Behind each number is a human being whose life is on hold and whose survival is increasingly becoming a lottery. It doesn't seem to matter which politician is in charge of the NHS in Scotland as each successive incumbent appears unable to get a grip of the situation. Of course, there is a shortage of money and difficulties in recruiting specialist staff, but Scotland's biggest killer deserves more government intervention than it’s getting. I am sure that if the SNP/Greens coalition devoted the same amount of time tending to NHS problems as they do on “independence” issues, the incidence of cancer and other killer illnesses would decrease.

Bob MacDougall, Kippen, Stirlingshire

World leading?

Humza Yousaf's government should focus on health, not independence, reckons reader (Picture: Peter Summers/Getty Images)

The report on minimum pricing for alcohol, yet another world-leading policy from the Scottish Government, has shown a huge three per cent reduction in alcohol usage, all of it among the responsible alcohol-consuming public. The effect amongst chronic alcoholics is zero. Yes, zero.

This has already been seen as a reason to increase the price of alcohol further. If something is not working what is needed is more of it. In the Lewis Carroll world of SNP/Green Scotland this makes eminent sense. Compared with our other “world leading” policies such as the Named Person's Act, the Gender Recognition Act and of course, the deposit return scheme it is, in their eyes, an unbridled success.

Please, let's get back to what we do best. Running airports, dualling roads, building ferries and looking after funds to fight for independence to make our once great country a laughing stock among nations.

Howard Lewis, Edinburgh

Someone save us

The Government at Holyrood has in recent times become a bit of a joke. We, the electorate, are fully aware of a situation in which so-called ministers are failing miserably in the majority of the sectors for which they bear responsibility.

When the idea of a Scottish Executive was mooted circa 1999 by the Labour/Liberal Parties it got Westminster approval, and was seen as a worthwhile development. But sadly, times have changed and to many Scots the concept of regional government has become somewhat jaded.

The latest First Minister, Humza Yousaf, has come over as being somewhat naive during his relatively short spell in office. For instance, the EU has scuppered his recent plans to send an envoy to Brussels, unless such a move is authorised by the UK Government. Also, one would have thought that the same sort of rebuff should have applied in the cases of the Scottish Government's “embassies” in a number of countries. The whole concept of such representation for the devolved parliament is absurd, and a complete waste of time and resources.

It is all too obvious that most public services have deteriorated under this SNP regime: the state of Scotland's roads is a total disgrace; the NHS in Scotland is in decline with unfathomable problems relating to patient care; Police Scotland can only be described as being remote, unaccountable and somewhat ineffective; and regrettably standards have so obviously slipped in the education of our children. The list is endless!

As it stands at present, Holyrood can only be described as a liability. The people of Scotland deserve better. If that entails a return to centralised Government at Westminster, then so be it!

Robert I G Scott, Ceres, Fife

True mandate

Andrew HN Gray (Letters, 28 June) asks what would a referendum be for? Independence is not an abstract constitutional concern, disconnected from real-life problems. Independence means the power to change lives and gives us the only opportunity to match the higher standard of living enjoyed in Denmark, Finland, Ireland and Norway.

The numerous democratic mandates obtained in the Scottish Parliament for a referendum are not recognised by the UK Government, which has been eroding Holyrood’s powers since Brexit. A written constitution is required when Westminster’s conventions such as Sewel, which recognises that the Parliament of the United Kingdom will not normally legislate with regard to devolved matters without the consent of the Scottish Parliament, has been easily breached on nine occasions since Brexit.

The recent Scottish Government paper showed how Brexit results in an expected loss of £3 billion every year in public revenues for Scotland and is responsible for a third of food price inflation. None of the UK parties has any intention of returning to the EU and Labour say they could reject public sector pay review body findings as the debt-ridden UK can’t afford it, as well as abandoning the provision of universal childcare. Despite this, Labour have ditched their pledge to raise taxes on the likes of Amazon and Google to create a level playing field for our ailing high streets

A referendum gives the people of Scotland a choice on their future following the disastrous impact of Brexit that was rejected by voters in every constituency in Scotland.

Mary Thomas, Edinburgh

Truth is out there

The advice that Scottish Labour needs to drop its old, paternalistic, we-know-best ways has clearly bypassed Jackie Baillie MSP (Perspective, 27 June) She opens with: “Voters know that the solution to the Tory economic crisis is not an SNP one.” When and how did we appoint Jackie Baillie, or any other politician for that matter, to tell us how we think? What followed was an embarrassingly light comment making much of pop music analogies, even Eurovision and the totally worn-out “nul points” joke.

The only serious claim was the regular falsehood beloved by unionists that the independence movement has no answers on the big issues such as the economy and currency. This is the equivalent of someone claiming that the solar system does not exist on the basis of never having opened a book on astronomy. There’s an abundance of information out there from Business in Scotland, Common Weal, the Scottish Currency Group, Alba’s “wee book” and so on. The Scottish Government has published four reports recently on independence in the modern world, renewing democracy, the economy and a written constitution. More will follow before the next election.

Last week, the Labour Westminster leader crossed the Border to tell us Scotland has the green energy potential to transform the UK. With the memory still fresh of how oil and gas was squandered, the pop-song playing in the minds of many of us is The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.

Robert Farquharson, Edinburgh

Delete your greens

May I congratulate Murdo Fraser on his coherent argument, well backed by factual evidence, as to why Humza Yousaf must ditch the Greens as soon as possible (Perspective, 28 June). It has become clear to most voters that their “policies” are badly thought through by incompetent MSPs. Scotland will continue to suffer if Lorna Slater et al remain in power. If the First Minister really wants Scotland to be a prosperous country, then we must be rid of them.

Elizabeth Towns, Edinburgh

Grasping at straws

Invoking the Northern Ireland Act of 1998, Les Mackay demands to know “Why does Scotland not have such a democratic pathway to independence, if the people of Scotland were to decide?” (Letters, 28 June). Where was Mr Mackay in 2014, when “the people of Scotland” democratically opted to stay in the UK?

The “democratic pathway” advocated here would be a gateway to permanent instability, a true “neverendum” exploited by separatists every few years. Imagine the nightmare impact of such an arrangement on long-term investment and business confidence. Not that our intrepid far-left patriots are too concerned by such capitalist trivia.

This letter deplores the injustice of being “governed, most of the time, by a party (the Conservatives) which is consistently rejected by its people”.

The north of England always voted Labour but has never insisted on seceding. Likewise in Wales, where latest polling puts nationalist Plaid Cymru on 12 per cent. And despite recent gains by Sinn Féin in the six counties of Ulster, there is currently no clear majority for leaving the Union.

Projecting an illusion of great leadership during the pandemic, Nicola Sturgeon skilfully hoodwinked a majority of those surveyed into favouring separatism for a few months. But for many good reasons, polls before and since have consistently failed to demonstrate such enthusiasm.

In fury and desperation, the SNP and their ridiculous allies grasp at ever thinner constitutional straws.

Martin O’Gorman, Edinburgh

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