Points of view

In Opinion Focus (27 January) Fred Forrester states that "Catalonia and the Basque region ... have a far better claim than Scotland to sovereignty". Since when has a country's right to self-determination been put into a priority order and needed to be justified relative to other countries?

Michael N Crosby, Muiravonside, by Linlithgow

Prison

The prison overcrowding crisis is due to one reason: the war on drugs. There are two certain facts available to us: what has been invented cannot be uninvented, and where there is a demand, there will always be a supply. It is time for those in power to start climbing out of the hole instead of digging it deeper.

R Scott, Bo'ness, West Lothian

Rankin

I have nothing against Ian Rankin, but I am fed up of his ubiquitousness in The Scotsman. Your two-page spread, "Rebus on draught" (27 January) tells us for the umpteenth time about the Rebus books, the Oxford Bar and Deuchars IPA, and should be labelled as the advertising feature it is.

Harry D Watson Edinburgh

Inequality

Archie Stoddart (Letters, 1 February) rightly deplores soaring house prices, which exacerbate social inequality and alienation, and it is disgraceful that the political parties are not emphasising this. The Scottish Executive and local authorities can do plenty about housing if they wish; and they will if the electorate insists on it.

Kevin Lawrie, Pitlochry, Perthshire