I AM a little bemused as to why the European flag at the Scottish Parliament is being removed at the end of January.

The flag is defined by the Scottish Parliament as the ‘European’ flag. This represents both the European Union and the Council of Europe.

We are indeed leaving the European Union, but not as far as I am aware the 47-member Council of Europe which is the continent’s leading human rights organisation.

The history of the flag goes back to 1955 when the present design was chosen by the Council of Europe. In the years that followed, it encouraged the emerging European institutions to adopt the same flag.

In 1983 the European Parliament decided that the Communities’ flag should be that used by the Council of Europe. In 1985, it was adopted by all EU leaders as the official emblem of the European Communities, later to become the European Union.

So, I for one would question why it is being removed.

Alex Orr

IT’S sad that the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital is all single rooms. Wards (old style) are so much easier for nurses, and as an orthopaedic patient I found it horribly hard (stuck in bed with a broken hip) to attract attention despite being in a lot of pain and bedbound.

Nurses coping with extremely old patients get called by lots of folk in pain (as I was) and at Christmas time (I was admitted on December 20), they are short-staffed, and simply cannot cope.

I understand staff on the ground pleaded that the new hospital should not be single rooms – but the powers that be took no notice.

I feel sorry for the nurses. Some of the older ones were wonderful but younger female nurses could be incredibly thoughtless and intolerant and downright rude.

What’s the answer to this?

Susan Kingston

SOMETIMES I think politicians should stay off Twitter or at least be a lot more careful on it (John Mason sparks row with Orange Order over marches, Friday).

John Mason has, at best, expressed himself very poorly in talking about certain categories of people (“constituents”) he wouldn’t stand up for rather than speaking of certain issues or policies he wouldn’t support.

Martin Neilson

REPLACE a lovely pub and a historic building with an overt large can be anywhere architecture hotel (Historic Glasgow pub Iron Horse to be flattened for new hotel, Thursday)?

Let’s be honest very few locals will be employed in the hotel and Glasgow losses another part of its history.

Andrew Burns

I WATCHED a video where a pair of old glasses were laid on a museum floor and the amount of visitors that took photos of them was unbelievable. So I thought maybe you could send this (left) in to the Turner Prize and any money made could be donated to charity.

Jim Tees

THIS is such a vital part of first aid which should be widely taught in schools (Family seeks hero who saved their choking son ‘minutes from dying’ outside IKEA, Friday).

Anybody can choke at any time. I have heard of young children who have died in choking incidents and families have been devastated at how quickly they lost their loved one. Well done to this hero.

Eileen Knowles

IT’S great to hear someone stepping in to help another. So many people just walk by these days. I hope they find this young man and I’m glad Josh is okay.

Rae M