Balance please

S Beck (Letters, 6 May) makes a valid point about the desirability of a “significant SNP presence at Westminster” when proposed legislation for implementation of the Smith Commission recommendations is debated.

However, there are other aspects of the Perspective of Peter Jones (5 May) that merit some discussion.

Placing questions about his principles to one side, it does not appear logical for Mr Jones to encourage voting for any party other than the SNP when those parties have, in his opinion, rendered Scotland economically destitute in spite of Scotland having considerable natural resources and a history of education and innovation which most other countries around the world look upon with envy.

While I also do not agree with Peter’s skewed prediction of Scotland’s economic situation at some future date when full fiscal autonomy or independence is achieved, I am surprised that if he believes that situation would be as bad as he has attempted to have readers believe that he is not advocating it is time to thwart any possibility of such an embarrassing predicament arising and for the people of Scotland to confidently and proudly take more control over our country’s destiny.

As for charging the SNP with “hypocrisy”, it seems more than a little disingenuous to complain about “loaded TV coverage” while throughout previous elections and the referendum campaign having maintained his silence over biased mainstream media reporting, seemingly increasingly led by our not so impartial public broadcaster (as assessed in a University of West of Scotland analysis last year), the BBC.

Stan Grodynski

Longniddry

East Lothian