Readers' Letters: Tories lag behind SNP in free thinking

I am a member of the SNP and recently received an email asking me to choose from a list of my Party's candidates for the forthcoming Scottish Parliamentary election the order I would like to see them ranked for the Lothian list. Alongside each name was a link which gave access to to their personal details and information as to why they hoped that I should vote for him or her. I made my selection and that was it.
Ruth Davidson, leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty)Ruth Davidson, leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty)
Ruth Davidson, leader of the Conservative Party in the Scottish Parliament (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty)

A friend who is a member of the Scottish Conservatives has also received a list of his party's Lothian candidates. But he is outraged because his list, which came through the post, was prefaced by a message from Ruth Davidson saying that she had chaired a committee which recommended that he voted for five particular candidates.

Messages for all candidates were enclosed but those from the pre-selected candidates were again headed with the message that Ruth Davidson wanted him to vote for these ones.

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And then he discovered that the committee choosing the favoured candidates had a majority of members who didn't even live in Lothian.

Furthermore, they didn't recommend Gordon Lindhurst, presently a Conservative MSP and the party's candidate for the Pentlands constituency. He wondered about the logic of inviting him to vote for Mr Lindhurst as being suitable to represent the constituency whilst at the same time not to vote for him as a list candidate as there were candidates deemed by this committee to be better qualified.

The SNP is sometimes criticised as a party with inflexible discipline but at least it allows its members the freedom to make such a decision without heavy pressure from outside the region in which they live and vote. I can only imagine how embarrassed Mr Lindhurst must feel at this snub from within his own party.Ian McKee, The Cedars, Edinburgh

Dropping ball

I thought Professor Jason Leitch was supposed to be apolitical. However, in yesterday’s report: “Leitch 'desperate' to go to Wembley”, he ''flippantly'' suggests that the UK government don't want the Tartan Army at Wembley on June 18.

It's England that we are playing on that date, not the United Kingdom, of which Scotland is part!

Moreover, what about crowds at Hampden, with the Professor not committing to a crowd at Hampden for either game, although one is after the clash with England?

As a long-standing member of the Scotland Supporters Club, I am much more interested in the games against the Czech Republic and Croatia at Hampden than the tribalism that surrounds games against England (enjoyable though victory in that match, also, would be).

The bold Professor should leave politics to Nicola Sturgeon and her daily broadcast.

Frank Anderson, Kirkcaldy

Unrealistic views

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Leah Gunn Barrett makes comments which are at odds with reality (Letters, Wednesday). She seems to believe that Scotland can create its own currency overnight when the politicians such as Alex Salmond have made it perfectly clear that Scotland would continue with the pound if ever independence was achieved, something which is certainly not in view in the next 15-20 years.

Ms Barrett also claims Scotland would save billions on defence, as if defence was merely a choice. History should teach her the folly of small European countries that do not invest in their defence. Cemeteries throughout Europe are full of the bodies of British and American soldiers who gave their lives due to the utter folly of that sort of thinking.

She also states that Scotland would not have to shoulder a share of the national debt. In fact, the official position is that "an independent Scottish state would become responsible for a fair and proportionate share of the UK’s current liabilities." In other words, the national debt.

Perhaps a small word of advice would help her difficulty with Scotland's economic growth being half that of "similarly sized EU nations". That is caused by the SNP's continuous campaign to break up the UK. People do not invest in unsettled economies. For investment growth, don't vote nationalist is the simple solution.

Peter Hopkins, Morningside Road, Edinburgh

Unfair criticism

In terms of unwarranted criticism of Nicola Sturgeon, I think the letter from Peter Graham is a classic of its kind (Letters, February 25). He says that he is appalled at her conduct in answering questions relating to the Salmond saga and that it was a blatant exploitation of her position to deal with questions outside the remit of a Covid briefing.

It's hard to believe that Mr Graham actually watched the briefing, but I did and Ms Sturgeon made it absolutely clear that the questions were outside the parameters of the briefing.

She stayed polite as a succession of journalists from metropolitan outlets persisted with questions on the Salmond inquiry even though she pointed out that their questions had already been dealt with several times.

The persistence of the journalists in question says much about their quality and agenda. They were either incapable of thinking up another question, or determined to use their moment in the limelight regardless of what had gone before.At the end of the briefing, Ms Sturgeon gave a fulsome apology to all who had tuned in to hear information on Covid details alone. Information given in detail, of the kind listed in the letter from Mr Graham, but which he appears to have missed.

Gill Turner, Derby Street, Edinburgh

Tricky affair

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On BBC Scotland radio yesterday there was a discussion on the Sturgeon/Salmond issue and it was mentioned that the people of Scotland were clearly not interested in this as Nicola Sturgeon still had a very high personal rating in the polls. It is worth remembering that Richard Nixon had approval ratings of around 68 per cent when the Watergate scandal broke into the news. No matter how popular a country's leader may be, if he or she is found to have broken the law then they must go. Tricky Dicky accepted this in the end. Will Nicki?

Michael J Laggan, Newton of Balcanquhal, Perthshire

Holiday home

Manon H Lemaire criticises Steve Hayes for expressing his disapproval of people going on holiday during the current pandemic (Letters, February 5).

To be fair to Mr Hayes, he’s right to question the prioritising of going on holiday over keeping ourselves and others safe from the coronavirus, especially when travel to our destination involves sitting very close to others in a plane for several hours. He was not advocating a total ban on social interaction for the duration of the crisis, just reminding us of our need to be cautious.

I’m sure many people are poring over travel brochures at the moment, planning their first post-Covid holiday, but we have no idea when that time will come. Travelling by air is not the healthiest mode of travel at any time, as anyone who has succumbed to a viral infection from a fellow traveller will confirm.

We don’t have to leave our own shores to go on holiday. We may not get the high temperatures which turn us lobster-red, but we won’t risk getting skin cancer either.

The UK has some beautiful countryside and beaches, but people should still postpone their holidays until the vaccination programme has been rolled out to all vulnerable groups of people. It’s called social responsibility.

Carolyn Taylor, Broughty Ferry, Dundee

Ministry of Truth?

In yesterday’s letter page the main headline likened the Salmond inquiry to a pantomime. An alternative analogy would be Scotland's very own version of "Yes, First Ministers", with Machiavellian twists and turns. At least Sir Humphrey appeared to be non partisan.

Does anyone else think that the Salmond inquiry will run out of time or fizzle out like a damp squib ? It has ground on slowly, almost as if it was scripted and orchestrated at the outset with the clandestine agreement of the two main opposing protagonists with the aid of their spin doctors.

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The restricted powers and scope granted to the committee is, perhaps, a giveaway. Various ploys which can be interpreted as excuses for non appearances and delays, winding the clock down.

A damage limitation exercise with apparent blows being struck by each party, but likely to end up as yesterday's news with mild "bruising" to reputations of the leading characters, the independence of the Civil Service, the Police and even the Crown Prosecution Service.

I hope I am wrong, but if not, the real casualties will be the truth, the victims of the alleged incidents, the public purse funded by the taxpayers, democracy and proper independent governance which the voters have a right to expect and demand.

Fraser MacGregor, Liberton Drive, Edinburgh

Rail opportunity

It is certainly good news that Network Rail has awarded the first contract to transform Edinburgh’s Waverley Station, to design “a station that works for the city both now and in the future… creating a modern, vibrant transport hub”.

That sensible vision would have been immensely improved, as many of us said in the 1990s, if the then-vacant site at Waverley’s east end had been used to relocate the bus station.

But despite politicians’ constant lip service to integrated transport services, the Council built their new HQ there instead – forcing the old, disabled, parents with young children and all others to continue with the half-mile walk from north St. Andrews Square, often in inclement weather.

Nor are Glasgow or Dundee any better.

John Birkett, Horseleys Park, St Andrews, Fife

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