The Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, has unveiled a £40m plan to fund a National Centre of Expertise for Preventing Child Sex Abuse.

She states, presumably without a hint of irony, that "Children should be able to grow up free from the horrors of sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking". That is, unless they happen to be refugees, Amber?

Sue Breadner

Isle of Man

Conservative Canadians need to reassess their values

Conservatives who are fuming about a motion in Canadian parliament to curb anti-Islam hatred that is growing like fire need to re-examine their principles and values.

Muslims deserve respect like everyone else. The hate against them which led to the Quebec mosque killings must stop.

I don't think it is asking too much for a victim to say to the bully “I can't take it anymore”.

We are not in a jungle where the beast follow its natural instinct to terrorise the weak. Even then the weak has every right to say NO and fight for its right for survival.

I'm amazed, dismayed and puzzled to see these bullies crying afoul. Demanding an end to hate doesn't entail the end to freedom of expression

These people ought to be deradicalised from their crooked way of thinking as if Muslims were cows meat which must be on the menu on the dinner table.

Abubakar N Kasim

Toronto

Remaining in the EU would be disastrous for an independent Scotland

The SNP government wants Scotland to remain in the EU. This could be achieved only after Scots voted to separate from the UK. In any referendum campaign, one could legitimately expect the SNP to tell voters the truth about what EU membership would mean for Scotland.

We know, from the recent experience of countries in southern Europe, that the EU insists on its members reducing a high deficit, and that that entails severe pain for the inhabitants of these countries. Reducing Scotland’s deficit would mean severe cuts to public spending – far beyond anything we have experienced or are likely to experience with Brexit. The surest way to inflict pain on Scots is for us to vote for separation and then seek admission to the EU.

Beyond that, Scotland in the EU would not receive the benefits that the UK has enjoyed. The Thatcher rebate will disappear with Brexit: the EU would not offer a proportion of it to an independent Scotland. VAT would be chargeable on items currently zero-rated. New EU member may choose “one or two” items to have at zero or 5 per cent. Everything else has to be rated at 15 per cent VAT or above. Currently, as part of the UK, Scots enjoy zero-rating on 54 categories of goods, including food, kids’ clothes and shoes, newspapers. Fuel and power is rated at 5 per cent. So entry to the EU in a separate Scotland would mean that basic items that we take for granted would be liable for 15 per cent or more VAT.

Thus, in addition to having to slash public spending, the cost of living would rise. Does anyone seriously think that is a desirable prospect? I await the SNP’s admission that this would be the result of its ambitions. I am not holding my breath.

Jill Stephenson

Edinburgh

Providing care for children transcends party lines

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition is pleased to support “Care Day” on 17 February and to celebrate the lives and listen to the stories of care experienced young people across Scotland.

The monumental commitment from the First Minister to listen to 1000 Care Experienced Voices, as well as the Scottish government’s commitment to an independent “root and branch” review of care, has the power to change so many lives and is a bold first step towards rebuilding our broken care system.

This Care Day, led by one of our members, Who Cares? Scotland, will see charities from across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland come together to celebrate care experienced young people and hear their stories so that together we can combat the negative stereotypes and stigma they face on a daily basis.

Improving the lives of looked after children is a desire that transcends party lines and days such as today go a long way in helping the general public become more informed about the lives of care experienced young people and the hurdles they face. That is why it is so important on this day for us all to stand together with care experienced young people in our communities to positively recognise their identities so that all of Scotland’s care experienced young people receive the love and support they deserve.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Duncan Dunlop, chief executive, Who Cares? Scotland

Tom McGhee, managing director, Spark of Genius

​Sophie Pilgrim, director, Kindred Scotland

Stuart Jacob, director, Falkland House School

​Niall Kelly, managing director, Young Foundations

Liz May, national coordinator, Action for Sick Children Scotland

The Tories are already a laughing stock

Apparently some Conservatives feel that the office of Speaker is being demeaned by John Bercow. One feels that their already somewhat spurious case is rather undermined by the fact that the current Foreign Secretary is Boris Johnson and that Jeremy Hunt is the Secretary of State for Health.

Julian Self

Milton Keynes

Boris Johnson has realised he cannot have his cake and eat it

Boris Johnson argued that in Brexit negotiations a deal could be agreed with the EU that restricted freedom of movement but retained membership of the single market, the “have your cake and eat it” option.

Since Theresa May has now said that the UK will leave the single market, perhaps Boris could tell us what his new plan for the cake is?