Dissent allowed

You published my letter advocating tactical voting against the SNP in the absence of a single-party, pro-Union alternative.

The reply from David Roche (Letters, 3 April) is very interesting. Firstly, I did not dispute the right of all MPs to “vote in the best interests of their constituents and country”.

However, my point was that SNP MPs will not do that in the best interests of the country in the parliament of which they will be Members, ie the UK (of which a significant majority of the Scottish electorate voted to continue to belong to only six months ago).

They will be there to cause division to support their clearly stated aim to break up the UK. In my view and that of millions of others, that is not in the interest of Scotland and its people.

Secondly, only in the parallel world of the SNP and the separatists is it “shameful” and “despicable” to vote whatever way one chooses in order to defeat the SNP and “thwart wishes of the Scottish people” but not shameful and disgraceful for the Nationalists to do exactly that by ignoring the sovereign will of the Scottish people as demonstrated in the referendum result.

Let me repeat, Mr Roche: I will cast my vote however I like, whether or not my action will be “easily forgiven” by you or anyone else. Outside of the SNP, dissent from the party line is still allowed.

David K Allan

Haddington

East Lothian