Scotland Matters Letters

The present alliance between the SNP and the Greens is a marriage of convenience. However, it is easy to foresee situations arising shortly in which the SNP minority administration will just have to deny their “unelected” partners a say in policy matters. Hopefully, for Scotland’s sake, this will happen sooner rather than later. The current state of the Holyrood administration is dire to say the least, and much of this situation has been brought about by Green Party interference in matters in which they have no competence. There is no doubt we are going to see a revival of Labour throughout the UK. The Hamilton West /Rutherglen by-election is surely an early indicator of this. Hopefully, such a resurgence will be triggered off in Scotland, and may well result in a Labour/Liberal Democrat administration at Holyrood. After all, it was the joint efforts of such a coalition which resulted in the formation in 1999 of the Scottish Executive with power and responsibility over the majority of public services in Scotland, and eventually the creation of the Scottish Parliament. The SNP has failed in its governmental role, with disastrous consequences in most devolved areas. The Scottish economy is heavily reliant on Westminster for block grant funding through the Barnett Formula with circa £41 billion transferred into the Scottish economy annually, and it should be remembered that there is no Central Bank in Scotland. The present Scottish Government is mired in sheer incompetence — change is essential! Robert I G Scott, Northfield, Ceres, Fife.

There may be some relief within the SNP that MP Lisa Cameron has quit the party, as the controversy around her has become somewhat of a distraction. However, it highlights the belief that views which differ from those held by the party leadership are not tolerated and one cannot be critical of the hierarchy’s stance on any issue, as was shown previously by the treatment of Fergus Ewing MSP. It remains to be seen whether Lisa Cameron’s departure will bring calm or cause more ripples. Bob MacDougall Kippen, Stirlingshire.

Where lies Humza Yousafs “de facto” referendum claim now? The Rutherglen by-election result was truly seismic. Winnie Ewing’s famous victory in 1967 to establish the SNP as a political force was achieved with 46% of the vote. Labour got 59% in Rutherglen. Not only that but the Greens were utterly trounced and the combined total for pro-independence parties was around 9000 while pro-Union parties achieved around 20,000. The game is up for the SNP /Green alliance and Humza Yousaf is facing a total meltdown. -Yours, etc., Gerald Edwards (by email).

First, Rutherglen and Hamilton West goes from the SNP to Labour, and now SNP MP Lisa Cameron defects to the Tories, abandoning the pursuit of divisive independence. Undoubtedly, deeply worrying for Humza Yousaf. Meanwhile, back in the real world, under SNP management and despite the efforts of front-line professionals, hospital waiting lists grow, educational standards decline, and Scotland remains the drug death capital of Europe. Was emblazoning Yousaf over the cover of Time magazine sensible from any perspective? Martin Redfern.

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