ON Tuesday, March 23, exactly one year from initial lockdown, I was invited to receive my Covid-19 vaccine at the NHS Louisa Jordan, SEC Centre. 

I was very nervous about receiving the jab the night before and hardly slept a wink. Imagine my surprise therefore when the whole experience was a delight.

The centre was so well organised; staff were on hand throughout, to explain every step of the process, everyone smiling, positive and friendly. 

Everything was so well organised from start to finish, brilliantly laid out, simple, clever and effective. I had my jab and was in and out in no time, as were literally hundreds of others. 

In orchestrating the rollout of the vaccine at the SEC, the organisers and every staff member should be praised and congratulated. A job well done.

Why then is this facility to close? The vaccination process to be relocated just minutes away in the nearby Hydro building. 

It has cost millions of pounds to set up the Louisa Jordan. It is working fantastically well, so why change it? 

Why spend more money to create a similar setup when the one that is there is already doing what it needs to do and is doing it so brilliantly well?

Maybe we already know why. As recent evidence suggests, our current Government seem to delight in throwing money away. A half million here; another million there; a possible £600 million hanging in the air over there. 

However, no matter what the issue, it always appears that no-one is to blame, and absolutely no-one is accountable.

We are all living through the most horrible pandemic any of us have ever known.

However, where we need to have trust and reliance in our elected representatives, we had the distractions of the murky Holyrood saga, with its costly investigations, accusations, remonstrations and subterfuge.

Glasgow Times:

We don’t need any of it and it is disgusting that on a day when the entire world needed to reflect and take stock, Scotland had to suffer the pitiful sights in Parliament. What a shower! Every single one of them! Following party lines only makes you a “sheep” and we surely didn’t elect our representatives to be sheep and not have their own views, backbone and decision-making skills.

In the absence of any swords to fall upon, in a few weeks’ time we can all vote for change, or we can vote for more of the same. All our elected members need to remember that there is no such thing as a safe seat, and public opinion and tactical voting can easily take anyone’s scalp, and much, much, quicker than the ineffective no-confidence voting structure our Parliament looks upon.

Alan McGillveray
Anderston

JUDGE Lord Braid found the Scottish Government regulations were unlawful as they manifestly interfered with the freedom of religion secured in the European Convention on Human Rights. 

He noted that the government made its decision to criminalise public worship without having regard to evidence that worshippers adhered to social distancing requirements.

The restrictions and £10,000 fines were the most draconian in the UK, placing disproportionate limitations on people of faith. There were other less restrictive options that did not deny people their right to worship. The fact that criminal sanctions were in place for any breach of Holyrood’s diktats was chilling and gave a disturbing insight into the Government’s mind.

Glasgow Times: Worship returned to St Mary's Church in the East End yesterday Worship returned to St Mary's Church in the East End yesterday

It was absurd that Scottish courts used cinemas to conduct jury trials but parishioners were prevented from going to church. 

Sacramental issues such as Catholics receiving the Eucharist and attending confession had not been taken seriously by the Government and such doctrinal issues were treated as the equivalent of denying some people access to a lunch club.

Banning and criminalising gathered church worship was a supercilious overreach, set an ominous precedent and must not happen again. 

Lord Braid concluded: “I’m clear that the effect of the closure of places of worship is that the petitioners were effectively prevented from practising their religion, however many broadcasts or internet platforms may exist.”

Rev Dr John Cameron
Via email

HAS anyone else noticed that nearly every street in Glasgow city centre appears to have roadworks? It certainly puts you off driving in the city.

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