Why? Remember the primary objective of the SNP, as per its constitution, isn’t governing Scotland, it’s separating us from the rest of the UK.

Nicola Sturgeon won multiple elections plus Covid, Brexit, Boris Johnson, and Liz Truss all happened – yet Westminster stuck to its principles and insisted Sturgeon and her fellow Scexiteers respected the democracy as clearly expressed in 2014.

If Sturgeon, the canny political operator par excellence, failed so abjectly in her principal objective, then being her replacement is surely a poisoned chalice?

John Swinney has already ruled himself out of the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon

Martin Redfern, Melrose, Scottish Borders

Succession failure

An essential element of leadership is succession planning. Given that, following her resignation, polls to identify who her successor record “don’t know” as leading by a huge margin, Nicola Sturgeon's leadership has clearly ended in failure.

George Rennie, Inverness, Highland

A new era

It is the end of an era, but also the beginning of something which could be much better.

Rather than accepting the decision of the Scottish people to remain British, Nicola Sturgeon set her face against democracy and decided that, whatever the cause may be, it must be in opposition to the rest of the UK to cause grievance to arise.

Whoever succeeds her will have a big task ahead of them, given mess she has left in all areas of administration. Now that her baneful presence is being consigned to the back benches, someone is going to have to persuade Scots that an SNP administration can actually do something positive for Scotland.

They will need to assure parents that their children will be educated; that they will be treated by the NHS; that they will be able to travel to Inverness on a dual-carriageway; that they will be served by ferries from the mainland; that they will be able to work in a successful oil and gas industry which will supply us with desperately-needed fuels. They will need to accept that nuclear power is essential and that being part of the UK and Nato is overwhelmingly important when the Russian bear is attempting to conquer free peoples in Europe.

Their aim must be to run Scotland well and to accept our democratic referendum decision. Certainly, be Scottish. We never stopped being Scottish, but acknowledge that we decided also to remain British. Welcome enterprise. Reduce taxes.

Nicola Sturgeon’s ship has sailed, but the ferries need to do so as well.

Andrew HN Gray, Edinburgh

Tail wags dog

Over the weekend, suggestions that the Greens would pull out of their agreement with the SNP should Kate Forbes be elected leader and FM because of their antipathy to her beliefs on many matters they feel are non-negotiable, gave me a ray of hope for the direction in which my country is heading.

I care not a jot for nationalism and by whom it is led. But the electorally insignificant Greens sharing power with the SNP and glorying in it as they did put paid to any ideas that I thought of the proportional system of voting being a good or fair one.

They have been the tail wagging the nationalist dog for some time and for those of us on the other side of politics who thought SNP ministers were the worst and most incompetent possible, they proved us wrong. If there is a split with the Greens and an election in Scotland so much the better for our country.

Alexander McKay, Edinburgh

Home sweet home

With the debate about who is to run for First Minister ongoing, how was the shared domicile of the First Minister and her husband as Chief Executive of the SNP allowed to continue for nine years?

Here in North Lanarkshire, two office bearers in a community council are not permitted to share the same address.

Ann Glen, Airdrie, North Lanarkshire

Time for change

Methinks that by the time of the next election for the Holyrood Parliament we Scots voters will need to have witnessed major changes in the manner in which Scotland is destined to be administered in future years.

The SNP, and their unelected Green party associates, will flounder if they fail to recognise the dire need for vast improvements in almost all areas of administration in Scotland. The emotional appeal of independence will have waned by then in the light of the continuing SNP administration's inept handling of most aspects of the devolved powers granted to them by Westminster.

Voters are fully aware of the problems which have arisen in just about every public sector – whether they are considering the NHS, their children’s schooling, local government services, public transport including ferries, the service provided by Police Scotland, and in so many other sectors of the administration in Scotland.

If Nicola Sturgeon is still representing her constituents in Glasgow Southside on the day before the next Scottish Parliamentary elections on 7 May, 2026, I think that she will witness a huge shift of support from the SNP to other political parties.

Fellow Scots, surely polling day in 2026 will be a timely point for a change of administration at Holyrood. The SNP has had its turn, and has emphatically failed the people of Scotland.

Robert I G Scott, Ceres, Fife

Not sorry

Something which is lost in discussing the independence “debate” with Scottish nationalists is that it is they who are actively attempting to break up our country. This is the sort of thing that is normally undertaken by outside, hostile forces and every country will defend itself against such actions.

It is instructive, therefore, to read the offerings of the likes of Stan Grodynski (Letters, 20 February) and David Roche (Letters, 18 February) who find the response of unionists to the constant attempts by nationalists to undermine our country's political stability “unpleasant” and “disrespectful”.

Well, I for one am not in the slightest bit sorry for the sterling efforts of those of us who believe in our country which we created and have lived in for far longer than the lifetimes of our great-grandparents’ great-grandparents. What respect should we have for those who seek to destroy what we have collectively created in Great Britain?

The idea of the sort of break-away state that nationalists would have terrifies me. I have only to read the vile comments made by many nationalists online, describing unionists as “Quislings”, for example, to realise that the internecine conflict that happened when Ireland broke away from the UK would also visit us. Armed gangs like the IRA would arise and the Grim Reaper would stalk Scotland, just as famine and economic ruin was Scotland’s lot before 1707.

Fine talk about a “fairer, greener” Scotland is eminently achievable, along with the rule of law, peace and security, if we stay part of Great Britain. Messrs Grodynski, Roche and co should remember that that is what Scots voted for in 2014. The Government at Westminster is sticking by the people of Scotland by insisting that that decision be honoured.

Peter Hopkins, Edinburgh

Change emphasis

If the SNP want my vote, and that of many Scots, they will have to switch their emphasis from the monothematic cry for independence to their prospectus of responsibility to a realistic battle cry of “Strong for Scotland”, along with the necessary and ettective actions.

Charles Wardrop, Perth, Perth & Kinross

Local priorities

I had to look twice at the comments of Stewart McDonald MP (Scotsman, 18 February), where he says: “If the SNP can continue to show that government rooted in local communities is more effective than government from a palace in London… support for independence will rise.”

Local community means local government, which has seen power concentrated at Holyrood, and has seen cash cuts in real terms for years! Another SNP politician who clearly believes his own hype.

William Ballantine, Bo’ness, West Lothian

Starmer’s speech

Sir Keir Starmer said at the weekend “I want to be Prime Minister for the UK”, but the Labour Party does not even stand candidates in the 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland.

Sir Keir also said “any path to a Labour victory must run through Scotland”. But in the 2019 UK General Election the Conservatives won a majority of 80. Even if “Scottish Labour” had won all of the 59 constituencies in Scotland, the Conservatives would still have had an overall majority.

Because England has 533 constituencies, the path to a Conservative or Labour victory in a UK General Election always runs through England.

E Campbell, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire

Penalty clause

February isn't even over, and yet Rangers – already notorious for mysteriously receiving the most penalties of any football club in Europe season after season – have managed to receive seven more penalties than for the entirety of last season. Quelle surprise.

May I suggest Hearts, Hibernian and The Artist Formerly Known As Edinburgh City switch to rugby union? Then at least they’ll be in a sport where it’s not just one club that gets to have effectively 15 players!

Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire

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Readers' letters: Anyone willing to sip from Sturgeon's poisoned chalice?

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