Nationalist dream

After being swept to great electoral success on a wave of hope and promises, it is ironic to see the SNP having to deal with almost a daily round of reports of failed targets and under-performance across Scotland.

On top of the broken promises on class sizes, missed targets on casualty waiting times, and their poor record on educational attainment for the most disadvantaged in society, we are now told of looming shortfalls regarding environmental targets and that those facing serious health issues including cancer are not being seen within the prescribed time scales.

None of this should come as any great surprise. The recent advances of Scottish Nationalism are based on promising much to the many, one consequence of which is that limited resources are spread far too thinly.

On top of that, the SNP are proving to be pretty poor managers of public resources. Sadly, their undoubted skills in separatist rhetoric are not matched in dealing with the practical issues of the day-to-day running of a country.

As the 2016 Scottish elections come on to the horizon, we must hope the people of Scotland choose to vote based on reality rather than nationalist dreams.

Keith Howell

West Linton

Scottish Borders