Letter: Labour's position

Former adviser to the Scottish Labour Party, Andrew McFadyen, does not seem to realise the utter folly of the suggestion in his Perspective article, "Time for Labour to take sides" (28 July).

We have had the unprecedented camaraderie between Labour and the Conservatives over Calman, with suggestions that the Conservatives might even have voted Labour in the recent Westminster by-election in Inverclyde to keep the SNP out.

For more than 50 years the arch enemy of both these unionist parties has been the SNP, the cement that bound them being steadfast opposition to Holyrood having extra powers. Yet Mr McFadyen now breaks ranks by proposing that Labour should "realise the common ground Labour shares with the SNP".

He wants Calman put on the back-burner while a fantasy-land plot can be hatched between Labour and the SNP.

The whole thing is absurd. The ultimate question is: if all of that gets into their manifestos, how on earth would the electorate know who to vote for?

As for "putting Scotland first", had Labour in Scotland done that, then it would have led the SNP by 69 to 37 seats at Holyrood in May, instead of the other way round.

Douglas R Mayer

Thomson Crescent

Currie, Midlothian