Readers' Letters: What have the SNP ever done for us?

As long as they are hostile to that industry they will never persuade voters in the north-east to support them. They also contributed to the closure of Grangemouth's refinery, so that won't go down too well in Central Scotland, either. Neither will the lack of support for the last motor industry remaining in Scotland, which is the bus manufacturing which they have failed to support, preferring to buy more Chinese than Scottish-built buses. More jobs will be lost.

Bearing in mind the SNP's support for measures which limit our freedom of speech, and profligacy with public money which is at an all-time high at £2,700 pa per head in Westminster support, their only policy of another “once in a lifetime” referendum on independence is going nowhere.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

A long sentence

Christine Jardine asks “Does the SNP deserve another chance to fix Scotland? (30 March)”. After 19 years in power, do they deserve another five? Whether they do or not, the polls say they remain the most popular choice with the electorate. This despite the polls also showing widespread dissatisfaction with their performance in government.

The SNP are criticised because they have failed to deliver on education, healthcare and the economy. They have also failed in the area of governance. As the former chairman of a now disbanded local amenity society, one of the main reasons for our closure was that important decisions affecting our area were being taken centrally in Edinburgh rather than here by our local council as planning authority.

It is curious that a party which has shown scant interest in local democracy over a lengthy period should lead in the polls in the build up to 7 May. Nineteen years is a long time and it seems unlikely that the approach will change over the next five years.

​Andrew Robinson, Haddington, East Lothian

Chain fail

Richard Hepburn suggests the Scottish housing market – already operating at a level superior to England’s – could be further improved using technology available today (column, 1 April). Communication and essential paper processing are the two areas that, while operating well, could be further improved with closer cooperation between all of the various sections of the home buying process.

Certainly in today’s housing market Scotland can sometimes suffer from the English disease of a chain of housing being involved, which ensures a greater uncertainty in the buying process. The longer the chain, the greater the uncertainty. In addition it appears solicitors operating within a chain feel unable to communicate across the chain when difficulties arise, which can cause unnecessary delay and uncertainty in the house purchase process.

What this means in practice is that the solicitor acting for the selling client can only communicate with the solicitor of the buyer, and where there might be a chain of five-six properties involved, when the problem is property six then property one in the chain has little chance of understanding the reason for the delay and the possible impact this would have on the chain.

Unfortunately, this does happen and the stressful process of house purchase turns into a nightmare, with no communication coupled with little or no control of the process for the people involved.

We hope Scotland continues to perform better that England in the housing market, but the more that chains are involved the greater chance our supposed advantage will disappear unless our solicitors can find a way to communicate across the chain when problems arise to find a way forward. At the bottom of this problem is the fact that those people directly involved have little to no information to make informed decision on possible actions that might be available for them, which cannot an acceptable position.

T Lewis, Coylton, Ayrshire

Westminster’s fault

Brian Barbour states “we cannot afford gas blackouts” and that “gas plants provide the necessary back-up to the grid when solar or wind power is not enough” (Letters, 2 April).

Perhaps instead of accusing those who wish less reliance on fossil fuels of being “zealots” he should question why the UK government effectively shut down gas storage, which is now down to a few days of back-up instead of several months, as per the European average?

Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian

Master our fate

It's disappointing, to say the least, that John Swinney is even considering opening up the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil fields (your report, 2 April). With the Iran war, he says, “everything has changed” and we're in “a perilous situation”.

Our response to that perilous situation must be to review any reliance we have on fossil fuels, pursue renewables and thus become masters of our own energy fate. We're well on our way already, and reopening these oilfields would be a retrograde step.

This is the principled stance Ed Miliband is taking, despite opposition from the Tories, Reform UK and from within Labour itself. The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf has only accentuated the world's critical dependence on oil and gas. The future, for us all, lies in renewables.

Ian Petrie, Edinburgh

Stand firm

Gerald Edwards argues for “direct action” to solve the Middle East crisis rather than negotiation (Letters, 1 April). I would argue that is happening already, with no let-up in the intense bombing, and many observers suggest a ground invasion is imminent.

Mr Edwards does not elaborate as to whether the direct action should be from Nato, as Donald Trump advocates, or the US and Israeli coalition. Trump is seemingly deaf to Article 5 of the UN Charter whereby Nato countries are obliged to come to the defence when one other member is attacked, not when one member comes to the defence of a non-member, in this case Israel. It is unlikely Israel was under imminent threat of attack given negotiations with Iran were ongoing. The only time Article 5 was invoked was after the 9/11 attacks on the US. Trump should remember that and heed Canada leader Mark Carney’s suggestion of a new military alliance without the US.

Prince Charles should use his state visit to extol the virtues of Nato and how it has kept peace for over 80 years. Trump will be forced to respond and if he still carps on about leaving Nato that is the signal for Nato nations to prepare for US exclusion on their terms until Trump is replaced with a more dependable US leader who supports peace. When Nato stood up to Trump on Greenland he relented; he may do so again but Nato must prepare to stand firm without the US.

Neil Anderson, Edinburgh

Dump Trump

So, the US is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It’s an important year for them, but I am not sure why it should concern us. We were, of course, the former colonial power, but do we send our monarch to every independence celebration in former colonies?

Ah, but we have the Special Relationship, which successive UK governments have consistently failed to understand is not one of equals, but of subservience. So Donald Trump roundly insults the UK and, like a whimpering dog, we send our highest representative to a country which demeans us at every turn.

We perhaps like to think that Trump is a temporary aberration and that all will return to normal when he is gone, but that is wishful thinking. The US has always acted in its own interests and we should start to do the same.

The royal visit should be at the very least postponed, and preferably cancelled, in order to send a strong signal to the bully in the White House that we are not to be trifled with.

Trevor Rigg, Edinburgh

Clone Cameron

Another superb article from Cameron Wyllie (Perspective, 31 March). This ex-head teacher could transform Scottish education and return it to its former glory. If only we could clone him like Dolly the sheep!

I urge the government and the new Qualifications Scotland to listen to him, train headteachers of his calibre, and limit class sizes by employing all teachers on proper full-time contracts.

Replace Curriculum for Excellence with Cameron for excellence!

Lorna Donaldson, Causewayhead, Stirling

Grin and Bear it

Those who say television fails to give women's football equal treatment with the men's game clearly haven't heard Ian Crocker on Sky Sports.

In a commendable show of his commitment to equality, when covering Rangers matches he sounds equally as close to tears regardless of whether it's their men's or women's team that's getting pumped.

Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire

Ferry amusing

My body clock has only now adjusted to British Summer Time, so I apologise for not clocking that it was April 1 sooner.

Full marks to Alexander McCall Smith for his intrepid exposé of yet another ferry fiasco (“Medieval ferry ‘abandoned due to technical difficulties’”). Could this vessel be restored in time for my annual visit to Iona? I live in hope...

So, please pick up any bottle that you find on the beach and have a look, it may contain a plea to be evacuated – 1930 St Kilda style – from our latest abandoned and cut-off islands.

Iain Masterton, Kirknewton, West Lothian

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