Hijacked debate

After the stage-managed party leaders' debate on TV last week, I was expecting more from the Scottish event on Tuesday 20 April. I'm afraid my hopes were dashed.

A major criticism of the former debate was the absence of audience participation, but this may have been no bad thing.

The partisan Glasgow mob were an embarrassment, making their man, Jim Murphy, sound extremely articulate by comparison – although he quickly side-stepped the accusation of representing a "London-based party".

One or two of the people in the audience – including a few old duffers who just wouldn't pipe down – clearly thought they had missed their true vocation as TV stars. If Alistair Stewart was a control freak last week, his Scottish counterpart was far too lenient.

And, if the biggest issue was finance – as all seemed to agree – only the SNP's Angus Robertson was able to say where a huge saving could be made – by scrapping nuclear weapons in Scotland.

BARRY LEES

Denholm Street

Greenock