was fairly even until our second disallowed goal. I would contend that Hibernian benefited psychologically from the St Mirren players’ negative reactions to these events and were able to establish themselves further as the game progressed. The referee had actually given the goals on the field until VAR intervened. I’m sure this is having an adverse effect on referees and their ability to be in charge of games.
As Michael Stewart reminded us again, Norway and Sweden have ditched the system due to fans’ reactions and Denmark is giving serious consideration to following them.
Surely the time has come to look to the essence of the game where decisions taken on the spot become paramount? Yes, we are aware that sometimes that would create controversy also but the human error would be there in front of us, not hidden for continued speculation throughout the week and further.
The old adage of “It will all balance out over the season” is now not working in too many instances.
It’s time to return to the good old bad old days where we left the ground disagreeing with decisions but at least knew who to blame.
J Findlay Ferguson, Musselburgh.
Fine tribute to Elspeth King
There have been many tributes to Elspeth King since her recent sudden death, although not many in The Herald. I enjoyed reading the contribution by Dorothy Connor (Letters, November 6), with her personal account of her connection with Elspeth. The letter reminded me that as well as her warmth and lovely dry sense of humour, and her intellect and breadth of knowledge, which she carried in such an unassuming way, Elspeth had a wonderful command of language, both in English and in Scots.
I think those of us who were lucky enough to know her can just hear her voice in the “I grat sair” remembered by Dorothy.
Cindy Paterson, Glasgow.
Schemes that gang agley
On reading Kerry Hudson’s column (“AI came for my job. I won’t let my marriage be next on the list”, The Herald, November 11) I was surprised to see her using the English term “council estates” in relation to Glasgow.
Glaswegians have always referred to “housing schemes”. Curiously enough the word “scheme” actually referred to the legislation under which post-war council housing was built.
M Carr, Glasgow.
Thistle dogged by trouble
Having followed football in the west of Scotland for nigh on 80 years, I was amused and intrigued by Duncan Sooman’s funny – not for the dogs – story of dogs and football matches (Letters, November 11). Partick Thistle, mentioned by Mr Sooman, appear still to have dog problems.
It was reported that Thistle’s ladies’ team’s opening match of the season at Maryhill’s Lochburn Park was postponed because opponents Hibernian complained that a dog had peed on a bag of footballs.
Health and safety gone barking mad?
David Miller, Milngavie.
