Tuesday March 24th 2026
Scottish Parliament
Midlothian View reader Dean Wight has written this letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
As a resident of Rosewell, I reached out to my local councillors regarding the withdrawal of a vital direct bus route to Musselburgh by Lothian Buses. Out of the three councillors contacted, only one responded, merely confirming that the decision was indeed taking place. Unfortunately, the other two—our SNP Midlothian council leader and our Labour representative—did not bother to reply.
Last month, I also contacted our MP and MSPs about a serious national issue recently highlighted by the London Evening Standard. A Freedom of Information request revealed that at March 2025 , over 2,000 British dual nationals have been serving in the Israeli Defence Force during the ongoing genocide in Gaza with no apparent concern or investigation by our security services or Government.
Having received only automatic replies initially, and considering the gravity of this national security concern, I followed up with another email to all of them. Thankfully, SNP MSP Colin Beattie responded and is raising the matter with the Scottish Government. However, it is deeply disappointing that our Westminster MP, despite foreign affairs being a reserved matter for Westminster, has yet to respond.
Similarly, most of my MSPs from Scottish Labour, Scottish Conservatives, and Scottish Greens apparently have no concern for the safety of Scotland’s public by discussing this issue in Holyrood, with the failure of the UK Government and the outdated Foreign Enlistment Act 1870 to protect them.
This lack of communication appears to be a truly shocking reflection and indictment of our local and national democracy failing us all , where party politics appear to override national safety and the interests of local communities with little accountability.
Yours sincerely,
Dean Wight.
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