Letter: Another fine mess

WE are often told, at least by party spokesmen, that the SNP has a good record in government over the past four years. On what is this based?

Any Holyrood administration simply accepts and annual block grant from Westminster, one third of this goes out to the health boards, another third goes to local councils, and most of the remainder goes to quangos such as Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Prison Service, courts etc. There is relatively little margin for political influence and it is quite difficult to botch.

Of course, it matters who wins the election. But I doubt if voters will be naive enough to re-elect the SNP. Salmond and Swinney remind me of Laurel and Hardy, and another four years would be a dire prospect indeed.

James Chisholm

Clifford Road

North Berwick